Google+ has been under scrutiny about its performance ever since its launch. SEOs  have been particularly doubtful of this social network which is competing with a already established and successful model, The Facebook. However, it can be safely said that the one network which can majorly impact search engine results pages, is Google+.

As per Vic Gunorta, Senior Vice President Engineering for Google, Google+ integrates all of Google’s services, with a common social layer. As per the Global Web Index of UK market research firm Trendstream, Google+ ranks as 2nd largest  social network in terms of its active users. Google+ has also surpassed Twitter in rankings on the web and this is bringing a lot of attention to the SEO value which Google+ can generate for a business.

The Importance of Google+ for Google

Google+ is a Google product. Hence the value it holds  for Google is very high. Google incorporates the demographic info into the G+ profile. So when the user logs in for searches and other activity, Google+’s existence cannot be undermined as Google can personalise the information and fine tune SERPs. Sharing on the social networks are the social signals for Google which is indicative of the content that people like.

What Value Does Google+ Hold In SEO, On Small Scale?

Google+ helps to build personal & brand influence and expands the reach of businesses, on a small scale. The following can help in ranking you higher on the search engine ranking page.

+1 and Extended Network Benefits

When you +1 a post on Google+, the creator of that post and the people the post was shared with can see your +1. The creator of the post will receive a notification for that also. The pieces of content which are +1 or author show up in the SERPs of the people you are connected to and to the people their are connected to. This helps in creating an extended network with a large number of followers. This increases the likelihood of your content showing up on SERPs, provided Search+ Your world is being used by them.

Search + Your World

Google Search Plus World can help in determining what is relevant to personalised search queries. In that, individuals search results are greatly influenced by their circle of friends. Search Plus Your World can change the SERPs drastically. The biggest advantage is the relevancy of the results it can provide.

Authors and Publishers

The Rel=author semnatic mark up makes verification of authorship of content possible and is aided by rel=publisher. The markup helps in pay per click advertising and in connecting with brands on Google+. There is speculation that down the line, like author rank it could be used for ranking.

What Value Does Google+ Hold In SEO, On Large Scale?

Google+ profiles carry Page Rank and links to these pages which help in search engine optimisation. Earlier, the ranks on G+ pages  appeared in Page Rank toolbar add on but that was discontinued due to minor URL adjustments. This made people believe that those pages had no ranks at all. However, the reality of the situation is that Google maintains true Page Rank however, it cannot be looked up for just any page.

Search Engine Optimisation is targeted to make content crawl up the indexes, is linkable, useful and usable for its users.The relevance of content is what would sustain it through Google’s algorithmic shifts. It is becoming increasingly important that SEO efforts are kept abreast with all the latest developments, in order to find opportunities from social search results. In Google Search Plus Your World, the online experiences of your friends carry more weight than the links and domain authority and helps find the best results for you. Google Plus represents an opportunity to have digital content produced by businesses to be discovered and shared amongst large circle of friends.