In our
attempts to improve SEO rankings we do miracles and try everything we can think
of. Of course, even if we could, it makes no sense to try absolutely
everything. What makes the most sense is to try something that does have great
effect on our SEO rankings, yet is not known to everybody and their brother.
G+, Google's social network meets these requirements – seems to do miracles for
rankings, while most people, (except those who try everything), who do employ
social networks for SEO; concentrate their efforts on Facebook because it is
more popular than G+. However, it turns out G+ pays more for our efforts than
Facebook and the other social networks. Here is why.
How to Use
Google Plus to Get Better Rankings
Google Plus
isn't very different from any other social site, though it certainly has its
specifics. Here are some basic tips how to use Google Plus to the fullest.
1 Join
Google Plus/Become Active
Obviously,
if you aren't on Google Plus yet, the first step is to join it. This is easy to
do and we won't bother with details how to do it. Once you join Google Plus,
have a look around to see who of your friends and acquaintances is there, join
their circles and add them to yours. You can start posting right away but it's
better to first read what other users have posted, comment on it, share it, and
only after this start posting.
2 Start
Using Google Authorship
Google
Authorship is another service from Google you will find on Google Plus that
helps you stand out from the crowd. In addition to being a valuable tool to
protect your content, it also helps with SEO. When you add your articles under
your Google Authorship profile, your name appears in search results. This might
not bring you traffic per Se but it certainly helps to build your online reputation.
3 Post good
content
It goes
without saying but you need to post good content only. Content with low quality
will not only damage your reputation but it might not get noticed at all. On
social networks, the benefits come when you are noticed because in this case it
is more likely for your content to be shared than poor stuff. So, the basic
rule with other social networks applies here as well – it's better not to post
any content than to post junk.
4 Spice
you’re About Page
About pages
can be very boring and you might want to skip yours but this is a huge mistake.
With Google Plus, about pages are very useful because here you can add links to
your sites, your profiles on other social networks, or simply links to pages
you find interesting. All this effort is not in vain, so do it.
5 Pay
Attentions to Your Profile
The About
page is not the only element to pay attention to. In addition to it, you need
to make your Google Plus profile top-notch. As you probably know from your
experience on other social networks, your profile and the information in it is
vital for your success there. This is why you need to fill all the relevant
information and keep it current.
6 Make You
Accessible
Social
networks are not for people who are afraid or unwilling to communicate. If you
are on a social network, this means you don't want to keep your presence there
private but you want to expand your circle of friends, coworkers, and
acquaintances. In order to achieve this, you need to make yourself accessible,
i.e. easy to add to other users' circles and make your posts public. This might
not guarantee your success overnight but when you are accessible and your
profile and posts are interesting, this seriously increases your chances to get
noticed.
Google Plus
is a real jewel for SEO. Though many experts, including Google executives
themselves, dispute its advantages, Google Plus has helped many sites achieve
good rankings in their niches. Certainly, this is not a guarantee that it will
work for you as well but it is worth trying. The wisest you can do is trying
with one site, for example and see how it works. If Google Plus works for you,
then you can expand its use to other sites you optimize. And of course, don't
expect miracles if your other SEO efforts are poor, even Google Plus can't
compensate for this.
