How do people find information about your business? They either pick up a phonebook, visit your website or they do a quick search for your business on Google. This can be frustrating – especially if there are multiple pages of content about your business and web surfers have to click through page after page to find your home page (or any specific information they’re looking for).
Google is changing the way these algorithms work. If a user types a “+1” in front of your company’s name into Google, your business’ Google+ Page will rank above other URL’s. If you don’t already have a Google+ Page for your business, read my previous post about Google Plus on how to set up a page quickly.
How to install Google+ Direct on your website
Once you’ve got a Google+ Page for your business, go to your page’s “Get Started” section and click on the “connect your website”. Here you will get a small piece of code (much like Google Analytics) that needs to be installed on your website.
Why isn’t it working yet?
Once you’ve installed the code on your website (and basically verified that it’s your website and Google+ Page), you will be eligible to be included in Google Direct Connect. So it’s not an automatic thing that happens once you’ve uploaded the code. Google uses an algorithm to decide which corporate Google+ Pages are included in the new search function. Some things you can do to increase your eligibility:
- Promote your Google+ Page on your blog and website (this is a good idea regardless of whether you want to be part of Google Direct Connect or not – users will recognise the Google+ logo and connect with you, so put up a little logo that links to your Google+ Page).
- Keep updating your Google+ Page. You should also be doing this anyway – your social media accounts will only work well if you actively engage with people, so commit to networking and sharing content on a daily basis.
Need help with your Google+ Page or other social media accounts? Contact WSI for social media marketing in South Africa