Basically, here’s what I know – Google Plus is the place to be to drive traffic to your website.

As Google Plus is relatively new (as in Google has now forced us to all use it via YouTube. Curses), a lot of people are scrambling around trying to make sense of it. This means just about anyone will follow you.

Now, I get that that sounds awfully spam like but there are genuine people on Google Plus who will engage with you. There are just some rules you have to follow to begin climbing the ranks of Google Plus.

1.    Post original content

Whether you are a blogger, photographer, teacher, etc. if you post original content related to what you do then there are bound to be people who are interested. Using appropriate hashtags will bring your posts more visibility.

2.    Join in circle shares

Joining circle shares is a sure fire way to get more followers who are just as like-minded as you. It’s always best to join a circle share that only has people who post the same sort of content as you do. For example, if you were a blogger then it would be a good idea to join a blogger circle share.

Don’t go and join every single circle share. You can get a few dodgy people hidden in them who will then proceed to post irrelevant content to your newsfeed and clog up your notifications.

3.    Engage with your followers

This is an important one! People like when you +1 and/or reshare their content because it shows that you’re following them for a reason and not just to get a follow back.

Leaving comments is also good, especially on posts that ask for tips and tricks on something you know a lot about.

4.    Choose an appropriate profile picture and cover picture

It’s always best when you have a picture of yourself as your profile photo. This helps people know you are legit. If you are a business, then upload your logo as your picture. You cover photo can be whatever you want but I’ve found most prominent pages have photos related to their brand.

Here’s an example from Taco Bell:

Tacos. Tacos everywhereeee.

Tacos. Tacos everywhereeee.

5.    Join communities

You can find a lot of like-minded people in communities. Communities are great ways to find people to follow that post original content. Do not use communities as a way to advertise your brand, however, as it will make you look spam like.

Many communities even host competitions and giveaways allowing you to get into the spirit of getting to know people as well as trying to win a prize.

 

These are just a few of my tips on how to “conquer” Google Plus. Lets just say that you won’t be disappointed when you start following these tips.

Chynna