Over the last few years, the significance of social media in SEO has increased manifolds. If you are really serious about obtaining the top positions in search engine results, you should devote adequate time building your social media influence. Search engines like Google have taken several big steps to integrate social media with search engine optimization. Google’s social network Google+ (or Plus) is, therefore, one of those social networks that you can never ignore. The kind of influence you build on Google+ will play a vital role in ranking your site in SERPs.
But do you know how to boost your site’s SEO with Google+ ?
Though the roll out of Google+ has also led to a lot of debate as to whether it has the potential to last, it’s quite evident now that the social network is making its present felt quite strongly in Google search results.
One thing that you should always remember is that Google+ should not be treated in the same way as Facebook or Twitter. In order to improve the SEO of your web properties, you should treat Google+ as an indispensable web marketing tool. And it’s just the right time (as the competition is yet to build) to increase your Google+ usage and create an online presence that supports your website’s SEO.
Here are some of the best tips to follow.
Set Up a Google+ Account (for Your Website, Business or Blog)
If you don’t have a Google+ page for your blog yet, it’s time to set up an account right away. While creating the account, don’t forget to furnish all the required details to increase completeness (read authority).
See How To Create A Google+ Fan Page.
Optimize the Page
The second important step is to optimize your Google+ business page so that it carries more weight as far as SEO is concerned. Thankfully, this social network doesn’t only allow you to link to your other social media profiles but also permits you to directly embed links from within your bio.
While optimizing, do the following –
- Don’t exceed the length of your page tag line than 21 characters
- Include important keywords in the about section
- Link to your site from your Google Plus page
- Create circles around industry-relevant keywords
- Share fresh content, videos, images
- Increase the frequency of posting
If you’re a new page owner, it’s advisable to check out some of the popular brand profiles, look at their way of optimization and learn from them.
More Followers, the Better
Once your Google+ business page is all set and optimized, it’s time to grow your following. Though social media is not basically a numbers game, the number of followers you have on Google+ will play an important role in ranking your site in Google search results. Some of the key things that you can do to gather more followers include sharing your G+ page link on other social networks, adding the Google+ badge to your website, placing a link to your G+ page on your website etc. In any case, you need to be more active on the social network to continue to acquire new followers.
See How To Use Google + Ripples To Find Influential Bloggers In Your Niche.
Claim Google+ Authorship
Yes, Google+ also offers content creators an opportunity to claim the authorship for the content they have created. By claiming your authorship here, you can quickly set yourself apart in Google search results and improve your site’s SEO. For detailed information on how to claim your authorship on G+, you can visit this official page.
Use the +1 Button
Similar to a retweet in a sense, the +1 endorsement is something you can never ignore when using Google+ to improve SEO. In fact, the total number of +1s a particular web page is shown in Google search results. So, it’s important to make sure that you have the +1 button placed on your website or blog. The more +1s your content receives, the better visibility it will achieve in Google search results.
Has Google+ usage improved the search rankings of your website? Please feel free to let me know about your experiences.
