Friends, the older I get, the more I realize that there is SO much that I don’t know about business and marketing. It’s FUN for me to keep learning and enhancing my business but it takes a lot of hard work and determination to move forward…. especially when things are working ok! One area that I have needed to work on in my business is my SEO knowledge and understanding Google+! I went to the Creative at Heart conference and was SO blown away my Krista Jones’ talk that I knew that I needed her help.
We chatted last week and after hearing only a few minutes of her advice, I thought “EVERYONE needs to know this stuff!!”. So here we are! I now have a Google+ Business page and you all get to learn from one the best about why this is a VITAL step for your SEO presence!!! We’re still implementing these changes ourselves and we can’t wait to see the results! Enjoy! Take it away Krista!! ……
From Krista:
If you’re like me, keeping up with social media can be a struggle. With a set number of hours in the work week there are days when it feels like I’m spending more time promoting my work and connecting with others than actually working. So you may not be incredibly excited to hear that in addition to Instagramming, posting on Facebook, Tweeting and Pinning, you really should start using Google+.
I’ve been reluctant to use Google+ because it felt like one more thing to try to keep track of; however, as of 2014 Google+ was the third top ranking factor for search results. This means that Google+ activity ranks even higher than factors such as Facebook shares, backlinks, and site speed. And unlike other forms of social media, Google+ can actually connect with your site (this blog post shows you how).
Creating and maintaining a new social network can be overwhelming, but with these easy tips for getting started, you’ll have your Google+ page sending traffic your way in no time.
1. Create a Google+ Business Page
Gmail users generally have a personal Google+ page, but I recommend creating a Google+ business page. There are two different types of business pages you can create:
The first type is a local listing page. This is what I use because it means that my listing comes up higher when people are looking for a photographer near my home or business address. Creating a local listing takes a little longer because Google will mail a card to your business address to verify that you are in fact based there, but it’s definitely worth the extra effort. These pages come up higher than almost every other listing and they link directly to your Google+ page.
2. Fill in the descriptions
Once you’ve created a page, make sure you take the time to fill in every section – especially the description portion. I try to keep mine keyword friendly and mention specific locations.
3. Post Content
When you share content on your Google+ page, make sure it includes descriptive keywords. Don’t go overboard because Google+ is a social network so you still want the content to be readable, but I try to make sure I’m including locations, venues and popular search terms like “rustic” or “farm table.”
Give posts a title and use asterisks to make it bold, add hashtags and make sure you select the option to share a link (as opposed to pasting a url below the other content). Photos will automatically generate from your post link – even if you didn’t select the option to specifically upload a photo.
If you have something really worth sharing, you can even select the option to email the post to specific circles – although if you want to keep your followers, I would use this very sparingly.
4. Be Social!
Follow others and encourage them to follow you by adding your Google+ link to your email footer and website. Join communities, +1 posts, add comments and encourage clients to review you. A recent study from Quick Sprout showed that adding 100 followers to a Google+ business page improved overall search rankings by 14.63% – which is huge! It’s actually more than 2x the amount of overall improved rankings that 50 Facebook “likes” and 70 Facebook “shares” could get you.
One thing to keep in mind is that Google+ business pages do have a limit to the number of people you can follow in a 24 hour period. It may take a little more time to build a following on Google+, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
Thank you Krista!
How helpful was that?! She has so much more amazing information to share so be sure to follow along! You’re going to LOVE her Palm Shop!
And if you want to help each other out, here’s our Google+ page! You can follow along TODAY! But this is a two way street, if you have one as well, leave a comment with a link to your Google+ page and we’ll follow along as well!! Just give us a day or two since we’re traveling home tonight!! :)
Thank you Krista!! Happy Wednesday everyone!!
For more helpful Google+ tips, visit this Zion & Zion post!
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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