subject: Is Google Plus Imperative For Seo 2 [print this page] The Google "freshness" update highlights the fact that Google is now turning it's attentions to new and up to date information. Pages that are new can't always be found in the rankings but using Google+ the updates tend to be recent, and can be very rich in content, depending on how much you put into them. They can also spark conversations and sharing, which should all help your cause.
As the Twitter craze came about the plan was to use Google+ to replace it's Twitter competitor within real-time search, Google is failing its mission in search without it. So you can bet that this will come back sooner or later. It also has trending topics and there is no doubt that it will find itself within the user search experience in one form or another.
Your Google+ profile can be optimised itself; Kristi Hines at Search Engine Watch has a great article on this. She shares a n image of this that certainly drives the point home for us. It has become apparent that the content of your profile is really rather important in the searches itself. There is also a video available by Matt Cutts from last year discussing this prior to launch. Maybe worth watching.
In the video Matt says "We're also trying to figure out a little bit about the reputation of an author or creator on Twitter or Facebook," he says. Also enter authorship mark-up. Google has been pushing this as a way for content authors to send Google direct signals that content is indeed connected to them specifically. Now, we see author pictures appearing next to Google search results on page one all the time. And guess what those link to? The Google+ profile. By the way, Google also recently added circle counts and comments to authorship.
Google+ Pages are of course available now for businesses. If you haven't started using them, what are you waiting for? And don't be like other who set one up only to not add any content. It's not worked so well for them so far. And don't forget about the analytical benefits you can get from Google+.
At BlogWorld a couple weeks ago, Chris Brogan said, "Google doesn't index all of Facebook right now. It's a lost cause for SEO, they're also no longer indexing Twitter. Google does index anything publicly for Google+".
One thing you will do well to keep in mind is that "Google+ is Google." This is a mentality that Google has expressed on more than one occasion. If you're ignoring Google+, you're ignoring Google. Remember, if you want Google to RESPECT you (give you more search visibility), you should probably respect Google and the means you're given. Google+ is only going to get more integrated with every aspect of Google.
