Google+

by Ali Kater

Businesses have hit the gold mine when it comes to promoting their brand online. The uproar of social media and networking sites creates traffic to Facebook fan pages, company twitter accounts, and profiles on LinkedIn. Now, it’s time to throw in one more, Google+. Although they’re still in the testing and development phase, Google+ already has 30 million members. It doesn’t hurt that it carries the name of Google, one of the most recognizable search engines in the world. With so many social media platforms, Google+ has set itself apart by allowing you better privacy management, categorization of your friends, and content approval with “+1.”

As marketing professionals we are curious about the new and foreign “+1” feature. If you have been on Google in the last few weeks, you will have noticed a small “+1” button to the side of each search result and integrated as a feature into Google+.  What is it and could it affect search optimization on Google? Honestly, we’re not sure yet. We do know that this button is somewhat equivalent to the “Like” button on Facebook and using the “+1” button is a way for you as a user to approve or endorse certain content as a valid. You have the option of approving photos, businesses, posts within Google+, and also approving search results in Google. It creates more curiosity in marketing because it is connected to a search engine. Google initially denied that they would use those approvals to optimize search results, but did not deny the chance of it affecting results in the future. The new “+1” feature within Google+ will ultimately play a role into the way Google optimizes their website results, but when and how is still a mystery. In the meantime, this “+1” feature is a way to receive referrals for your business by the recommendations of others.

What does Google+ mean for your business? Right now, it is recommended to hold off on creating business pages within Google+, but do not stay absent from the site. If possible, try to create your own account to become familiar with the service. Since they are still in the testing phase they are only allowing a limited number of members, but once you’re accepted, do your research. With already so many members it seems that Google+ will ultimately stick around and provide more ways for your business to grow on a social scale.

If you find that Google+ is something that your company would like to know more about, feel free to contact Central States Media at info@centralstatesmedia.com or on the phone at (309) 693-2345.