Last week, Google announced changes to their social media platform, Google+. Does your business have a Google+ page? It should – even if your target market is not on Google+.
Why?
Google+ is, obviously, run by Google – the ruler of the internet – so, of all the social media platforms, Google+ is especially helpful in increasing your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Let’s take a step back and talk a little more about SEO. There are two types of links: “no follow” and “do follow” links. Both types of links are good, but do-follow links are better. When people link to your website through a do-follow link, they are essentially recommending your site as an expert in that area and sharing some of their site’s “SEO juice” with yours. The more you can organically build do-follow links, the better. Facebook’s and Twitter’s links are no-follow (which are still helpful in building SEO), but Google+ links are do-follow links, which are the best.
Here are the top three tips for using Google+ to build SEO for your website:
- Add your company address, website, and other contact information to your Google+ page.
You might be surprised at how many companies miss this very important step. Add your website URL to your Google+ page! Additionally, make sure you include your company address and – if you are a local business – set up your account as a “Google local page.” This will help increase your citation listings, which is an essential aspect of building SEO. Read this post for more tips on building a great Google local page.
- Always choose the “link” share option.
Google+ allows you to choose from a variety of share options, including links and photos. Your first thought might be to share a photo, since photos typically elicit more engagement on social media posts.
However, your primary goal in using Google+ should be to build links to your website. If you share a link as a caption of a photo published on Google+, it is a no-follow link. But if you choose the “link” option when you share, the link will be a do-follow link. Plus, the URL will autogenerate a photo from the link as part of the description, so you will also have the benefit of having a (smaller) photo.
- Integrate keywords into your Google+ posts.
This is true of every social media platform, but especially Google+. When sharing a link to your website on Google+, find the keyword(s) that were used on that page or post, and use the same keyword(s) in your Google+ post about the link. This will be a step in not only building your website’s overall SEO, but also the SEO of those keyword(s) linking to that specific page.
Need help setting up or managing your Google+ page? Call us at 410-312-0081.
– Emily Crider, Social Media & Project Manager
