When Google+ rolled out, I was curious and quickly signed up to see what this newest social media platform was all about.
But, I have to admit, I quickly lost interest because it just seemed like yet another platform to keep up with. And the majority of people adding me to their circles at first all seemed to be spammers.
Plus, I was totally confused by it.
So, my account just sat there and I did nothing with it.
But at a session at Type A Con this past summer, I was inspired to start using it more often.
And while there is a ton you can do with Google+, I know learning a new platform can get overwhelming. So, I’m just going to challenge you to do two simple things to get started with Google+.
The first is something you can do without even heading over to your G+ account!
Share your posts on Google +
Share your blog posts(and any others that you find interesting) on Google Plus. You may already have a +1 button at the bottom of your posts, along with the other social sharing options. Take a look at the bottom of my post to see an example. Click on that. At the top, you add a comment about what you are sharing- use SEO-friendly search terms(for those of you who cringe when you hear SEO and want to run away screaming because you think it’s too hard- think of what terms you would use if you were searching for something like what you are sharing). You can also tag people/businesses by typing + and then their name- like the @ symbol on facebook or twitter.
Down at the bottom, you’ll select who you want to share it with.
When you are dealing with your blog posts, you want to share publicly.
Because Google+ is tied into search. So if someone is searching for a topic that you’ve shared publicly on G+, it can show up in their search- even if that person isn’t following you on Google+. Though if you are in their circles, your post will show up higher in their search.
By sharing a post publicly on Google+, you are giving it yet another way to be found. And it only takes a minute to do at the bottom of a post. Of course, spread the love and share others’ posts the same way you would facebook or tweet them.
Add People to Your Circles
Google+ is meant to be social, so yes, you need to add people to your circles. Keep in mind that even if you aren’t logging in all the time, the posts of people you have in your circles are more likely to show up when you do a search- and your posts in theirs.
Head over to your Google+ account. In the lefthand column, find “circles” and click on it. Then click on the “have you in circles” tab and add to your circles those you know who are already following you.
You can choose the names of your circles or add people to multiple circles. You can keep it simple by adding someone to a “friends” circle. Or you can have circles for “blogging” or whatever makes the most sense to you. Sometimes I’ll add someone to “Friends,” “Bloggers,” “Photography,” and “Mom Bloggers.” Keeping in mind there might be certain things that pop up that would only be of interest to the “mom bloggers” I follow. But don’t stress too much about what circles you are adding people to.
You can also add people by clicking on the “find people” tab or check out the “all suggestions” tab for more options.
Another way I like to find people to add is when I get a new follower notification, there are usually suggestions in it as to who else I might know, based on how many people we have in common in our circles. Google+ makes this super easy by allowing you to add people to your circles right from the email, without having to click over to G+.
While you’re adding people to your circles, don’t forget to add me, too! My google+ account.
I joined because I thought I was supposed to, but, I’m rather embarrassed to admit, I’ve never actually gone on it. I have a tough enough time keeping up with email, FB, twitter, pinterest, & my reader. Plus I’ve been waiting to see if it gets off the ground. I’m keeping this handy post for when I finally get around to google+. Thanks for the tips.
That’s what I like about the sharing- you don’t actually have to log in to do it!
I signed up and used to share my posts, but I didn’t get ANY traffic from it, so it just seemed like a waste of my time. Same thing for twitter. I hardly ever tweet or publish my posts on there anymore, because it wasn’t bringing any traffic.
I’m a social media drop out. 😉
I definitely get more from fb than from twitter.
I think that it’s hard to gauge google+ traffic because some of it can end up looking like it came from a search engine, even though it’s g+ that helped it show up in the search.
I’ve left my Google+ account sadly neglected. I keep meaning to do something and have read a bunch of resources on how best to utilize/ maximize it but have yet to. It just seems really overwhelming. But your tips here are easy and simple, so I think I’ll start off doing this and dive into other aspects later! Thanks Shell!
There’s lots more to be done with it, of course- but this is an easy place to start!
I apparently have a Google+ account because I have multiple gmail accounts linked up and I have no clue how to use G+. I’m guessing if I took the time to really play with it, I’d understand it but like you said, right now to me, it feels like something else I’d have to keep up with.
So much can be done with it and it would feel like something else to keep up with, but it can also be used how I explained above and then it really doesn’t take much time.
All this social media stuff can get to be quite over-whelming. I have a google+ account but don’t know what to do with it. Your tips make it sound a little easier to use, so I will give it a try and see what happens.
It can get overwhelming, but not every platform can be used fully or we’d never get any sleep. But try what I suggested above and you’ll see this much isn’t hard or time-consuming.
I’ve tentatively stepped into the waters of it. I share my posts and do +1 on things I like. I still need to really delve into it, though. I think it’s a decent platform for my type of blog, as I don’t have too much that works with a visual site like Pinterest.
I agree! I don’t write very many pinterest-friendly posts. I tend to think of pin posts as things that people want to reference back to again and again- like a recipe or a how-to, not the majority of what I write.
I don’t have an account and really don’t plan on getting one anytime soon. Just one more thing to do and it really hasn’t taken off like Google hoped it would.
I need to remember to use that +1 button for posts more often. I think I’ll start with +1-ing this one! 😉
OK, you have really broken this down for me in a way I understand, plus I realize how effective it can be in driving people to my blog. Thank you!
I’ve been using G+ for a solid 2 weeks and it’s my largest form of social media traffic. In order to benefit from G+, you have do more than just post to it. It’s about making connections with people outside your normal audience to attract them to your content. Plus, you can now create a business G+ page that can be tied directly to your website and your seo.
So true! This post is just meant as a starter’s guide for those who have yet to do anything with it.
