Finally, Google has joined the race- the race of social networking websites; the fight for the slot of top networking website with maximum users. Compared to other social networking websites, Google Plus scores ahead in terms of search engine rankings.
How? The Google +1 button which will decide the Google search engine rankings. So, if a website has got a good number of clicks on Google Plus button, then it will rank higher on Google search. Also, if a visitor using Google Search while logging through his Google account, all those websites which have been +1 by his contacts in Google account, will appear in the search engine results.
So, it becomes important to understand that how to get traffic for your blog/website from Google Plus, which in coming days would be giving tough competition to Facebook (it already is giving!).
Google Plus page– Let us start with the page. Just like a profile and a page on other networking websites, it is necessary to create an attractive Google Plus page. Mention your basic information with relevant keywords, a tagline describing you or your business, a cover photo and a profile image to complete the profile.
Increase connections– To let people know about you, you need to connect with them. So, invite your friends from other websites (like Yahoo and Hotmail; Facebook is not allowed!) as well as from your Gmail account to join you on Google Plus.
Create Circles– I love this feature of Google Plus. You can categorize your connections and group them into friends, family, acquaintances and following. And you can decide which updates to share with the circle of your choice. Also, specialized circles can also be created depending upon your interest and hobbies like travel, cooking etc.
Join Communities– Join as many communities of your interest as possible and start your own community as well. It is the best way to reach to the audience having similar interests. Active engagement with other members brings a lot of followers and a good traffic.
Share your posts– To make sure that people notice you on Google Plus, share interesting posts. Nothing beats the content- whether you share your own original content or any other posts you have come across. If it is relevant to the audience, they will visit your blog/ website.
Frequency of the posts– It is very important to maintain the right frequency of your posts. Neither bug your audience with too many posts (so that they lose track of your updates) nor let your audience forget you through fewer posts.
Put images and videos– Our eyes respond more to images than text. Try to share interesting images and videos to catch hold of audience’s attention.
Calls to action– For any social network, it is very important to leave a message to interact with the audience than just leaving a link to your post. No one will click the link until and unless they see an interesting message asking them to view the link or share the link or asking for their opinion.
Optimize your posts– People will find your post easily if key search words in the post are put along with the hash tags. The more optimized a post is, it is more likely to be found on Google Search.
Share updates via email– One of the interesting features of Google Plus is that it lets you share your updates with your circles by sending mails to them as well. In case anyone in your network misses your updates, the mail in the inbox will remind about the update.
Comment on other’s posts– It is a courtesy to comment your views on other’s posts if you liked anything in their updates. Result would be that people will start noticing you through your comments and increase the traffic.
Add Google Plus button on your website/blog– Add Google Plus widgets and buttons to your website so it becomes easier for a visitor to add you and +1 your posts.
Follow back– It is a good practice to follow back the people who are following you on Google Plus. You will keep getting posted about their updates; you can start discussions/ comments and grab more eyeballs of the audience.
Verify your authorship – For all those content created by you, authorship verification helps in displaying the content in the search results. Signing up for authorship verification requires a decent headshot on the Google + profile page.
Start a Hangout– It is the best way to interact with your audience on the real-time basis by broadcasting yourself live via Google+ and YouTube. Arrange a free webinar, connect with the people face to face and generate a huge traffic to your website/blog. All the videos are saved in your You Tube account for future re-use.
Image courtesy of Flickr, FabrizioVanMarciano
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