Google+ Profile Banner: What Should Yours Be?

Can you get known, chosen and referred using Google+?

using google + for professional services providers

Like anything esle, there are no guarantees that you will get better results by having a presence on Google+. But there is strong evidence to suggest that you might.

Who is this article written for?

This article is a meant to be a useful resource for professional service providers including but not limted to:

Dentists and Dental Specialists
CPA’s, Accountants and Other Finance Professionals
Lawyers
Consultants
And anyone else that wants to better understand the nuts and boltz of Google+

Summary

Googles version of a social network, on the surface, might appear to be just like them all. A closer examination will reveal that you could be missing out on some opportunities, if you judge prematurely.

That said, your goal is to design a sales and marketing plan to help you get found, get chosen and get referred. So, you need to examine Google+ from the perspective of helping you achieve those objectives.

Google+, like other social networks, has it’s own rules of engagement, and mechanics, you must understand, if you want to have any chance of getting a return on the time you spend there.

But more on that later.

After reading this article you will:

Be able to decide if you should be using Google +.
Understand how the mechanics of Google + work.
Know the Google + rules of engagement.

Skip to the Tips

Should you use Google +?

Assertion

If you want to develop online authority, drive traffic to your website, showcase your reviews, network for referrals and knowledge share, meet other professionals, share your content, get known, chosen and referred, then you might consider the merits of having a presence on Google +.

Facts – You Be the Judge

Social Layer vs. Social Network

What the heck is a “social layer”? Great question, and one best answered by watching this video with Martin Shervington. In it Martin tells what the “social layer” is and why it might make a difference.

“insert video here”

The net of it is, Google+ is Google, and as such, deserves a close examination and some measured respect.

There are many components to the “social layer” but I will use the relationship between Google+ and how your links are presented in Google search results to illustrate an important component of the “social layer”.

When I enter “social layer” as a search phrase in Google, Martin comes up on the first page. Notice there is a picture, AND, there is some social proof that Martin is somebody you might want to learn more about. He is in over 300,000 circles on Google+.

The picture AND the social metrics are all delivered as a snippet in the search results because Martin is active on Google+. If Martin were not engaging on Google+, his listing would not be as enriched.

Because you can see Martins picture, and some social proof about who Martin is, you are more likely to click on the link. The direct impact of having a presence on Google+ is demonstrated strongly by an increase in Click Through Rates(CTR’s) on your ranked page links.

martin_shervington_explains_the_social_layer

How would the same thing work for a Lawyer? Here is the search results for “boston defense lawyer”. Notice the lawyers that have an active presence on Google+.

search_for_lawyers_with_google_+_images

What might this look like for a dentist?

search_for_cosmetic_dentist_with_google_+_images

I am not suggesting that the lawyers and dentists on Google+ are better. I am mearly suggesting that the results they will see from internet marketing, and/or SEO, will likely be better than the other lawyers and dentists, who, seem to be doing all the right things to get to page one, but may fall a little short against the competition in terms of CTR’s.

So, do Photos in the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Page) Increase your CTR’s?

Maybe a better question is “Why are CTR’s so important? First, if people don’t click, then what is the point? Second, search engines are watching. If your CTR’s are low, they diminish the relevance of your link, and donwgrade your overall rank.

With that, you want to do everything possible to increase your CTR’s. Google+ Authoriship is one way.

if you need more evidence, check out these articles written by the experts:

Opinion – What do I think?

Just the “social layer” alone, to me, makes Google+ an important consideration. If we agree that, for example, blogging is a great way to attract people via search engines, then it shouldn’t be a leap of faith to see how a being on Google + would be a good thing.

Belief – Foundation for my Opinion

I think SEO is great, as long as people are clicking. Without the clicks, you are just a great chef withouth anyone to feed.

Step 1 – Conduct a Mini Sales and Marketing Audit

You can’t make this de

Step 2 – You have to understand your target audience.

Point 3 – You have to make sure you have the time to do it right.

Example

Tips

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