6 Steps To Great Google+ SEO

Since Google+ has come on the scene, just about everyone has wondered if there is a way to optimize your G+ posts in a way that will help your search engine ranking. Recently there's been a couple of long articles about G+ SEO that outline a number of points to consider. I'll spare you the long read and the inevitable head scratching about some of the content and just give you the 6 salient points that I took away.

1. Post fresh content frequently: Any Google+ profile with no posts within the last 72 hours won't show up in the "Related People/Pages" section of Google's search results. In fact, posting a few times a day is a good strategy. Reshares and links are OK as it doesn't all have to be original to count.

2. Pages can matter more than profiles: Brand pages with a few thousand followers/circlers can appear in "Related People/Pages" of the search engine rankings ahead of individual profiles with more than a million followers/circlers.

3. +1s matter: Profiles and pages that get a lot of +1s on their posts tend to show up more often in "Related People/Pages" results.

4. Comments and reshares don't matter as much as +1s when it comes to "Related People/Pages" results.

5. Circle influential people with big circle followings. Comment on and reshare their stuff to get yourself noticed.

6. Do not spam - ever. It sticks out like a sore thumb on G+ and you can bet that the big brother who is Google is watching and penalizing you for being bad.

If you want to read some more (lots more) on the subject, go the The Ultimate Google+ SEO Guide, Google Plus Box Ranking Factors Report, or a good compilation article on both articles on searchengineland.com.

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Google+ Circles For Artists

I spotted this great article from Scott Horton on Music Think Tank recently about Google+. Of the many tips, the ones I like the best were about Circles, on the the most powerful features of the new service. Take a look. You can read the rest of the article here.

"Circles is where the magic of Google+ takes place. You can create as many Circles as you want, and add people by simply dragging their info into a Circle. Once your Circles are created, you can share content to select Circles as well as view content streams from specific circles. Artists should start by importing their mailing list addresses into Google+, posting their info on their existing marketing channels (facebook, twitter), and inviting those not yet using the service to join. 

Now that you have your contacts, it is time to organize your Circles. It should be noted that your Circles are private, so others cannot view or be offended by your organizational decisions. Some possible Circles include:

1. Industry Representatives: You probably only want to share updates concerning your latest releases, videos, and press content with industry folk who may be following you as they are less concerned about the burrito you just consumed.
2. Fans: This is where you can share the content your fan base enjoys reading. Let them know about your whereabouts, experiences, touring or recording progress, post photos and music etc…
3. Breakdown the Fan Circle into smaller circles to have more defined targeting. For example, create Circles for different areas of the country and international fans to ensure you aren’t over promoting shows to fans thousands of miles away. If your fan base includes young teens, young adults, and older adults, consider categorizing these contacts as well. Each group prefers to be spoken to in different tone and filled in on different activities. Sometimes even male and female Circles make sense.
4. Other artists: Much like yourself, other artists are learning from experiences, trying out new marketing ideas, using new services etc…Follow what others are doing and share what you know with others in your position. 
5. Following: Much like Twitter, you can follow others without being Circled back. This is good for keeping up with informative figures who may not call for reciprocal sharing. 

Knowing which content your various Circles enjoy receiving will help ensure that only the most suitable posts make it to their stream."

You can read the entire article here.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for daily discussion of music, recording, and production tips and tricks.

The Interesting Features Of Google+

Google just opened up their new social network called "Google+," and it has a number of interesting features that could be enough to make users of other social networks to seriously consider it. These features  promise to change the way we interact, socialize and connect to others, and given the huge existing user footprint that Google already has, it could spell trouble for Facebook et al. Here's a look at them, thanks to International Business Times:

1) Circles - The Circles concept more closely follows the way you organize your contacts in real life. We meet different kinds of people everyday and interact with them in many different ways. Circles offers a simple means of organizing one's social network by grouping contacts into anything you can possibly imagine - family, friends, co-workers, etc. The groups can be formed by dragging the contact's picture/photo over a circle that represents the group (a group of people can also be dragged over a circle!)

2) Stream – Stream helps you receive instant updates from your friends and other contacts in your Circles list. It helps you decide and choose which circles and individuals you want to share your information with.

3) Sparks – Sparks pulls in stories, videos and other cool content relating to your specific interest. According to Google, the content in Sparks stream is different from the results you'd get if you put the same term into the search engine. Through Sparks, you can get an instant fountain of relevant information to share with friends. After you are asked to choose from a list of possible interests (biking, sailing, etc.), or to put your own specific interest, Google+ goes out and searches almost completely on-topic content from all over the Web.

4) Hangouts - Hangouts is a group video chat feature that allows up to ten people in a group to come together and video chat. Hangouts allow the person nearest to the mic and loudest to speak out.

5) Huddle - Huddle is a group SMS conversation feature where mobile phone numbers of members will be visible to all.

6) Instant Upload – Instant Upload allows the user to upload pictures and videos directly from the phone

Google+ also has amazing privacy features which will put Facebook to crying shame. It allows you choose which Circles you want to share that content with. Also, it lets you know clearly that the information you contribute to Google+ will be used to help refine search results.

Another advantage Google+ has over Facebook is their "data liberation," which allows you to pack up and take your data away from Google+ should you decide to leave the service.

This is a big plus for Google as privacy has always been Facebook’s Achilles’ heel as users have complained how difficult it is to leave Facebook and take their stuff with them.

It looks as though the invitations Google+ are now open again (they were closed due to technical issues shortly after it was launched), so let the social fun begin.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for daily discussion of music, recording, and production tips and tricks.