Does Your Business Need a Google+ Page?

If you're thinking you'll just skip the Google+ Page and stick with Facebook, you might want to reconsider. Whether you have a Google+ Page is visible in the search results. Both websites and Google+ pages turn up in the results. This means less space is available on that oh-so-important first page of results.

Direct Connect is another function of Google+. Simply put the addition sign in front of the name of the company you're looking for when searching. What pops up in the results are the Google+ Pages with a direct link. This gives you the opportunity to search for other dentists to see if they have a Google+ page.

Last, but not least, is whether having a Google+ page affects the search engine results. And whether the number of +1s that page has received will impact the rank. Whether it does or not, it still makes sense to take advantage of one more piece of Internet real estate, especially when the real estate is located on Google property. After all Google is the number one search engine.

Building the page is straightforward. You'll want to choose the local business option so your address and phone number is listed. Keep in mind that the Google+ Page doesn't interact with the Google Places function. Both have to be maintained.

The administrator for the Google+ page can't be changed and you'll need a Google email address. If you plan on having more than one person in your office update the page, and that's a must, set up a new Google email address.

Keep the page current with comments and photos. While a Google+ page can't follow anyone until they're followed first. That cuts down on businesses trying to follow as many people as possible in the hopes they'll be followed back.

Setting up the page isn't the time consuming part. It's updating the page. Keeping it current so followers have a reason to return.