Google+ has caused a lot of speculation since its release earlier this year about how it will impact the social-networking market and change SEO strategies. Users and businesses have been slower to embrace the new platform than expected, but traffic to the site is slowly building and more businesses are looking at ways to use it to market their brands. One feature of the site, the +1 button, has been promoted extensively by Google and has already become a player in SEO strategy. However, there are a number of factors that PPC marketers should consider when evaluating how Google+ will influence their strategies:
Business Profile
After creating a separate Google account for their business, owners have the option to create a unique profile for their business on Google+, just as they would a Facebook business page. The Google+ profile for a business or an individual is much the same, though business owners would market the page differently for SEO strategy. The Google+ profile gives business owners another opportunity to improve keyword ranking for their businesses by using effective SEO tools on the page.
The +1 Button
One of the most powerful tools that Google+ introduced was its +1 button, which now appears next to every search-engine result, including PPC ads, and can be integrated into your website, blog or other social-networking profile.
The +1 button can work for your business in two ways: by increasing search-engine rank for your business page and by increasing rank for your ads. The more +1’s your business gets, the higher Google will rank your page, thereby increasing the visibility of both your business and the advertisements on your page. The more +1’s your ads get, the higher Google will rank them, thereby increasing their visibility in search results (as well as increasing the visibility of your business page). However, because the +1 button appears next to ads in search results, some experts have expressed concern that customers will not return to the search results page to click on it after they have experienced the ad and are actually able to rate it.
On your blog and social-networking profiles, the +1 button functions the same way that the Facebook “like” button does. You can integrate it into your posts and your pages so that customers can virtually endorse your content and make it more visible to Google.
Interactivity
The +1 button is just one way that Google+ creates more options for interactivity with your business. Comments, circles, and other features of the social-networking site are thought to also factor into the overall amount of buzz that Google perceives your site as receiving. The more interactivity your page receives from your connections, the higher you are likely to rank in search results; increasing your visibility and the effectiveness of your PPC campaign.
Have you taken the plunge with Google+ yet? What have your experiences been like? Have you noticed any influence on your PPC campaign or your SEO strategies? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!
This guest post was written by Amanda Tradwick, a grant researcher and writer for CollegeGrants.org. She has a Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware, and has recently finished research on military grants for college and ohio education grants.
