You’ve all heard of Google+, the search giant’s foray into the social media space. But, despite what you’ve heard about Hangouts, and Communities, and all of the other features Google+ adds to the mix, there’s one benefit that stands apart from the other gimmicky features, and that’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Yeah, We Know…
While SEO isn’t necessarily a new practice for most businesses, it’s incorporation into Google+ is relevant for any company or organization that’s trying to improve its reach or online visibility. Remember, the original goal of Google+ was to help connect and empower search results in a way that promoted new, quality content. As the platform continued to evolve, so did it’s relevance towards your online marketing efforts.
What Can Google+ Do For My SEO?
One of the primary benefits of Google+ comes from the platform’s ability to instantly crawl and index URL's that have been shared via the social platform. With the advent of increasing Facebook and Twitter privacy settings, Google has struggled indexing posts (or the quality of the content) because the content is blocked, making it useless for SEO purposes.
With Google+, you get a platform that was built by Google and is currently steamrolling the competition while dominating search results. It doesn’t matter that Facebook and Twitter are more popular among subscribers—when those same users are searching for information, most of the results they see are pushing traffic towards Google+.
What Does That Mean for Me?
If your business isn’t currently on Google+ (and actively participating), you’re missing out on opportunities to jumpstart your search ranking. The value of your links are the same, as it still takes a click to be effective. But, by engaging with other Google+ members, your online value increases and, in turn, so does your ranking.
It’s also worth noting that you’ve still got time to incorporate Google+ in your strategy, without feeling behind the ball. Even though Google+’s popularity has skyrocketed recently, only one in four people are using it more than once a month. But, if you’re able to utilize Google+ now, you’ll win in the end, as there’s less competition for attention... and less babies. (Seriously, what's with the Facebook babies?) But that won’t last forever.
No SEO Love for Twitter or Facebook?
Here's a quick video from Google Webmaster Help detailing how Twitter and Facebook are ranked differently by the search engine:
If you still need help developing a winning social media strategy, be sure to contact us to find out how we can help transform your business and dramatically improve your reach.
