Google Business Pages Are Ready – Will Google+ Be A Game Changer?

Google has finally launched their Google+ Pages for Business. When Google+ started up in June this year, only personal profiles were allowed. Now, much like Facebook’s Fan Pages (Business Pages) Google is now allowing business and brands to have a profile for promoting their business via Google Business Pages.

It’s important to note that any personal profiles on Google+ that are actively (and obviously) promoting business will get shut down. Now that pages are available for businesses I think they’ll be less tolerant of these infringements. So if you have a personal profile but want to promote your business, or even just for website marketing, then head over to Google+, login to your personal profile, then you’ll be able to create a page for your business.

How to Get Your Google+ Page for your Business

To get started on your page head to plus.google.com/pages/create. Once you’ve logged into your account, you’ll be asked to create a page in one of these five categories:

1. Local Business or Place
2. Product or Brand
3. Company, Institution or Organisation
4. Arts, Entertainment or Sports
5. Other

Local Business are Different

If you are a local business, you have extra options available to you including being able to add your phone number. This is what Google says about local Google+ pages:

“Local Google+ pages are unique from other categories of pages because they have features that allow customers to easily connect with that business’s physical location. For example, local pages include a map of the business’s location and feature its address, phone number and hours of operation.”

This is very similar to Google Places pages which many small businesses have already claimed but these are separate (at the moment) from a Google+ Page for businesses. Google says;

“Currently, Place pages and Google+ Pages must be managed separately. A Place page provides information about a business and makes it easy for customers to find local businesses on Google Maps and local search; while a Google+ page provides business owners with additional ways to engage, build relationships and interact directly with customers.”

Creating your Google+ Page for Your Business

Here is what you’ll see when you log into your Google+ account and click on your home icon.

In the right-hand column, at the bottom, you’ll see Google+ Pages – Create a Google+ page. Click on this link and you’ll be on your way to setting up your own page.

Important Note: Whoever creates your page, most likely you, will be the page administrator. So it’s important that it is the right person creating the page as it won’t be transferrable later to someone else. Perhaps Google will allow others to administer pages later on but at the moment is unfortunately a one man show.

Next, you’ll see this form where you can choose the type of page you want and enter your business information.

Choose one of the five categories for your page and click on that image. Then fill in your business information. If you are a local business, enter your country and phone number and Google should find you, that is if you have your Google Places page claimed. Click on the correct listing or if your business doesn’t show, just click on ‘Not found’ and you’ll be able to add your business.

Another important point to note is that unlike Facebook, you cannot have a ‘vanity URL’, that is a URL with you business name in it. On Facebook this looks something like www.facebook.com/DebTheWeb and you can promote this easily. On Google+ your page URL is fairly ugly at the moment and we don’t know if they will change this.

One positive note is that you can change the name of your page if you don’t like it. On Facebook you cannot do this once you create a vanity URL.

What can you do with a Google+ Business Page?

You’ll need to access your page via your personal account, just like Facebook. Then you can choose whether you post as yourself (personal profile) or as your page (business profile).

Choose your page from the drop-down list under your name

You can do many of the same things that you can do on your personal account, as your page including;

• sharing photos
• sharing videos
• sharing links
• hangouts

10 Facts About Google+ Pages

1. Pages can’t add people to circles unless your page is added first or mentioned.
2. Pages can be created for a variety of different entities, whereas profiles can only be made for people.
3.  The default privacy settings for your page is set to public.
4. If your page unfollows someone, then they will automatically unfollow you.
5. Pages have a +1 button so you can ‘vote’ for the page.
6. Pages cannot +1 other pages and they cannot +1 content on the web.
7. Pages don’t receive notifications via email or text.
8. Pages don’t have the option to share to extended circles.
9. Local pages have special fields that help people find your business’ physical location.
10. Google+ Pages can’t mention you unless you are connected.

I can foresee problems with some of these fact but no doubt, Google will update and improve their service and times goes on. Although, one plus already is that you have have multiple Google+ pages for your business, brand or projects.

Badges for Your Website

Google has launched a new icon to encourage people to follow your page. It’s similar to Facebook’s ‘facepile’ badge but as of writing, only a new icon is available. The badges will be available soon.

To create your badge visit: https://developers.google.com/+/plugins/badge/config and enter your page number. You’ll find this number (it’s the long number) in the address bar, when you click on the Home icon on your page. For example; https://plus.google.com/b/116401658629170500505/ my page number is 116401658629170500505. Once you add in your number you’ll be able to choose your badge and then copy and paste the code onto your website. It’s that simple.

Google+ Direct Connect – Searching on Google+

Searching on Google+ is easy too. Your page can be found through Direct Connect. If someone searches for your business with a + symbol in front of the name, then you business page should quickly show up. People can then select the page and they’ll be taken directly to that page where they can follow you.

Here is a short video explaining how search works.

Someone Else Can Create a Page for Your Business So Get Your Website Connected

One big gaping hole in these new pages is the fact that anyone can set up a page for your business or brand. Verification will be forthcoming from Google I’m sure but not at the moment. The best way to safe guard your business is to get your page set-up and establish Direct Connect by including a badge on your website and linking to your website on your page. Check out these two articles below to ensure you’ve done this correctly.

1. Linking to your website
2. Linking your website to your Google+ Page

There will no doubt be much more to discover with Google+ Pages but at the moment the set-up is easy (unlike Facebook) and it promises to be a good addition to your social media marketing efforts.

DebTheWeb has a Google+ Page at: https://plus.google.com/b/116401658629170500505/ 

Further reading:

Need Help With Setting Up Your Google+ Page for Business?

Get in touch with DebTheWeb and we will ensure your business is set-up properly on Google+. We’ll link your website to your Page and vice versa. Plus add the relevant Google+ badge to your site.

Call on 01348 874 539 or email us to get started.