Great information on Google Plus! Thank you so much 🙂
I do share my post on Google +. I do need to socialize on it way more than I do.
With the recent changes on Google, it is probably a good idea for everyone to become better familiarized with Google+. People are searching on mobile devices and getting more into through social media. Google is definitely rolling with these changes.
I set up G+ b/c people kept saying it was going to overtake Facebook! And then I realized nobody was really using it so I actually deleted it! This is something to think about though if I ever take the plunge to use it again.
I have google+ too and hardly ever use it. I do on occasion share a post or two and have noticed that alot of my readers come from google, facebook and pinterest. Now, I’m wondering if all the sharing I did of my posts are what that traffic stems from…hmm.
I have a Google+ account, but only posted a couple of times because I felt like I was showing the same stuff to the same people…
All of my Google+ followers already followed me on Twitter and many of them are friends on Facebook.
So I worried that I would be annoying by not sharing anything original – and that people would think, “All right already. I get it. You wrote a post.”
I’m glad to hear that might not be the case… 😉
These are great tips! Like everyone else here, I have an account but wasn’t sure how to use it. This gives me a few places to start and get my feet wet. It definitely can’t hurt!
I didn’t know you could use + like @…interesting!
I’m so scared of Google+ it’s not even funny. This is very informative, thanks!
I have a Google+ account but rarely use it other than post sharing. Might have to give it another try!
I too have a Google+ account set up but have been overwhelmed/intimidated by it – another social media platform to keep up with. However, I remember hearing somewhere that Google is using Google+ more for SEO rankings I think? Might be my impetus to use it. My other challenge is that I have multiple Google accounts so I have to login or out of one account to make sure that I”m sharing it with the appropriate people.
Or you could just use the circles instead of logging in and out of accounts. 🙂
I joined, but don’t think I’ve been on it since. Maybe I’ll try to get a little more into it this week when I get some free time.
I do both of those things, Shell! But I really don’t know what else to do. It doesn’t seem like I want to post status updates there like Facebook. Just doesn’t seem to work well. So….? It’s just kinda there, ya know?
Will do a follow up on other things to do with it!
I’ll stick with a bit longer. You’ve never steered me wrong in the past.
If I fail, it is because I am just plain lazy. 😉
Well, this was very helpful. I have done so little with it but you made it easy for me to put some people in my cirlces and plus one your article. Visit my blog and plus one it too. 🙂 I’m going to do it more now. thanks so much.
I just recently decided not to ignore my G+ account, but I didn’t realize I should make my comment SEO friendly! That’s a great tip.
I’ve just started using it more and more. I’m still trying to figure it out. Seems most people are so-so on it.
I’m still mostly so-so on it, but I’m trying to make more use of it!
Huh. It’s surprising to me to read so many people say they haven’t gotten into Google+ or that it hasn’t really taken off. It’s my most active social media platform. I interact privately with my friends, and I post publicly and comment on other people’s public posts. I’ve found lots of new blogs to read and found lots of new readers for my own. It’s kind of like the best of Twitter and best of Facebook rolled into one. I still use Twitter, but FB is starting to slip (and Pinterest is really picking up, too!) If you’re at step two from this post and ready to add new people to your circles, looking into public circles is a great way to do that. http://publiccircles.appspot.com/ is one place you can find public circles to add.
I think there’s such a wide and varied opinion on it for now! But am trying to make more use of it.
Ive had such a hard time figuring out Google Plus. Thanks for sharing this! Im going to try to commit more time to it!
I need to start doing more with this.
Oh these are good tips, girl!
I’m on google plus, but not really ON it.
But these seem like easy ways to start. Maybe. 🙂
Engagement–That’s a necessary ingredient if you are using G+ to get blog traffic or any other reason, frankly. You can’t just put up a page, publish your posts, and wait for action, especially if you’re there to get blog traffic. I have a separate G+ business page for HPKT. I only circle bloggers and brands there, simply because that’s where I want to see blog posts, not on my main page. When people do nothing but self-promote on G+ or anywhere else for that matter (they don’t interact, don’t post anything else), it’s a turn-off to me, so that’s why I keep it separate; I don’t post anything but blog posts there, but that’s what that “circle” is about, so that’s where I go when I feel like reading blog posts 🙂
As for my personal G+ page, I absolutely love being there, though I’m not there every day. I know almost no one in real life on G+, but I gain so much in terms of culture, technology, education resources. I’ve “met” so many interesting people and have widened my view of the world as a result. I see G+ like a club–I can go to the meetings or not. I can talk or not. If I miss a meeting for weeks, I can jump back in and still have plenty to get involved in. I have only a few bloggers in that profile page, because they are bloggers who do more than self-promote, and I don’t mind seeing an occasional, carefully-chosen blog post there.
Oh, absolutely! Engagement is important with any platform- not just throwing info out there and never interacting with anyone.
this post is just meant as a where to get started type of thing, not a only do this direction. 😉
Thanks for this post. Sometimes less is more. Google + has been overwhelmingly confusing for me but I have tried to give it a go and will continue to do so. I am starting to get the hang of it. Thank you…
At first I’m thinking, are you kidding, another @#!!@^ group, club, organization, circle, list to join, another card to put in my wallet, another code, id, login user name password to keep up with.
Then I realized I was already a Google Plus member. Hell, I don’t even know how that happened—probably while I was distracted by one of the other social media outlet I’m involved with.
But thanks for the info. Maybe I can now start utilizing what I already had.
Probably with your google email.
I have a Google+ account but I don’t use it for anything, mainly because Google insists that you use your real name! I like being semi-anonymous as it gives me a bit more freedom.