Social Networking Becoming More Important For Google SERPS!

I just read a very interesting article over at Web Pro News that talks about how Google will now be incorporating your social network connections as a factor in delivering search results!

As Chris Crum, a writer for Web Pro News points out, "If you are one of those people still skeptical about the business uses of social media, you may be interested to know that Google's Social Search is no longer just an experiment."

SEO is always a moving target. What you do today to increase your SERPS might not be the same a year from now. If you are in business and want to continue to get results from the Internet having a grasp of what works and what doesn't is vital.

The message out of this article is loud and clear ~ Having connections, followers, friends at the various social media sites such as Twitter, Friendfeed, and others is going to help your SERP placement!

What kind of content is in Social Search?

If you are signed in to Google, you might see social search results for a particular search at the bottom of the results page under "Results from people in your social circle." All the content shown within Social Search is publicly-available online through Google and other search engines. Social Search simply highlights content from your social circle to provide a personalized search experience.

Here are some of the types of content you might see:

• Websites, blogs, public profiles, and other content linked from your friends' Google profiles
• Web content, such as status updates, tweets, and reviews, from social services that your friends have listed in their Google profiles.
• Images posted publicly from your social circle on Picasa Web and from websites linked from their Google profiles.
• Relevant articles from your Google Reader subscriptions.

According to Google:

You can improve your social search results by expanding your social circle and encouraging your friends to publish content online:                                                                                                                      

1. Expand your public connections:
   • Create a Google profile.
   • Add links to your public social sites like Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, etc. By linking your public connections on other social sites with your Google Account, you're telling Google just whose content you're interested in seeing in your social search results.
   • You can also add links to your public content so that others who follow you can see that content in their social search results.
2. Add friends and contacts: Add people who you want to include in your social circle to the Friends, Family, or Coworkers groups in your Google contacts. Any public content that those people have linked to their Google profile can start showing for your relevant searches. Note that it may take up to a few weeks for new connections to start showing in your social search results.
3. Subscribe to interesting content: Add subscriptions to Google Reader. Google will algorithmically select relevant content to show in your social search. Only you have access to your Reader subscriptions.

Other suggestions would be to:

1. Have your Real Estate client/customer base follow you via social networks.
2. Regularly participate in social media so people will engage and then possibly connect with you.
3. Share your content via Social Media sites. If you don't have a Share This widget or something like it I  would encourage you to get one!
4. Include your social network information on business cards, email, ect.
5. Incorporate your social network information into your online advertising/marketing.

Here is a terrific video that quickly describes how to create a Google profile if you don't have one and what this new search feature means to you!

 

 

                                         So who is presently in your social circle?

                                                                                                                                                      

Your social circle is the groups of connections you have including these contacts:

• Those in your Gmail (or Google Talk) chat list

• People in your Friends, Family, and Coworkers groups in your Google contacts

• People you're publicly connected to through social services that you've listed in your Google profile, such as Twitter, FriendFeed, and others.

• In case you were wondering, those that are connected to you via your Facebook profile page are NOT included in this as Google does not spider your contacts there.

• People who are contacts of those in your immediate social circle. Basically friends of friends.

See a list of your social circle connections at google.com/s2/search/social. This page shows your direct connections, secondary connections (friends-of-friends), and some of the content that each of those connections has published publicly online. The information displayed here is very interesting as it can shows you all the degrees of seperation that exist from your social media efforts.

You can also get to this page by clicking the link next to "Results from people in your social circle" on any Google search results page that's showing social search results.

See Bill Gassett's Google Profile. <-------HERE.

If you don't have a Google profile set up I would make sure you start working on one. It is very easy to get started and to add all the places online you are connected socially with others.

Good luck everyone. I hope this information continues to help grow your online business!

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About the Author: The above Real Estate information on social networking becoming more important for Google SERPS  was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356.

Have a home to sell in Metrowest Mass? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

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I service the following towns in and around Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Northboro, Shrewsbury, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Framingham and Douglas MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

 

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