Google+ Pages for business owners

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Google+ Pages for Business Owners


Introducing Google+ PagesGoogle has formally launched the business component to its social platform Google+.Called Google+ Pages, this new feature set enables brands to move onto the social platform.

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To help brands understand the significant, potential impact this shift can have, this presentation explores:• The key features of Google+ pages• +Page strategies that should be considered• The difference between Google+ and other social networks• The Future potential of Google+• Key takeaways from Google+ Pages for businesses

Outrider is Australia's largest Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) agency, with our SEO Agency based in Sydney. Outrider offers SEO consultation and strategy development for a variety of verticals including social media services and social media buzz monitoring.


Google+ Pages featuresIn looking at how brands should think about using Google+ Pages, there are functional options available which have proven meaningful to users thus far, and should be incorporated into a strategy.

• HangoutsHangouts are group video chats that enable brands to connect with consumers in a more personal manner.• Circles Circles create the ability to take a large group and split it into smaller groups. • The StreamOn Google+, content is posted into “the Stream,” and users cannot post at that level. Instead, users post their commentary beneath each individual brand post into the Stream.• Photos and Google+ Creative KitsGoogle has shared with us that one of the most popular applications for the platform has been photo sharing. Due to that popularity, Creative Kits were created to enable easy, on-the-fly photo editing to enhance the sharing process.3 Outrider is Australia's largest Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) agency, with our SEO Agency based in Sydney. Outrider

offers SEO consultation and strategy development for a variety of verticals including social media services and social media buzz monitoring.


Developing your +Pages strategyInvesting time and thought into how your Google+ Pages strategy will create opportunity for you across the entire Google network, not just Google+, is critical.

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Short term, brands must get people to follow them before they can engage in any Circle creation or classification of users. The Google+ approach requires this step of a user following +Pages, so development of a complete Google+ follower strategy is imperative.

It is encouraged that brands add the +Pages button to their own sites. The icon will assist in securing users into the platform and, with better analytics, should help brands understand the locations by which people joined a Circle.

Additionally, this will further shape the initial content and experience a brand provides to that customer or potential customer.



What separates Google+ Pages from the restWhat differentiates Google+ from Facebook or any other digital platform, social or not, is best

represented in the image Google posted on its blog to show its philosophical shift to social as an organization.

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Google has put Google+ at the center of its entire approach to business. It is using user data expressed in the social sharing of relevant content to expand its own intelligence.

This will have dramatic impacts on the way every other Google property operates, both from an end user experience to a brand advertising one.

It cannot be understated how significant this could be with users never seeing options for a brand website but rather being driven directly to a brand’s +Pages listing.

It is clear that brands must be on Google+, if for no other reason than the implications it will have on search. Google is using its previously introduced +1 buttons for social signals in its search results and is now allowing brands to short-circuit the results page for a direct link to a brand’s +Page.



The future potential of Google+The ability to link up a brand’s website, YouTube channel, +Page and Local Places experience will be unique and comprehensive. User behavior and data will further shape the ability for brands to target users across the Google network.

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The long-term success of Google+ will likely reside in the mobile space. Google seems intent on moving Google+ onto the operating system of every Android device. This shift from a desktop platform to mobile will change the dynamics entirely.

Brands can start thinking today about how they would alter the communication strategy for a world where Google Wallet, rapid product/price comparison and instant feedback are required.

It is also important to consider the measurement element of this social platform. At the end of October, Google introduced a new way to measure the influence people have in sharing content. Called Ripples, this product enables brands to select any post and measure the influencers that enable that content to “go viral.” As brands think about putting influencers into different segments, this tool will become a unique means by which to do that in a Google+ world.



Key takeaways from Google+ Pages for businesses1. Secure your +Pages listing today

Make sure for now the person who secures your +Page is either operating the Gmail account you wish to have it associated with or is able to share their account information with other brand stakeholders.

2. The Stream flows one wayUnlike Facebook, posts trigger comments, not the Wall itself. Your content strategy must be fresh to enable and encourage this.

3. Ripples can shape your influencer networkNew visualization tools can help further segment key customers and form a new means of sharing relevant content with your target groups.

4. It is all about the CirclesCircle management will be your No. 1 priority on the platform and will dictate the size of your brand’s success opportunity.

5. Be ready for change; this is a shifting platformGoogle has shared that the platform will look very different for brands as it evolves, as soon as 30 days from now. Stay nimble and be prepared.

7 Outrider is Australia's largest Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) agency, with our SEO Agency based in Sydney. Outrider offers SEO consultation and strategy development for a variety of verticals including social media services and social media buzz monitoring.


ConclusionGoogle+ feels like a different type of social platform, it’s more a valuable utility than a widespread communication vehicle, such as Facebook. This may be a good alternative for certain brands and a great variation for others. Google+ does not seem to be a “Facebook-killer,” but rather a different way for brands and consumers to connect.

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Going forward, brands must decide how content will manifest between the different social platforms. However, Google+ presents an opportunity for brands to work to establish with consumers a variety of experiences now available through the platform, and create selected relationships based on any number of user- or brand-determined attributes.
