Should you be taking Google+ more seriously?

As we all look to improve our Google search ranking and communication channels, are we, and the companies that we advise, taking Google+ seriously enough?

Statistically, it seems the world is warming up to Google+. Google CEO, Larry Page in his recent Google state of the union address and sounding very much like a seasoned politician fiddling with an unemployment statistic said, “+users are very engaged with our products -- over 60% of them (90 million) engage daily, and over 80% weekly.”

When you read between the lines, did he actually mean Google+ users were interacting with their + pages or did he mean that they were using some type of Google product, i.e. searches, calendar, translator… May be it doesn’t matter.

If you compare those +’s numbers with Facebook, where at least half of its 800 million plus users use it every day, it may not sound so impressive. I reiterate; should we care?

Having an active presence on Google+ may not necessarily be about building your following, brand, interacting with your customers, or whatever, like on Facebook - although the brands with successful Google + pages will most likely disagree. And I believe rightly so as I’ve noticed that the conversations on

Google + are much more intense than they are on FB.

The main reason to get on Google+ as fast as possible is SEO.



You’re either with me or against me

Does anyone have the sneaking suspicion that Google is rigging the books in terms of rewarding companies with Google+ pages with better Google search results.

Many SEO experts can document how Google+ pages influence search results and can back it up with hard data. See John Lincoln’s article, The Many Ways Google +1s Influence Search Engine Optimization. But these stories mainly talk about how +s affect your search results.

My question is, is Google secretly thinking: if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Help us build Google+ and destroy Facebook and we’ll reward you with better rankings when customers search for you. Have I seen too many Michael Moore movies?

In Facebook’s SEC filing last week, they stated that one of the “risk factors” that could “materially and adversely affect” the company is, “The competition from Google, Microsoft and Twitter could heat up — not to mention other social networks around the world.”

Is this an understatement?

What’s your take on Google+ and its relevance?

Are you active on it?

In Erin Everhart’s recent Mashable post, How Google’s Social Search Shift Will Impact Your Brand’s 
SEO, she explains the recent changes in Google’s search parameters and why we need to pay attention to what and how we say it on Google+. Erin in fact, says that we should be thinking SEO our Google+ posts.

As a <H1> communications and inbound marketing professional (), I believe Google+ should be jumped on and shown the love.

I think as companies and brands, we need to view Google+ as an open blog - an ongoing conversation with any and everyone. Create content, make it relevant and make it different then Facebook. Check out NASA’s Google+ page. And while you’re at it, get the benefits of much improved search results.

I’m still getting my feet wet on Google+ as you can see by my lack of following anyone. If you’re not on Google+ yet, why not use this story as an opportunity to get started and experiment.

Feel free to add my page to your circles and I’ll add you back. Document and check your search results after.

Similarly, if you or your company already has a presence, I’d appreciate hearing how it’s working out for you.