Google + for Business

The John Chow edition

By Murray Newlands

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

What is Google+?

Whatʼs Different about Google+?

2. Getting Started

Setting up your Personal Profile

Optimizing Your Personal Profile for Business

Setting up your Business page

Optimizing Your Business Page

3. Using Your Google+ Business Page

What Now?

What Google+ Means for SEO

Tips and Tricks

Disclaimer & Terms of Use Agreement

The authors and publisher of this eBook have used their best efforts in preparing this eBook and the accompanying materials. The authors and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this eBook. The information contained in this eBook is strictly for educational purposes. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this eBook, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. The authors and publisher disclaim any warranties (express or implied), merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The authors and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is”, and without warranties. As always, the advice of a competent legal, tax, accounting or other professional should be sought. The authors and publisher do not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of any sites listed or linked to in this eBook. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. This eBook is © copyrighted by Murray Newlands. No part of this may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or used in any way other than what is outlined within this eBook under any circumstances.

About the Author

Murray Newlands A former lawyer, Murray started in online marketing in 1999 and has worked with some of the leading agencies, advertisers and networks in the industry since that time, with the proven ability to consistently deliver the right results for clients. Murray is Co-founder of Influence People Ltd, the Social Media Monitoring events company, and founder of The Affiliate Marketing Awards. He is also a founding partner of the London Blog Club and the San Francisco Blog Club. He also runs a number of popular websites including his own Murray Newlands blog, the Inbound Marketing Blog, Word Of Mouth Marketing Blog. He is also a regular speaker at major international events, including Affiliate Summit in both Europe and the USA. He was a judge for the Bees Awards, the international social media award show.

Connect here with Murray on Google+

Introduction

What is Google+ anyway? Most people I talk to answer this question

by saying itʼs Googleʼs Facebook. Thatʼs a pretty good start, but not

quite the whole story. Itʼs like Facebook but different, more powerful

and intuitive than Twitter, and not quite the same as a blog. If youʼre

confused, thatʼs ok. Thatʼs what this book is for.

Google created Goolge+ to be a nuanced social network that

empowers people to share and communicate with each other the way

we do it offline. At the same time, because it is from Google, Google+

has powerful implications for SEO and the potential to integrate

seamlessly with all of the other Google applications, both current and

future.

When Google+ launched in June of 2011, their own blog post read:

“Among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with

others… Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are

lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way,

online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it. Weʼd

like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software.”

By the Numbers:

Mashable reported that Google+ had 62 million users at the end of

2011 and was adding more than 600,000 new users a day. By

comparison, Twitter has around 200 million registered accounts. If

Google+ keeps up their momentum, they will easily outnumber

Twitter by the end of the year. Facebook is still way ahead with more

than 800 million registered users, but Google+ just hit its first 100

million less than a year after launching.

Whatʼs Different about Google+?

Yes, it is another social network. But there are some key differences

that make it stand out from the pack.

1. Circles. Users organize connections in Google+. Itʼs been a

nagging complaint in every social network up to this point.

People want to share some content with some people, not

everything with everyone all the time. Circles lets you do that. In

addition, it divides your incoming streams of content that way,

so you can see just content from one Circle at a time. For

example, if you find a great article on SEO, you can share it

with just your “Work” Circle. Or, if you want to see what your

friends are up to for the coming weekend, just look at your

“Friend” Circle stream on Friday.

2. Hangouts. Itʼs group video chat. People or Business pages can

open a “hangout,” which is effectively an invitation for anyone

who is on Google+ to drop in and join a video chat. Itʼs like

going down to the local coffee shop on your computer.

3. Instant Mobile. Again, Google noticed that a big problem

people have is efficiently getting photos off of their smartphones

and onto a social network so they can share them. Google+ has

a feature that allows every photo you take with your phone to

automatically be saved (as Private) to your Google+ account.

You donʼt have to use it, but you can.

4. Software Integration. Google has a massive arsenal of web

software that people already use: Gmail, Adwords, search

engine, YouTube, Google Accounts for business… you get the

idea. They recently came out with “Search, plus your world” and

started using Google+ information to refine search results. This

kind of integration will only continue.

5. User-base. Because there are over a billion people who

already use Google for something, from search to email, there

are that many more people who are potential Google+ users.

