Posts tagged: google+ pages

Google+ Page Tips for Engagement and Building Brand Presence

December 6, 2011, by No comments yet

By: Ryan Miller

In the past few weeks we’ve given a lot of coverage to getting yourself and your business/brand onto Google+.  We’ve given ideas for navigating Google+ personal profiles, tips on getting your Google+ page published and how to establish a link that will help verify ownership of a Google+ page. 

Now that your core Google+ page has been built, it’s time to start building up a voice for your page and get your page seen by those who are interested in your content.

The first thing that you’ll want to do, if you haven’t already, is to make sure that your website has a badge that can bring visitors from your website to your Google+ page.  This can be done through Google’s badge configuration.  Promoting your Google+ page through badges is an easy way to start bringing users to your page.  Incorporating +1 Buttons on your website will also give an additional signal to your users that you are on Google+.

One of the most important things that you can do with your Google+ page, especially when it is brand new, is to provide plenty of valuable content that people will want to share and comment on.  As with any social account, much of the upfront time will be dedicated to building up great content that will engage your targeted users to come back for more. With Google+ still being a relatively new social media network, and its users being somewhat finicky, you will want to provide only the best content whether that be news stories, photos, videos or updates centered around your page.

One of the more interactive options within Google+ is the live video conferencing for groups known as Hangouts.  Hangouts can be used for a multitude of user-targeted conversation such as customer service for e-commerce websites to product demos for merchants to news discussion of local events. Using hangouts can literally put a face to your Google+ page, and if you are in a competitive market, it can give you a leg up over your competitors.

While providing valuable content is one side of the coin, how you interact with those who have shared or commented on your posts is the other side. Quickly responding to questions or inquiries, whether positive or negative and especially when dealing with time sensitive matters, can help you control the conversation and message happening on your Google+ page.  Additionally, it will give a visual history to other potential fans that you are monitoring and interacting with the page.

One of the other great options that Google+ has is the ability to create circles, which is an account holder’s way of organizing friends and fans to target for updates. Once someone has added your page to their own circles (allowing them to see your updates in their stream) make sure to add them back. Depending on your page’s focus, create a circle that best suits them.  Is your page focused on local news? Check out where your follower is from on their profile page, and then create a circle for their city or region so when you have a news post for that area you can target it to that specific circle. 

Google also has some basic reminders for using circles within Google+ pages: 

No Google+ Page Can Follow You Until You Follow Them

We want Google+ to be a place you love to share. Pages cannot circle you until you follow them first. Of course, if you are in their circles, they can share great deals, exclusive coupons, product tips and hangouts, but the relationship is yours to start.

In Fact, Google+ Pages Can’t Even Mention You Unless You’re Connected

That’s right. The +Google+ page can’t even say your name unless you’re following. No +mention spam.

Google+ Pages Automatically Unfollow You If You Unfollow Them

If you remove a Google+ Page from your circles, you are automatically removed from their circles. You always are in charge.

While creating the foundation for your brand’s presence on Google+, you may want to hide your low follower count so that potential followers are not turned off by the low numbers. If you want to do this, click the “Change who is visible here” option on your home page and set your option accordingly.  Once you have established a solid follower base, be sure to make the follower count visible again.

With Google+ pages only being a month old, you can expect to see continued refinements and new abilities to be coming down the pipeline. A recent Q&A with Google revealed that multi-admin capability will be coming before 2012, that analytics will be coming soon and the ability to schedule posts or auto-post is something currently being talked about.  Keep coming back to Advance Search & Social to get the latest updates on Google+ pages and all that Google+ has to offer!

Ryan Miller is the SEO Manager for Advance Digital, and provides best practice techniques for improving your online business visibility. You can follow him on Twitter @cromiller and add him to your circles on Google+.

How to Verify Your Business or Brand’s Google Plus Page

November 18, 2011, by No comments yet

By: Ryan Miller

Earlier this week, I mentioned that you need to claim your local business Google Plus Page to maintain brand ownership, as there is currently no security measure in place in which you must prove you are the authorized admin of a Plus Page.  However, there is a process currently in place to create a verified link between your website and your Plus Page to prove ownership.  While this is no substitute for the verification system currently established on Google Places, it is a first step toward retaining control of your brand, business and message.

To start the link verification process, login to your Google account, go to the Plus Page you want to verify and click the edit button for the About section.  Once you’ve done that, click the recommended link option on the righthand side and add your website’s link.

Next, you’ll need add a link on your website pointing back to your Plus Page that Google can verify.  To begin that process, go to the Google Badge configuration page and in the text box add the unique number for your Plus Page.  This is the long string of numbers in your Plus Page URL. 

Once you add the number, you’ll be given an option for the icon or badge you would like to add to your website.  You can also forego this badge, if you simply want to create a behind-the-scenes link between your website and Plus Page, though it is recommended that you add a user-facing link to your promote your page.

Once you’ve selected the icon or badge, and made any textual customization changes, you will need to update your website.  At the bottom of the badge configuration page you’ll see some HTML that you will have to add to your website:

As directed in the code box, add the first section to your website’s Header and the second section of coding into the body of your website with your other social media link icons. 

This will now establish a link connection between your Plus Page and your website. 

