Why Google+ Should Be Part of Your SEO Campaign

On Tuesday Google announced their “Search, Plus Your World” update which intends to personalise your search engine results using content from its social network Google+

Despite having millions of users I wouldn’t be inclined to say that Google’s social network “Google+” is mainstream – yet – but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. This latest update highlights the increasing importance Google is placing on social search in 2012, which is why social should be a key factor in your 2012 online marketing campaigns.

So how will the changes affect the way users search? Well, when you consider that 90% of people say they “trust recommendations from people they know” for example if you needed the name of a good electrician you’d ask family and friends and trust that the person / company would do a good job based on that recommendation. You begin to see where personalised search results from people you are connected with online might come in handy.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king” – well it’s true! Good quality content that encourages social sharing will go a long way to ensure your company has the greatest visibility on search results.

What will appear in social search results?

Photos & posts that have been shared with you on Google+ as well as profiles that you already follow or might be interested in following.

AND more importantly – especially if you are a business owner – people and pages related to the topic you are searching for, will appear within the results too. This highlights the importance of creating online communities for your product or company as social search results will display people and pages who regular talk about a particular subject.

Currently social search results only appear on Google.com not Google.co.uk but I would anticipate Google will be keen to roll out this functionality across the board, in the not so distant future.

If these indicators are anything to go by, I predict that 2012 is set to be a big year for integrated social search – for help with your online marketing strategy get in touch.

Video: Search, Plus Your World Overview