Not 6 months after launching they had more than 60 million

registered users. The most recent estimates have them at 100

million current users and close to 400 million by yearʼs end.

Getting Started

This section will help you set up and optimize your personal profile

and Business Page. It will also go into the key features of Google+

and how to start using them with an eye on business.

Creating your Personal Profile

1. To get started, go to https://plus.google.com/up/start/

If you donʼt have a Gmail account yet, now is the time to get set up.

2. Once you create your account, you will have 5 icons on top.

From left to right, here are the basics on your five menu icons.

1. Your Stream. This tab will show you your content stream. The

default is to show what everyone in your Circles is sharing. To

refine the stream, click on the specific Circle on the left side of

the page.

2. Photos. This tab will show you all of the photos you have

uploaded plus those from all of your Circles. You can also refine

the results with four options.

• Photos from your Circles- Here you will see the public albums

from anyone in any of your Circles.

• Photos from your Phone- This feature enables photos you take

with your phone to instantly upload to your Google+ account.

The photos remain private until you want to share them. Note:

The instant upload feature is currently only available for Android

phones.

• Photos of You- These are all of the photos you have uploaded

to your account.

• Your Albums- This tab contains your groups of photos. You can

break down the photos you upload to Google+ into albums.

Also, Google+ will automatically import other sets of photos you

have created under your Gmail address or Blogger account.

3. Profile. This tab shows you what you have shared, and is

where you edit your personal information and upload your

profile photo.

4. Circles. This is how you organize your connections in Google+.

• What are Circles? They are groups you put your contacts in to

organize what you share or what you see in your stream.

Google starts you off with a few examples: Family, Friends,

Acquaintances, Work. Anytime you share content, you can

select which Circle(s) you want to share it with. You can create

as many Circles as you like, and you can change them anytime

you want.

• Creating Circles: To create a Circle, click on the blank Circle on

the bottom half of the screen, or drag a contact into that bottom

half. Name the Circle and start adding more connections. You

can create as many Circles as you like, with whatever names

you want. The names of your Circles are not public, so you can

name them things that mean something to you and not worry

about people seeing those names.

• Adding People: Use the “Find People” search field at the top of

the screen. Google will suggest people you have communicated

with through Gmail, Android, or other Google products. You can

simply drag and drop them into the Circles at the bottom of the

page. To find someone specific, type a name into the search

field on the top right. There are also links to import Yahoo or

Hotmail contacts, as well as the option to upload an address

book.

5. Games. Weʼll let you explore this tab on your own. Itʼs just what

it says it is, and if youʼre using Google+ for Business, you

probably shouldnʼt use it much :)

Optimizing Your Personal Profile

If you are creating your Google+ account with an eye toward using it

for business, how you create it has a lot to do with personal branding.

Even if you are planning to use it for both personal and professional

reasons, err on the professional side. You can get as personal as you

want to when you share with specific Circles.

Things to Consider

Think about how you present yourself on other social networks and

refine that persona. Understand also that you will be sharing content

through your Google+ account. Google requires that you use your

real name, so you have to represent yourself. Also, whatever content

on the web that you click the +1 button for or share on Google+ will

affect the personal search results of anyone in your Circles. To a new

degree of authenticity Google+ represents you to the Internet world.

1. Privacy Settings: Start here, and spend a good amount of time

adjusting the settings to what you want. They are straightforward and

easy to understand and adjust. Google+ allows for the granular ability

to control what information you share, and who you share it with. The

basic structure is that you can make any aspect of your profile Public

or Private, meaning anyone can see it, or expose that information to

people in your Circles, your Circles and the circles of the people in

your circles, or choose just specific individuals you are connected to

that can see your information.

2. Profile Photo: Keep in mind that this photo will represent you

personally and professionally. I recommend a head-shot of you

wearing something casual that you could wear to the office. Keep it

just you in the picture- donʼt incorporate other people or a

landscape/background. Donʼt put an image or logo from your

business- save that for the Business page.

Johnʼs profile photo is a great example.

3. Bio Information: Under your “Profile” tab, several pieces of

information represent you to the web at large: Employment, A Brief

Description of You, Introduction, and Links. When people view your

profile on Google+, they can read as much or as little of these and

other profile elements based on how you set your privacy settings.

