Your Google+ Tips for August 30th
1. The Death of Google Authorship
2. 12 Tips For Greater Google+ Reach and Attention
3. 3 Recommendations for Getting Started on Google+
Does Killing Authorship Deliver a Mortal Wound to Google+
or is it..."just a flesh wound!".
I invite you to read Mark Traphagen and Eric Enge's article: It’s Over: The Rise & Fall Of Google Authorship For Search ResultsIt's a well balanced overview of the history of Google Authorship, its challenges and why Google finally decided to end the grand experiment.
The flesh wound isn't on Google+ directly but on marketers and SEO pros who used Google Authorship as the "carrot" to get clients on the platform.
John Mueller, yep, the same guy who announced the removal of rich snippet images in June, read the death certificate on his Thursday post.
While there was the usual gnashing of teeth and, Google+ is dead hyperbole, John made a few things clear:
"...Search users will still see Google+ posts from friends and pages when they’re relevant to the query — both in the main results, and on the right-hand side. Today’s authorship change doesn’t impact these social features."
The value of being on Google+ and building relationships there is still very important and will still give you an advantage.
What do we do with authorship markup we've already installed?
"... we treat it like any other markup on your pages. Leaving it is fine, it won't cause problems (and perhaps your users appreciate being able to find out more about you through your profile too)." You don't have to remove your authorship tag from your site.
If you're a business with a Google My Business Page, it's important to note that "rel=publisher" is still supported.
Google Authorship is dead, long live Google Publisher.
From Mark Traphagen:
"I think they see that their ability to know about brands and highlight them to searchers when searchers are looking for them IS of value to searchers. Furthermore, Google+ pages are the backbone of Google's new Google My Business initiative, especially for local businesses."
The grand experiment failed. The patient has expired, has passed away, is dead as a Parrot. Time to move on.
As Ryan Hanley wrote is his excellent essay: Confessions of a Recovering Google Authorship Addict
"The honest to goodness truth is that it really means nothing in terms of what you should be doing to grow your business online. You still need to create high-quality, targeted content, that solves the problems, answers the questions and fulfills the needs of the customers you want to serve."
12 Tips For Greater Google+ Reach & Attention
2. Be visual
3. Share to the right people. - Customize exactly who you want to share with, Public, Circles or individuals. You can also email them. (with caution.)
4. Use Ripples to find potential amplifiers. - People most likely to share your content.
5. Share G+ posts on other networks
6. Share at the right times. - You can find out what those times are with CircleCount or Followwonk. (Twitter schedules align well with G+ posts.)
7. Reciprocation. - That's how the social web works, right?
8. Join and leverage Communities
9. Employ Hashtags and Keywords
10. Format your posts. *Bold* -
11. Create "Direct Notification Circles"
12. Consider Google+ Comment Integration
...I wish I knew when I did.
1. Set up your home/office before inviting people in.
Fill in your About Page with as much information as you can and keep it current. Let people know who you are, what you do and what kind of content they can expect from you,
This will help them decide which circle to put you in.
Completing your Profile will also completes your hovercard (your de facto internet business card.)
Profile elements that appear on Hovercard: h/t Jimmie Lanley
1 - Eye catching cover image (1080 x 608)
2 - Profile image: full frontal, smiling preferably (unless your name is Darth Vader) (270 x 270)
3 - Full real name
4 - Tagline: First 40 (approx.) characters of your Tagline. Make it keyword rich.
5 - Works at: (click current if you want it shown.) URL or business name.
6 - Education: (click current if you’re still attending)
7 - Location: For local search & letting people know your time zone.
2. Control of your circles from the start.
By knowing why you’re on Google+, you’ll have a better idea of who you want to engage with here.
When I started, I was all about getting as many people to circle me as possible.
The platform was so new, I was operating under a Facebook and Twitter mentality.
As Mia Voss advises - "Don’t be a size queen."
While numbers do count, the quality of followers matter more.
As you build relationships through engagement, your circles will increase.
Above your Home Page you have 3 circles featured. (Between ALL and MORE)
Make these circles your priority circles.
Fill them with people you want to build relationships with.
Example:
Circle #1 - Google+ Resources,
Circle #2 - Hangout Hosts
Circle #3 - Top engagers.
3. Be a person not a persona.
As with a new school or job, we like to put our best foot forward.
Sometimes the shoe on that foot is just too big so we stumble and trip along the hallways.
We attract more stares and giggles than friends.
No one will judge you on Google+ for what you don’t know about the platform.
We’re all learning.
No one will judge you on Google+ for what you don’t know about the platform.
We’re all learning.
We've all been in your shoes
As you reach out to influencers people reaching out to you.
You can help them get to know who you are by:
As you reach out to influencers people reaching out to you.
You can help them get to know who you are by:
Including personal passions and interests in your profile.
Sharing images of things that you find funny/interesting/odd
Adding comments to their posts and posts you share
Invite people to a personal hangout
Host a Hangout On Air about a topic you’re passionate about
What would you have done differently when you started on Google+?
If you found this helpful, please share it with your friends.
Until next week, enjoy your walk on the "Plus" side.
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