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Will a Google+ Page Give Brands a Search Boost?

posted on December 16, 2011


If you don’t have a Google+ Page for your business yet, it’s time to get started. A new article in AdAge states that Google is experimenting with adding the +1 button results into their search algorithm. To be expected, right? But Google may also use the size of a brands “circle” to determine where they rank on the content importance scale.

What that means is after a year of stats that show size doesn’t matter on Facebook, it could matter on Google+.

The one sure thing that matters is good content. Google has always rewarded fresh, clear, constantly updated content and Google+ is no exception. The trouble is, right now, most folks are still experimenting with Google+. Many are posting the same content they post to Facebook, while others are randomly updating with no thought to SEO.

And why not? When you woke up this morning, did you really think about crafting a Google+ update that was SEO friendly? Probably not. (And if you did, more power to you!)

Michael Scissons, president of Syncapse was quoted as saying:

“Everybody at this point is in trial and discovery mode around best practices, and I believe Google will start to give some degree of preference to Google+ pages over Facebook pages, because it’s in their own best interest to do so.”

That’s really the crux of the whole thing, isn’t it? Google has a search engine that needs to be constantly fed. Facebook doesn’t. They don’t even have a decent, internal search engine, so undoubtedly there’s good content on Facebook going to waste.

Actually, I take that back. I’m not sure there is good content on Facebook or Google+ at the moment. A daily scan reveals a large quantity of funny videos and photos. I also did a scan for my favorite brands and found that none of them have active pages except for Coca-Cola. Their page is their usual mix of fun trivia, pop culture, and happiness. Not a bad example to follow.

So where do you stand on Google+ for your business? Does the idea that it might affect your search ranking make you want to post more? Or is it still too new to make an impact?

 


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  • http://wordfruit.com/blog/ Richard Clunan

    Not so much the SEO thing, but purely the fact that I feel it’s better designed than Fb makes it fit with me more — there’s rarely something I want to say to everybody, so Circles works better for me; and navigating around G+ I find a lot more intuitive than Fb, too.

    Richard
    Copywriting Blog: http://Wordfruit.com/blog

  • http://blog.rrchapman.us/ Bob Chapman

    Is it possible that even Google doesn’t know what to do with Google+? This tool looks like it is a great for something, but no one has figured out what that is yet.

    Will I trust Google search results more if I know they are swayed by a bunch of people pressing +1? I doubt it. All they will prove is something with a large following gets more +1–and is not necessarily representative of quality content. Actual links, where someone has to take some effort, are a better measure.

    • http://www.e-crm.co.uk Jim J Bath

      I wondered about this myself, whether or not a +1 would make me trust a site more, and to be honest I think it might make a difference. As you say, “actual links, where someone has to take some effort, are a better measure” – the thing is, often, someone has put alot of effort into SEO and managed to make their site rank high on Google, but the site itself is no better – often worse – in terms of quality content than hundreds of other pages below it. Large, established firms, for example, have far more link-building power than smaller, newer ones, but it may well be that more people would +1 a smaller firm’s page because it offers a more personal service or more helpful information…

  • http://occamsrazr.com Ike

    I work for a Fortune 500 company.

    Google’s Business Profile still isn’t ready for us yet.

    There is no sharing of administrative control, no profanity filter, and no sharing of notifications with anything other than my personal Gmail address — which I can’t access from behind the firewall.

    I do believe that Google has no choice but to make Plus work, even if it requires paying people to use the service. But I can’t in good conscience go out and start creating content for a site with no API support and no scalability for the enterprise.

  • http://googleplusmarketingstrategies.com Jeremy Kennedy

    The proof is in the pudding. My highly optimized Google+ business page shows up on the first page of Google for my target keywords. My circle sizes are fairly small. Tell me that isn’t a boost. With some keywords it even shows up before my website.

    If you have a business you definitely want to take advantage of that right away! Not to mention the numerous new clients you can gain through Hangouts.

  • http://www.websearchengineranking.com/ SEO Packages

    “Actually, I take that back. I’m not sure there is good content on Facebook or Google+ at the moment.”

    Facebook has plenty of great content. On my timeline, I can see a lot of people with thoughtful posts built around images and these generate great conversations for the most part. There are also great notes by people that can match the best regular blog posts out there. I agree with you that they have a lousy internal search engine making it hard for people to find these gems with all the noise and clutter of inane updates.

    As to G+, I think they’re already factoring in G+ posts into their algorithm if only as social media signals. It’s a given, considering that defunct Buzz updates factor in SEO too, so why not G+. It’s a wait and see game but I think those who start early with SEO on G+ will have some advantage in the months ahead.

    Mark Johnson

  • http://www.ct-eye.de Tom Ganske

    I`ve already a Google+ Account and its simular like Facebook and Co. But I wait for the same sings like the other guy`s. I need absolutly and multi Admin profil so that more Admins can create or edit the profil of there company.

    Posivit: Google+ has a really nice and unkomplikated screen which you understand in few minuntes. The screen design looks like better than facebook.

    Thats my opionen :) .
    Thanks guy`s.

    Pura Vida
    Tom Ganske

  • http://www.vom-silberwolf.de Gabi

    Hi guys,

    i havn`t any Google+ or Facebook site but it is very intresting and i think about this. I`m sure, that is really important for business people, so that i look for more information of both platform and which i at first would prefer.

    Bye Gabi

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