In a search result, your Google+ profile will appear in this order:

- Current Employment listing

- A Brief Description of You

- Introduction

- Links

In my profile, I kept it short and simple with a focus on business.

When you are editing your “About” tab information, keep these things

in mind:

Employment: Make sure you check the box for “Current” under your

Employment so that it displays.

A Brief Description of You: This appears directly under your name,

and we recommend doing just what they say- be brief. Describe

yourself in a few words, ie “Author, Father, Strategist” or “Seeker of

Truth.”

Introduction: This is where you can explain more about yourself and

what you do. Keep it to one or two sentences.

For both your “Brief Description” and “Introduction,” speak to the key

points of your personal brand. Use keywords, but understand that you

are presenting yourself to both a personal and professional audience.

Donʼt use any references that only one of the two would understand,

like an overly technical aspect of your work or a nickname that only

your family knows.

Links: Here you can include links to other online destinations, like

your blog or your company website. I recommend keeping it to those

two.

4. +1 List. There is a tab on your profile called +1. This tab keeps a

list of the web pages that you +1 around the web. Things that you +1

in your Google+ stream do not appear here. Remember, whatever

you +1 will also impact the personalized search results of people in

your Circles. Your +1 page is not visible to the public by default. To

make it visible, click on the “Profile” button on your Google+ menu

bar. Click the blue “Edit Profile” button in the upper right-hand corner.

Then, click the +1ʼs button. Check the box that reads “Show this tab

on your profile,” and click “Save” at the top of the screen. Now your

+1ʼs are public.

5. Photos. With all of the articles that have come out around

Facebook photos either getting people fired or keeping them from

getting hired, this should go without saying- but weʼll say it anyway.

Even if you are meticulous about your privacy settings, everything on

the Internet is, in one way or another public. Any content you share

with people, they can reshare with their Circles. If you have photos

you donʼt want people to see, donʼt upload them to the Internet.

Creating your Business Profile

The majority of what I just went through is the same for your Business

page. Setting it up is intuitive, but you need to pay attention to the

details. Iʼm going to focus on the specific differences and some tips

for optimizing your Business Page rather than walk you through the

setup process again.

1. To start, go here: http://www.google.com/+/business/

2. Choose between Local Business or Place, Product or Brand,

Company, Institution or Organization, and Arts, Entertainment

or Sports.

3. After that, you fill out some basic information to categorize your

business and you have your Google+ business page within

minutes.

4. Youʼre all set.

Ford has a simple, straightforward profile. They also have great

albums under the “Photos” tab.

Optimizing your Business Profile

You have the same icon tabs in the menu, but there isnʼt one for

games :) Iʼm going to start with setting up your Profile tab, and will

comment on how you can use the Stream, Photos and Circles tabs

after that. In the third section Iʼll get into how to start using this profile

actively for business.

1. Click on the third icon over, the face inside a circle. This is

where you can edit your Profile.

2. Click the blue “Edit Profile” button on the upper right.

3. Add Photos: Right at the top, you can add some photos. I

recommend having 5 or more ready to put in here. Donʼt add 5

versions of your logo, or pictures of your office building. Think of

this as a way to set the tone with pictures. Pictures of people on

your team, something from a recent work outing, or people

working on projects would work well.

4. Introduction: Keep this short, sweet and to the point. Not your

whole mission statement, nothing too cute.

5. Contact Info: You can add quite a few different ways to contact

you here. I recommend against putting everything in here-

choose the one or two that you prefer. If you want people to call

you, add your phone number. If you prefer email, leave your

phone number out and just put in your email.

6. Recommended Link: To the right is a section where you can

add as many outbound links as you like. Itʼs a bit like a blogroll.

To start out, I recommend keeping this list short. You want to

keep people on your Google+ profile, not send them elsewhere.

Using Your Google+ Business Page

Now that youʼve got your business page set up, itʼs time to start using

it. First thingʼs first: You are now not just a publisher, but a multi-

media publisher. This is the best integration of the three Iʼve seen on

a social network. Think of your business this way when you are on

Google+. You are a multi-media publisher. Do it well.

Your Google+ business page or personal profile can both be great for

customer service, lead generation, building new partnerships, or just

keeping up with what the influencers your respect are sharing. No

matter how you start using it, though, donʼt think of it purely as a

sales channel. Itʼs a place to build relationships. The sales and

financial benefits will come, but because Google+ is so tied to

integrated sharing and affects SEO, your personal profile will have an

impact on your business life, and your business page is going to get a

little more personal. Embrace that.

