The Benefits of Using Google+

Raise your hand if you LOVE Pinterest! That's what I thought. There are so many things to love, especially if you are visually driven person. The gorgeous pictures that make you want that right now, whether it's food, a fabulous DIY project or the cutest craft you've ever seen. Did you know that Google+ gives you the same gorgeous photos that Pinterest does, but there are added benefits of Google+? Let me break this down for you because by the end you'll be raising your hand about how much LOVE Google+.

Google+ Benefits

1. Google+ gives you SEO benefits. Yep, the holy grail that drives traffic to your site is affected by Google+. Before you go rushing into Google+ and just carelessly share your latest post from your site, please read my 8 Tips to Maximize Your Google+ Presence. Make sure that you set up authorship and understand that when you share in G+ you always want to share PUBLIC. Otherwise, you're spamming people that you follow. They might not even know who you are. Eek!

2. Google+ gives you a unique opportunity to interact with people unlike any other social media platform and your interaction actually makes a difference. The way that it works is that Google is trying to figure out what your area of influence is so the more interaction they see on your post within G+, the greater influence they believe you have in that particular topic.

3. You can add a link encouraging people to post to Pinterest right within your Google+ post. We all love Pinterest, right? That was why your hand was up so why not make it easy for people to pin your image right from G+. All you need to do is copy the url of your posted Pinterest image and paste it into your Google+ post. I always add something to the effect of "Pin it for Later" and then the link.

4. Any time a post receives interaction in the form of a comment it pops it back up to the beginning of the stream. So whomever has you circled has the chance of seeing your post again or for the first time. It gives a longer life to a post, unlike Facebook where half the time your followers don't see it regardless of the number of likes or comments.

5. Communities within Google+ allow you the opportunity to find people with like minded interests easily. Plus, your interactions within communities actually weigh in on your scope of influence.

6. Hashtags make everything searchable within Google+. So if you're looking for a particular interest, it's easy to find. When you hashtag your posts it helps Google figure out what your areas of influence are. I would recommend only using three hashtags and make sure to use keywords that are broad. You don't want to be too specific by using adjectives that people will never search for. In other words, if you created a fabulous dessert like my Lemon Cake Pops for a gorgeous Baptism Party, I would use the hashtags #dessert, #cakepops #partyplanning. Alright, now the question becomes "Who LOVES Google+?" Put those hands up!   It's up to you to take advantage of all that G+ has to offer. You'll be shocked at the amazing people that you will have an opportunity to rub elbows with.

About the Author

Jenny is a wife, mother, teacher and blogger. She and her husband of 7 years are raising two girls, a toddler and newborn, an hour outside of NYC. Jenny shares crafts, recipes, diy and party planning projects over at The NY Melrose Family.

You can connect with her at:

The NY Melrose Family * Google+ * Facebook * Twitter

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