How to Use Google+ to Increase Rankings

By Seth BrownIn SEOPosted
Do you want to increase your search rankings? Did you know your Google+ page and profile could help? Google+ can help you increase search rankings for your website, but you have to take the time to optimize your page, profile and content. This article shows you three ways you can maximize your Google+ presence and tells you why that’s important for SEO. Optimizing Your Google+ Page The SEO title is the name of your Google+ business page (be sure you’re using your company name here). Avoid trying to stuff any keywords into the SEO title—it’s unprofessional and has little SEO value. Google+ recently rolled out the Custom URL feature. This is great news for companies that want to include cleaner links in their marketing. Your new customized URL looks like this: https://plus.google.com/+YourCompanyName. To set your custom Google+ page or profile URL:
  • Go to your page or profile and click “About”.
  • Scroll down to the Links box. You’ll see your existing Google+ page URL.
  • Click on the link and Google+ asks you if you want to convert to a new custom Google+ page URL.
The SEO meta description for your page combines your tagline and the first two sentences of your introduction. You only get 160 characters, so make them count. To edit your meta description or tagline, go to your Google+ business page and follow these instructions:
  • Click the “Manage This Page” button at the top of the page.
  • Click “Edit Page” on the section with your page name on it.
  • Click Edit in the Story section on the next page.
  • Make your changes and click Save.
  Posting Content Once you’ve optimized your Google+ page and profile and correctly set up authorship, you’re ready to start posting content. This is the quickest and easiest way to build a solid following on Google+ because at the end of the day, content is still king. When posting content to your Google+ profile or page, follow these guidelines:
  • Share a summary of the content you’re linking to. Don’t go overboard; short and simple are fine.
  • Don’t include the link in the Summary box. Instead, put the link in the Link Attachment area so you’ll get the SEO benefit of a DoFollow link.
  • Share the content with any of your existing circles.
Connecting the Dots After you have optimized the page and uploaded the content, it’s time to build a community. Many internet marketing experts say that there is not a single platform which is better than Google+ when it comes to community building. So, track your targeted customers and share your content with them. It will help you to build your business community. Read more: 2 Ad Updates made by Google