1. Connect with other users. Just like with any social network,

much of the initial set up is connecting with other people. Click

Incoming to see who is following you to see if you want to follow them

back. Look at suggestions to see if you want to follow them. Look at

who is following people who you like, or who people you are like are

following to see if you want to follow any of those people. Use the

“Find People” search field at the top to search for people you know.

2. Share Quality Content. It sounds pretty basic, right? And it is. But

with Google+, what you share and re-share will shape the search

engine results of those in your Circles, so connecting your Circles

with quality content is even more important. But if youʼre asking, What

do we share? How often? Do you just talk to anyone? The answers

then, as they are now, change based on your goals. The maxim,

though, of providing the most value, does not.

• Share What You Read. When you read a blog post online that

you like, learn from, or vehemently disagree with, share the link

with a comment. Do that once a day, and youʼll be a ferocious

Google+ user in no time.

• Re-Sharing and Commenting. As with any social network or

blog, one of the best ways to get involved is to engage with the

content that other people are sharing. Because Google+ is a

new social network, you can stand out from the crowd by

engaging with content from some of your favorite writers or

businesspeople through Google+. Comment on what they

share, and re-share it to start building that relationship.

• Let it get a little personal

This is what Google+ is great for- you can humanize your

business and interact with your Circles like you are meeting

people at a conference or over lunch. Build the relationships

now and look for the sale later. Embrace this flexibility rather

than try using the same old sharing strategy.

3. Start some Hangouts. The hangout feature is for video

conferencing. If youʼre like me, a dozen ideas about how to use this

pop up. Internal video conferencing, trainings, morning checkins-

there are plenty of ways to connect the people who work for and with

your company here. And you can be creative connecting with your

Circles- open up a hangout to get customer feedback, provide

customer service, or offer a chance to meet people behind the logo.

4. Build Your Circles

None of this is possible if you arenʼt building your Circles. Make sure

you are sharing quality content, and make sure you are pointing

people toward your Business Page. Let customers and clients know

that you have it and that youʼre using it. A little work there now will

pay off in a new audience, and will pay dividends in SEO results.

5. The +1 Button

Start using, even featuring the +1 button on your website. If you donʼt

have it there yet, stop reading, go do it, and come back when youʼre

done. Integrate it into your emails, your blog posts and your

marketing ask. Get people to +1 your page so that you can interact

with them in your Circles. The more people you have in your Circles,

the more interaction you can have, and the more potential partnership

and sales opportunities you will have.

What Google+ Means for SEO

Google is focused on returning relevant results. Google+ and Circles

equates Google+ connections with personal connections, meaning

more relevance, meaning higher search engine result relevance.

The new Search, plus Your World feature of the Google search

engine takes +1ʼs and Shares on Google+ into account when people

in your Circles search for something. When someone is logged into

their Google+ account and does a search with Google, the people,

brands and businesses that are in their Circles will appear much

higher in your search results. In addition, content that the people in

their Circles have +1ʼd or shared will also appear higher. Similarly,

your personal search results come from the people in your Circles.

The implications are huge. Itʼs easy to see why itʼs important to have

an active presence for your business. In a very tangible way, being in

their Circle means coming up higher in their search results.

There are many ways Google can go with this in the future, but all of

them will mean more integration of +1ʼs and Google+ activity into

personalized search results.

Tips and Tricks

• When you are logged in as your Business Page, your posts,

comments and share as your business page, not as your

personal profile. This is a key difference from Facebook Fan

Pages, and enables businesses to act as people, should you

choose to do so. You get all of the same abilities as people.

• You cannot add someone to your Business Circles until they

have added your business/brand to their personal Circles. All

the more reason to share quality, valuable content. More value,

less selling.

• As a Business page, you can start and host hangouts, but you

can't join other hangouts as a participant.

Finally…

Get out there are start using it. If youʼre reading this, youʼre ahead of

the game. Start learning, start sharing, and let me know how it goes.

Last but not least, please do two things:

1. Follow us on Google+ at

+Murray Newlands and +John Chow

2. Send this eBook on to 10 of your friends

Thank you!