Even with the Wall Street Journal and other news services stating that Google+ is a ghost town and that users typically spend less than two minutes on the platform a month, I consider positioning yourself on Google+ a top priority. In fact so much so, that I wanted to make sure that all of our readers and clients knew my feelings about how to use Google+ and its importance for organic placement for the future.
First, let's talk about the actions you should take immediately.
· Tie your preferred Google account with Google+.
· Lock down your business name as a Google+ Business page.
· Lock down a business page with your most important short keyword phrase.
· Link your Google AdWords program to your Google+ account user name.
· Implement Google +1 on your blog and your website.
These important first steps can easily be done by you. If you need help, please ask us for it as what will be happening with Google+ in the near future is very important to your online visibility.
Second, let's talk about what Google+ and +1's are.
Google+ is a social platform. It is not like Facebook but more like Facebook and Twitter combined. However, is it much more important than any of the social networks we know and use now.
You could consider Google+ like a voting and popularity network but one that has the ear of Google. Anything you do on Google+ will most certainly impact your website's organic placement and Web Visibility in the future. Google has said as much in their releases. Google has already started showing social results from your Google+ network in their personalized search results.
What this means is that for people and businesses that embrace Google+ early and start building their network now, there will be strong benefits for their updates and links; activity will be shown in your own personal and expanded network's search/social results.
+1's are Google's versions of votes. If you like a page, like an ad, like a blog post, like a Google+ comment, you vote it up using a +1. What is crucial to understand is that a +1 is tied to your Google+ activity. These +1 votes will impact your visibility and placement on Google in the new Google Search Plus Your World results.
Third, let's talk about Google Search Plus Your World.
In mid-January, Google rolled out an important change to their search index. They named it Google Search Plus Your World. In my industry we call it Search Plus. Google stated that they will be using activity, updates, Google+ activity, and +1 activity in the search results that they deliver to your personally and to those in your Google+ network.
What is interesting is that even if you are logged out of your Google account, Google is still tracking your activity. Of additional importance is the announcement that the social related results that will be shown in the Google.com index are personally selected for you and WILL contain Google+ activity across your Google+ social network.
That means if you start building your network now, your information and website could be appearing in search results for a very broad network of readers and potential prospects. As this activity comes from your personal network, just like a word of mouth referral, links to you and your profile will most likely carry more authority and legitimacy in the eyes of potential clients. Everyone weighs a reference by a friend about a business more than a written review found randomly on the Web. This will be the real impact of Google+ and +1's in the very near future.
Fourth, why should you take the actions mentioned on this page now?
Based on this new focus for Google, you need to start flowing through search and social activity into your Google+ and +1 bank. If you don't have accounts, Google can't tie the activity to you specifically.
If you wait to tie up your business page and top keyword phrase named Google+ Business page, you may find that someone else has tagged it; locking you out of words and phrasing that will be very important to your Google presence in the very near future. Even if you do nothing yet with these new accounts, they will be tied to you so that when you do want to use them you can.
Fifth, why is this so important?
All of the actions to take and the information in this article are important because the business that is driving this action is Google. As Google owns 65% of the online search market, to be positioned well on Google means taking full advantage of what Google considers important. It is very important to understand that Google+ is not Facebook. Google considers Google+ and +1's integral to the new face of search and how search results are shaped and delivered. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is just a social network. These new Google offerings are very important and should be embraced quickly and completely for your future organic placement benefit.
Don't wait beyond 30 days to take the actions we recommend. When Twitter first came out many clients did not move into the platform as they considered it just a time drain. For the clients we work with that embraced Twitter early, many have networks of followers well over 2,500 active users; allowing for some serious marketing action and site promotion. Our recommendation is that Google+ is by far the most important new social network to have come out in the last three years. Don't miss your opportunity to start now so that you can take full advantage of the future possibilities.

Nancy McCord is an expert in the field of search engine marketing and Web visibility. She is the owner of McCord Web Services LLC based in the Washington DC area. Her firm provides web content writing, blog writing services, webmaster services, web design, and Internet marketing services. You can find out more about the services that she provides at www.McCordWeb.com.

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