Game of Thrones and Google Have Something in Common

Game of Thrones and Google have something in common now: the Army of the Dead. Last Monday Google announced that it had disconnected Google+ Social from websites in regards to SEO impact from posts and is planning to phase out Google+ as a social platform altogether. That said, they’re keeping the Google+ Local functionality: that’s the My Business page where your reviews show up and how you’re found in a Google Local search. With these changes Google has put Google+ in limbo-land…not quite dead, not quite alive…much like the Army of the Dead (those zombie like creatures that the White Walkers use to do their dirty work). Let’s dive into limbo land: on one hand, the social media function of Google+ is dead. What does this announcement mean for small businesses? It means that active use of Google+ by your business page - making comments, posting statuses or articles - no longer has an added benefit to your website. Previously Google put a premium on Google+ activity and considered it as content connected to your website (it does not do this for other social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter). With this change, Google+ is just another social platform that has no relevance to your SEO. So what do you do? Blogging will become even more important to keep the content on your site fresh. Since one of the things that affect SEO is how fresh and relevant your content is to your service, you’ll want to create a blog schedule and stick with it - no more relying on your Google+ posts. On the other side of limbo-land: Your Google+ My Business page is very much alive and still relevant. As a small business receiving Google+ Local reviews is critical. Not only do they help with your local search results but once you reach the threshold of 5 reviews on your page you are rewarded with **actual stars** showing up next to your business in search results. Not only do these immediately draw the eye of prospective clients or patients but they also indicate how much your current clients like you. NOTHING today holds more weight than positive personal referrals. How to fight the changes? Just like there are ways to fight the White Walkers and their Army of the Dead, there are ways to combat the ever-changing rules from Google. Keep your site’s content fresh with consistent, relevant blog posts and get as many positive Google+ reviews as possible. Feel like Jon Snow? People & Practice is here to help. Reach out today for more tips on how to promote your orthodontic or dental practice online. www.pplpractice.com