Do you want to get started with Google+ pages? The given article will help you set up a Google+ page for your business.
STEP 1: Create your page
When you signed in to your Google+ profile, click on the Create a Google+ page link, which is there in your right hand sidebar to create your Google+ page. Alternatively, you can also go to the Create a page area.
You will also need to select a category, which your Google+ page belongs to. You can select a category from the following:
- Local Business or Place: This category is suitable for physical establishments such as stores, industries, hotels, restaurants, and more! Its subcategories range from Home & Construction to Storage. You should select this category, if you have a local business. This will help you connect to your Google Places page (if any) to get your information or you can start from scratch. If you select this category for your Google+ page, then you have an option to show a map of your business on your page. This option is not available on pages in other categories.
- Brand or Product: This category is suitable mainly for apparels, electronics, automobiles, financial services, and more! Its subcategories range from Aerospace to Website.
- Company, Organization, or Institution: This category is suitable for companies, organizations, institutions, and more! Its subcategories range from Aerospace to Travel & Leisure.
- Arts, Entertainment or Sports: This category is suitable for TV, movies, music, books, sports, and more!
If you think your Google+ page does not go with any of the above-listed main categories and subcategories, you can list it under Other category. Once you choose the category, fill the required details like Page name, Website, Subcategory, and content age level. After this, click on Create button to continue.
Step 2: Enter basic page information
First things first, your Google+ wants to have your Tagline and your Profile photo.
- Your Tagline will be appeared beneath the name of your page, so make sure it briefly describes your business.
- Your profile photo should be easily recognized by people, so prefer choosing a common logo or a storefront photo.
If you have other profiles on different social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedln, then make sure you use the same profile for your Google+ page. This helps your visitors or connections on other networks to recognize your page easily.
After you click on Continue button, you will be then asked to share your Google+ page as a status update with your personal profile. (I would recommend you to skip this for now, as this can be done later, once you successfully create your Google+ page.) Click on Finish button to skip this.
Now, you can use Google+ as your new Google+ page. However, if you want to switch back to your personal profile, you can simply do so by using the dropdown just below your page’s name in the home page. Similarly, you can switch back to your Google+ pages by using the same dropdown, or using Manage your pages link.
If you are using Google+ as your page, then click on the Profile icon at the top. To enter the following details, you can then click on the blue Edit Profile button.
- Your Tagline: If you didn’t enter your tagline in the beginning, then you can enter it now by clicking on that section. It is recommended to think of a shorter version of your Twitter profile’s bio, so that a new visitor can get to know about your page and business easily. This plays a major role to entice new visitors to connect with it.
- Your Scrapbook: In this section, you can enter five photos, which according to you will represent your business the best. While choosing the photos, you can consider various factors, including famous people who represent your brand, your logo, your top products, pictures showing fun around the office, or anything you feel will make a positive and great visual impression of your business.
- Your Introduction: Make the most of this section by entering information about your business, company website, and other links that have great anchor text. Try to enter eye-catchy words, as the first 50 or so characters will appear in Google+ search results. Thus, it can seriously make a huge difference.
- Your Contact Information: In this section, you can enter your contact details, so that people can get in touch with your business with ease. While entering the information, make sure you do not enter anything that you may not be able to respond quickly.
- Recommended Links: Unlike Google+ personal profile page, which has three three link sections to choose from, the Google+ pages have only one link section, which they mark as recommended.
Step 3: Verify your Google+ page
Verifying Google+ page will help your business to be appeared in the search results from Maps to Search. Verification is also needed to make any changes to your page in the future. The screen for verification options will be appeared automatically when you are done with your page.
- Verify By Postcard: If you choose this option, you will see a postcard with name of your business and the address you provided. You will receive it in the mail within one or two weeks. Once you get postcard, go to My Business dashboard and enter the code you have received.
- Verify By Phone: You can choose this option, if you don‘t want to get a postcard by Mail. After clicking on Verify By Phone option from the menu, you will get a verification code to your business phone number. Simply, enter that code and get your page verified.
After you have entered the code, you will get a screen asking you to review your information provided and make any last-minute changes (if any). Change the details if required and then click on the Done editing after you have finished.
Step 4: Status updates on Google+
Before announcing your Google+ page on your personal profile, make sure you add some public status updates. These are helpful when it come to give your visitors a preview of a type of content they can expect from this page. In order to add status updates as your page, make sure you use Google+ as your page. Share your thoughts or what’s new on your Google+ home below the Stream column.
Step 5: Get and organize followers
Even after creating a new Google+ page, you will have to wait until visitors follow you before you could add them to your page’s circles and start communicating with them.
To get followers, you can simply announce it on your Google+ personal profile. It’s really simple.
You may also want to connect your Google+ page to your website. To do so, you can use a simple piece of code or an icon with the aid of the code generated by the Google+ badge configuration tool. However, if your end goal is to get followers only, then you can use the Standard badge option, which allows visitors to follow your page on your website by using the Add to circles button.
Once the visitor start following your page, you can then start organizing them into circles the same way you want people to follow on your Google+ personal page.
The above-mentioned steps are enough to turn your Google Plus page into wonders.