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How to Make the Best of Google+

Even though users are still trying to figure out how to use Google+, it’s still wise to get present on this social medium.  There is evidence that Google+ shares have a positive influence on your search rankings.

And who knows, with all the money and influence Google has, it might just be able to carve out a spot in the marketplace and overtake Facebook in the long run.

Since you have a limited amount of time, what can you do to make the most of Google+?  Here are a few easy steps to take:

Create Your Google Account

Simply go to plus.google.com and select “Create an Account” at the top right.  Add your profile photo, and as you go through the process, fill out as much detail as possible.  The more detail you fill out, the more people will trust you when they come across your profile.  You have options to set much of the data as public or private, so don’t worry too much about what you share.

Now, you’ll be redirected to your Gmail account.  At the top right of the screen, you’ll see something that says +YourName.  Click on that to go to Google+.

Getting Your Bearings…

Google+ isn’t hard to use, but it does take some tinkering in order to become familiar with it.   The first thing you’ll come across is Google+ Circles.  Circles are rings of contacts you know.  The default four groups are:

  • Friends
  • Family
  • Acquaintances
  • Following

Circles work like this:  You share content with those in your circles.  You can see the content they share publicly.  While they do know you have added them to your circles, they do not know which circle you have added them to.

 The Home Screen

Now that you have everything set up on your profile, you’ll be sent to the home page for Google+.  It’s very visual.  In the center, you see all the posts from people in your circles.  To the left, you have the option to share your own stuff.  To the right, you have the option to start video hangouts with people in your circles.

You can +1 a post (it’s the same as “liking” at Facebook), share, or comment on posts.  On the top right of every post is a downward carat symbol, which allows you to interact with the post.  You can mute it, embed it, or link to it for example.

Posting

Hey, this is what social media is all about, right?  Just make sure you share 80% of stuff you find interesting and 20% about you or your company.  You have a number of options for sharing your posts – you can share it with everyone or just one person.

There’s much more to Google+ than all of this.  However, it’s enough to get you started.  You can also interact in “communities,” which are groups where you can talk about various interests.  If you’re interested in gaining SEO benefits from Google+ though, then sharing great, interesting content is the route to go.

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