Google+ Businesses pages launched this week
Ever since Google launched its much-anticipated social media network, Google+, business owners have been patiently twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the chance to make a profile for their company.
Well as of this week the wait is finally over. It’s the moment marketers, social media professionals and brands have been waiting for. Google+ Business Pages had finally been released out into the social networking world.
What are Google+ Pages? – A profile page specifically for Brands and Businesses, much like its older relative Facebook Pages. According to official update on Google’s blog, Google+ pages will be a place where brands and businesses can connect and create a lasting bond with their customers.
Google+ Pages rolled out globally this week and will be available for all users. However, based on updates seen on Google+, some users are having difficulty creating their pages.
It’s likely that Google+ Pages will have a high level of visibility than Facebook pages thanks to their integration with basic Google search.
Pages places will generally turn up in the regular search results below an organization’s own website. Google also plans to enable a feature they call Direct Connect. Limited pages have this feature at the moment, but Google states many more are coming in the future. You will be able to go direct to pages that have Direct Connect enabled simply by adding the ‘+’ in a search query followed by the name of a page.
Although the service looks promising, a few bugs still exist. Currently, only one user can be registered to any given page, making management of a page difficult for a larger organization or department. Some early users have also noticed that it is far too easy to accidentally publish information to an account so be careful!!
Finally, a Google+ pages steer users away from companies’ actual websites in favour of their G+ Page. This may be a drawback to some users, however, owning a space on Google+ is yet another web presence that no business large or small will want to miss out on.
Ready to get your business set up on Google+ Pages? Head to the Google+ registration page to get started. Businesses are asked to classify under one of the following categories:
- Local Business or Place
- Product or Brand
- Company, Institution or Organization
- Arts, Entertainment or Sports
- Other
Businesses are allowed to create as many pages as they like, providing you the ability to have a separate page for a particular product, product line, or event. Your Google+ page will have a +1 button, similar to those now found around the web. As a page however, you won’t have the ability to +1 other pages.
Local business pages have additional functionality which allows you to provide a phone number and address that will add a map and local contact information to your page. Although similar to the already existing Google Places service, they presently remain two separate services that must be managed individually.
We’re excited about the new ability to connect with our audience on G+.
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