How Should A Yakima Business Use Google+?

How many of you signed in to your Google+ account today, or posted on your Google+ business page?

My guess is that very few of you have, even though it is growing in popularity, as Google+ tries to find a larger audience and become useful to the masses. Many folks are divided and the jury hasn’t concluded whether Google+ is a viable tool for local businesses or ever will be.

Is Google+ worthwhile ?

In this post, I would like to share why we believe it is worthwhile right now, in Yakima Wa, and especially in the future.

Many are sharing that Google+ is now outpacing Twitter. Which is most likely true even though it doesn’t really “feel” like it yet. Everyone, it seems, has a Gmail account, and the entire suite of web services that Google provides at the same time seals the deal for most people. But looking closer at the appeal to the small business, Google Plus Local Listings are also incorporating other small business services such as: Google+ User Ratings, Street View, and Zagat, which is replacing Yelp quite effectively.

And then hear comes Google Hangouts influencing the direction Google+ is heading as well. When it comes to video conferencing, using a Google Hangout instead of Skype has some major advantages. Hangouts are still a little hard to figure out, and perhaps a bit clunky, but they are quickly rising to become the winning leader of the pack.

The ability to record your hangout and automatically publish it on YouTube (both entirely free), is leading many to get onboard.

So how can your Yakima business use Google+?

Google+ brings many options for your local business. Here are just a few:

You can build a bigger network using “Google+ Circles”
Incorporate #hashtags into your posts and Google will show them in their search results
Show your photo beside your search results by connecting your Google+ profile to your blog. (Google Authorship)
Use Google Hangouts for live video chats
Reach people directly by using tags in your Google+ posts

There is a very large list of ways to use Google+ and a beautiful infographic as well. see this article on Copyblogger. No, it’s not all fuzzy and warm like the Facebook craze, but it’s not really suppossed to be either. It’s just another spoke in the Google wheel that will help you bring your entire internet marketing puzzle together.

Google+ is one of the most important keys in our Yakima SEO strategy, and we highly encourage your to take advantage of it. If you can’t figure it out, or would like some help on learning how to fully optimize your Google+ profile and page, then you should join our webinar on Google+ (register above)

Otherwise, call us, and we’ll help you get started. 509-590-2458