Google is the most popular search engine in the world. A place on the hallowed real estate that is Page 1 of its search results is the aim of any self-respecting business firm. Google+, the social network created and owned by Google, may not be as popular as Facebook but has immense SEO clout. Here we explain how and why Google+ is the most powerful social networking tool when it comes to the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Google+ Beats Other Social Media Metrics on the SERPs
According to a study conducted by Moz, a leading Software As A Service (SAAS) company, after Page Authority, a URL’s number of Google +1s is more highly correlated with search rankings than any other factor. The correlation of Google+ 1s “beat out other well known metrics including linking root domains, Facebook shares, and even keyword usage”, said the study.
Other metrics such as Twitter and Pinterest also lagged Google+ on this count. Moz’s study was not the only one to shed light on this fact. Various other studies have also underlined the relationship between Google +1s and Google search results.
Google+ Personalizes Your SERPs
Facebook does not share its data with Google and Twitter asks Google not to follow most of its links. Google+ data, however, is fully accessible to Google search. The more followers you have on Google+, the better your search engine ranking will be, It is the main factor to improve search engine ranking without building links. That’s because when you circle someone on Google+, Google takes it as a first-hand endorsement, as it would in link building.
If someone follows you on Google+ and when he/she does a Google search, the results will be personalized vis-a-vis Google+. Studies have shown that more often than not, Google will display search results (relevant to the keyword) that feature Google+ content either developed by you, +1ed by you or any of your other followers. When we consider that other social media tools are not optimized to this extent for the world’s biggest search engine, this attribute of Google+ is an enormous strength.
Google+ is Optimized for SEO
Since Google+ data is fully accessible to Google search, posts are crawled and indexed almost immediately in G+. If a post is reshared, it can accumulate internal links from the Google+ platform.
The accumulation of such links results in circle building, like link building. It sends signals to Google’s search algorithm that the post itself, along with the URLs shared in it, are relevant and trustworthy. This helps greatly in boosting the reputation and page rank of the website.
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