Google’s
recent tweaks to the Google+ pages have made them an important platform from
the point of view of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMO (Social Media Optimization). Google is engaged in noteworthy efforts
to increase user activity in their Google+ pages. Two of the major roll outs
which were announced this year were the integration of the Google Map business
listings and Google+ pages and the release of Google Insights. Both these
factors will increase the importance of the platform for the SEO Professionals.
Google
Map’s business listings usually enjoy high visibility in the SERPs. Integration,
with the Google+ profile, means additional visibility among the circles. Another
area which helps is the facility of writing reviews on the business page. Thus,
optimizing, a business’ Google+ page, means providing the user with the
consumer reviews also. A study, of the online behavior of the users, suggests
that after seeing the online avatar of the business, users often search for
reviews. This often leads them to a different page and inversely affects the chances
of conversion. Google+, on the other hand, allows these reviews to be written
and posted on the business page itself.
The
second roll out, although done very recently, holds a lot of promises from the point
of view of analysis and targeting. Google Insights will allow the owner of a
page to have access to a detailed report on the number of visitors to the page,
number of followers, etc. The segmentation is done on the basis of visibility,
engagement, and audience. The visibility section shows the total number of
visits garnered by the page, the engagement shows the number of received +1s,
shares, comments, etc., and the audience provides the demographic features of
the visitors.
An
optimized Google+ page of your business provides one of the best ways of
featuring prominently in the results of relevant searches. Google’s rapid introduction,
of tools like the above, has further increased the importance of Google+ Business Pages from the SEO perspective.