For some high profile brands and businesses Google will, at their discretion and manual selection, add a checkmark image next to the brand name to signify that the account is verified.  You can read more about this verification checkmark on Google’s Support page.

Verifying your new Plus Page is quick and relatively easy, and will help ensure that you keep control of your brand’s message.  Additionally, it will provide a ranking signal to Google and Google+ to show your brand higher in the search results if users are looking for your business and qualify you for Direct Connect, which will allow users to reach your business directly by adding a “+” before the brand name when doing a search.

Ryan Miller is the SEO Manager for Advance Digital, and provides best practice techniques for improving your online business visibility. You can follow him on Twitter @cromiller and add him to your circles on Google+.

Claiming Google+ Pages for Local Businesses: The How and Why

November 15, 2011, by No comments yet

By: Ryan Miller

Yesterday, we walked you through how to build a new Google+ Page. Today, we’re going to show you the specifics of how to claim a Google+ Page for your local business and more importantly why it is crucial that you do this.

Claiming Your Page

Before you are able to create and/or claim any Google+ Pages, you’ll need to have a personal Google+ account setup.  This account (for now) will be the sole account that will have admin rights to your local business’ Google+ Page so choose the account wisely.  Once you have your personal profile setup, head over to Create a Page.

Next, choose the Local Business or Place option on the left hand side:

Next, add in your local telephone number for the physical location you want to claim.

If your business already exists within Google Places, you should see your business listing pop up.  Select the location you want to claim, and from here you’ll be able to confirm some your business information.

If you business is not listed yet, you will be prompted to add the correct business information  

In addition to adding or verifying your address (which, if you have claimed your Google Places Profile already, should be accurate) you’ll be able to select a Main Category for your business and the appropriate audience for your business.

The current Main Categories your business can be added to are:

  • Home and Construction
  • Education and Culture
  • Entertainment and Recreation
  • Banking and Finance
  • Food
  • Gas and Automotive
  • Health and Beauty
  • Insurance
  • Lodging
  • Manufacturing, Mining, Utilities, Agriculture
  • Professional Services
  • Shipping and Mailing
  • Stores and Shopping
  • Storage

The audience categories are:

  • Any Google+ User
  • Users 18 and Older
  • Users 21 and Older
  • Alcohol Related

At the moment, only businesses that are appropriate for any Google+ user can create a page.  A message alerting you that “our product is not available for you yet. Please come back later” will greet you should you choose any of the other options.

Finally, you’ll be prompted to customize your page with a profile photo.  This should be your business logo or picture of your physical location, something that will be instantly recognizable to your customers. 

With your Google+ Page now officially created, you’ll want to edit the page to include details about your business such as your main website URL, store hours, a summary of your services, photos and videos.  This can all be accomplished by going to the “About” tab on your live profile and clicking the edit button.You are now ready to start sending out the URL for your profile out to current and potential customers. 

Why Should You Claim this Page?

You may have noticed during the walk through above that you never had to verify that you are in fact the owner of the business.  Unlike Google Places, there is no process for verification via telephone or postcard to prove that you are who you say you are.  The only thing security during the process is a checkbox saying that you agree to the Pages Terms and are authorized to create the page.

As an exmple, I’ll return to my favorite Thai restaurant, Pad Thai and claim their Google+ Page: 

In about 30 seconds, I was the proud admin of a business’ Google+ Page that I had no authority to control.  That is how long it could take for you to lose control of your business in Google+. This is not a scare tactic, but an honest example of the current lack of security in Google+ and why it is so vital for you as a business owner to own your social profiles. (…and don’t worry, I deleted my ownership of the Pad Thai page right after taking the screenshot.)

So even if you do not have the time or resources to actively manage and update a Google+ Page at the moment, take the time to  at least claim the listing and optimize it with your business information.  This way your business online identy will be protected and you’ll have one more option for web users to find your business.

Ryan Miller is the SEO Manager for Advance Digital, and uses his favorite businesses to show you how to improve yours. You can follow him on Twitter @cromiller and add him to your circles on Google+.

How to Set Up a Google+ Page

November 14, 2011, by No comments yet

Google recently launched their Google+ pages where businesses will be able to set up a page for their brand. As for now there is no option to have multiple admins for one page, Google+ only offers one admin (the creator of the page) access.

 Once you have set up your gmail account, on your home screen at the bottom right there will be a link to begin creating Google+ pages or you can click directly to https://plus.google.com/pages/create  

1. After clicking this link you will be taken to the category page, choose the correct category for your page. Add company name, website, agree to the page terms and click create! 

2. Customize you page’s public profile by adding a small tagline and a profile photo.

3.Here you can share your page to anyone who are already in your circles

4. After sharing your page to people in your circles you are taken to your home page where you can share and view what other people are sharing. You can also add a Google+ badge to your website which will help increase visibility. Google also provides a link to your page to share with your friends.

5.  After completing your profile go to your page and click about, this is where you will be able edit your information and add a description of who you are. You can also add photos and videos to add a little more depth to your page.


 

After setting up your Google+ page be sure to update it frequently, share content and promotions pertaining to your industry. This is just the beginning of what Google+ has in store for business pages, staying update to what they will be implementing in the future is important.

 

David Aziz is the Social Media Analyst for Advance Internet. You can follow him on Twitter@DaveAzizand see what he’s sharing using the +1 Button by adding him to your circles on Google+.