Google+ has gone under many revisions and received many new features that are designed to help business owners. One of the features, Google+ pages is similar to Facebook. It is a platform that allows businesses to provide their business information to their audience, build relationships with people, and stay in touch with followers. Here are five things that small and medium businesses need to know about this platform.

1. Setting Up a Google+ Page Can Help Establish Local Online Presence

Businesses that haven’t set up a Google+ local page can do so by setting up a Google+ account. They can follow the instructions to verify their business at the URL below:

http://support.google.com/plus/answer/2609871?hl=en&from=2623608&rd=1

Once they’ve went through the verification process successfully, they can control their business information on Google maps. This will allow businesses to display the correct information on local Google listings and start promoting their Google+ page to increase their search rankings for their listing.

2. Google+ Is a Great Way to Build an Audience and Build a Relationship with that Audience

Google+ is a social media platform just like Facebook. It helps businesses build an audience, opens the door to building relationships with followers, and extends market reach. It has become one of the largest social media networks and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. That’s why it’s vital that all businesses set up a Google+ account and build a presence on this platform.

3. YouTube Integration Allows for Improved Content Delivery

Businesses can now deliver their video content directly to followers that have integrated their Google+ account with their YouTube account. Followers that have this feature set up will see YouTube video recommendations displayed on the home page. This means that publishers that create a lot of video content will get more exposure for videos. It also means that using videos as part of the overall content strategy will greatly benefit businesses.

4. Google+ Is Also a Great Way to Connect with Other Businesses

Google+ makes it easy to connect with other businesses in addition to the primary audience. Google circles makes it easy to distinguish the types of relationships, which means it’s easier to manage relationships. It also helps businesses discover contacts outside of their immediate network. What’s more, reaching out through Google+ is a better way to initiate and build a potential a business relationship. It’s an effective way to get through the gatekeepers and go straight to the business owners themselves.



5. Reputation Management Is Easier with Google+

Because Google+ has a large userbase, many people are using their accounts to leave reviews about businesses they’ve encountered. Businesses can respond to these reviews with Google+ and help them retain a good reputation. Positive reviews will also help businesses attract more traffic as it is displayed in the search listings. One thing that should be noted is that Google uses Zagat ratings to display ratings and reviews for businesses, so it’s a good idea to list with Zagat.