SEO, or search engine optimization, is how your website becomes more visible when an individual uses a search engine like Google. It is an internet marketing strategy that helps websites rank higher on a particular search engine, in order to attract more visitors to the site. SEO strategies have relied on something known as keyword stuffing, where a blog post is filled with specific keywords in order to attract more “attention” from search engines. This technique can seem a bit unnatural, and while keyword stuffing is still used today, Google+ (or “Google Plus”) is helping to transform the world of SEO into something much more social.
Google+ Defined
Google+ is a multilingual social networking website similar to Facebook. It was created by Google Inc. in 2011 and has since amassed an impressive number of users – in the millions. It allows new and existing users of Google’s products such as Search, Email, and Google Docs (similar to Microsoft Office), to create their own profiles and add their friends, family, or even professional colleagues to their own networks, or “circles,” as Google calls them. While improving personal search results, Google+ also allows users to easily share and communicate important or interesting information to one another, through a variety of methods.
Google+ is NOT Just Another Facebook
The difference between Facebook and Google+ is that Google+ has an even more direct effect on SEO, as it has been completely integrated into Google’s search engine. When you, or your business, shares an article, an original blog post, or another piece of content to Google+, it can appear for anyone who runs a Google Search if shared publicly. Unlike Facebook posts, Google+ posts can actually appear in Google Search just like any other item, because each post has its own URL. Additionally, when these Google+ posts are then shared, they all “flow” from the originating post or page.
Google+ Has Made SEO a Social Experience
Google+ has added to the tapestry of SEO by allowing it to become much more social. Essentially, the more that people begin to know, rate, and appreciate your approach or authority on a given subject or product, the more they can begin to support your business by “sponsoring” the content you provide into their own networks. They do this by either sharing, giving your content a “+1,” or commenting on your Google+ posts or website content. The more people engage with your content, the more authority your company gains in your field!
