You Need a Google+ Business Page Right Now
The Rapid Growth of Google+
Google launched their latest social media effort in June of last year and have already accumulated 90 million users. The number of active users is unknown but, despite that, the growth of Google+ is impressive. This should be a strong signal to businesses that 2012 is the time to invest time and energy into developing a Google+ Business Page. However, this rapid improvement isn’t the only reason to get on board.
Google+ + Search = Search+
The most important motivating factor is the integration of Google+ content into Google’s search results, which most people refer to this as Search+. Essentially, Google is giving away prime real estate on the SERPs for free.
To the right of the typical search results is a box displaying the top Google+ Business Pages and Google+ user profiles for the keyword “iPhone”. It’s likely that Google won’t provide this space for free forever, so taking advantage right now is important.
Search+ Overtaking Other Results
Search+ also has the potential to push down more relevant results.
The image on the left includes integrated Google+ content which is pushing down the rankings for other relevant sites. The image on the right is the SERP for “iPhone” without Google+ integration. Notice that “carphonewarehouse.com” rises in the rankings with the absence of Google+ content. To prevent losing valuable real estate on the SERPs, it is important to have a presence on Google+.
+1
The +1 button is another Google+ feature that has the potential to affect organic rankings. Right now, most of what is known about +1 is speculation; however it’s safe to say that people are more likely to click what their friends have +1’d. A search result with a high +1 count could mean a higher CTR and improved rankings.
In addition, there are plenty of influencers already using the platform, which can be easily found using Google’s Ripple feature. This allows businesses to see who the most powerful Google+ users are and what they are sharing.
If you’re not already on board, create an account to secure your business name and test out Google+.
