Google Games It's Own System: Why You Must Launch a Google+ Presence

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Inner Architect

This is not a tutorial, how-to piece, case study, or opinion. The following is reality and what I noticed immediately after launching my personal profile on Google+. There is one reason why you must launch a Google+ personal profile or business page: search engine optimization.

Google+ Bias

The shocking and disturbing truth about Google, the search engine, is their bias toward indexing their own products in search engine results pages aka SERPS. Although never disclosed, many SEO experts have identified a number of algorithmic characteristics that help or hurt your search rankings on Google. One of the most important factors is the "seasoning" or length of time a blog, website, video, podcast, or social profile. Unfortunately, Google has decided that Google+ accounts, no matter how new the social network still is, are more important than sites with years of seasoning.

#1 Reason to Adopt Google+

What happened to the SERPs after I launched my Google+ personal profile in October 2011? Nothing short of a miracle. According to Google, my personal profile on Google+ now ranks #1 page one on a search of my name: Dean Guadagni.

My Social Online Presence

The following is a list of profiles, sites, entities I have created on the Internet beginning in 2007. The most important factor to understand is the seasoning or length of history I have online.

  • author deansguide blog March 2007
  • deansguide Twitter account June 2007
  • dean guadagni Facebook profile 2008
  • dean guadagni Plaxo profile 2008
  • dean guadagni LinkedIn 2008
  • ActiveRain.com Real Estate Social Network 2009
  • dean guadagni Quora 2010
  • author InnerArchitect.com 2008

In addition I have written guest posts or had my writing featured on SearchEnginePeople.com, TheLadders.com, ChicagoSunTimes.com, ComputerShopper.com, Reuters and a number of other powerful sites.

Bing, Yahoo, DogPile, Ask, AOL, DuckDuckGo, Yippy

Fact: None of these search engines, making up the rest of the search pie, rank my Google+ profile (5 wks old as of this writing) #1 on page one of a search query for "Dean Guadagni."

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Rainmaker
790,066
Susan Laxson CRS
Palm Properties - La Quinta, CA
Local Knowledge & Global Network

Impressive results and now will have to look at Google + more seriously.  Thanks for sharing!

Nov 12, 2011 03:48 AM #1
Rainmaker
530,293
Peggy James
EXIT Realty Associates - Woodbridge, VA
Woodbridge Virginia Area Real Estate Specialist

Dean, thanks for the tip. I noticed the exact same thing.

Nov 12, 2011 03:55 AM #2
Rainmaker
143,058
Dean Guadagni
Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Peggy, I know this must be obvious to many folks but it still throws me as to how Google can be serious about search when they bias the search toward their products! It's very disturbing to me. Thanks for your thoughts!

PP, it's not really impressive as much as it's disturbing. Google is saying to all of us that if they build a product it will get preferential treatment over all other sites no matter how long they have been established on the Internet!

dean

Nov 12, 2011 04:01 AM #3
Rainmaker
1,356,051
Li Read
Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC
Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

So important to keep each other "in the loop"...change is permanent ground, now.   Thank you!

Nov 12, 2011 05:05 AM #4
Rainmaker
359,274
Donnie McKinney
Purchase Realty Group - Paducah, KY
Donnie McKinney CCIM, Purchase Realty Group

Hmmm. I've been avoiding yet another profile page. Now, I guess I have to have one lol Thanks for sharing your research.

Actually, AR gets a bit of bias from Google, as well, which is good for us. For instance, I posted a blog about one of my favorite local restaurants, Kirchoff's Bakery & Deli, Paducah Ky, about 1:30 pm one day. FOUR HOURS later, I Googled it just for funsies. It was in THIRD SPOT on PAGE ONE of Google - in 4 hours! The only sites ahead of it were Kirchoff's own website & some national restaurant guied.

Google +1 might be a bit faster, but . . .

Nov 12, 2011 07:36 AM #5
Rainer
205,620
Mark Delgado
houses for rent, Solano County & Glen Cove - Benicia, CA
Benicia and Vallejo, Property Management, rental h

I have been reading a lot about the Google+ lately so I guess it's time to add that to my "rotation" of sites that I maintain.  It does make sense that Google would give preference to Google+ based upon how Google favors YouTube videos over all others- Google owns YouTube.

Nov 12, 2011 03:57 PM #6
Rainmaker
143,058
Dean Guadagni
Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Mark, Google+ has been in the news as many pundits and analysts are attempting to predict it's staying power and relevance. Although it may make sense for Google to bias it's SERPs toward their own products it truly denegrates the one thing that every search engine should be built upon: unbiased algorithmic factors.

If Google can completely game their own system with Google+ then what does that say about the numbers they report back to consumers who buy paid Adsence advertising? Many advertisers have questioned Google's honesty-integrity when they see their advertising "budgets" completely depleted at the end of each campaign.

Thanks for the comment Mark!

dean

Nov 13, 2011 03:48 AM #7
Rainmaker
143,058
Dean Guadagni
Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Donnie, Active Rain does not receive any bias from Google. The reason your AR blog post showed up in your SERPs is due more to the fact that you and the restaurant have not built a more powerful blog, website, or alternative social media profiles that would be considered by Google more relevant that the AR post you wrote.

Consequently, Google is "ranking" and indexing your content based on the most trusted site not on any bias for Active Rain. Thanks for your comment!

dean

Nov 13, 2011 03:53 AM #8
Rainmaker
143,058
Dean Guadagni
Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Hi Li, thanks for your kind comment. As much as things do become permanent in many instances, our social landscape is changing again. I believe Google+ business pages will become more powerful for businesses than Facebook pages.

dean

Nov 13, 2011 03:55 AM #9
Rainmaker
335,293
Leslie Prest
Leslie Prest, Prest Realty, Sales and Rentals in Payson, AZ - Payson, AZ
Owner, Assoc. Broker, Prest Realty, Payson,

There are very few things that aren't biased in one way or another. Shouldn't be a surprise.

Nov 13, 2011 05:18 AM #10
Rainmaker
143,058
Dean Guadagni
Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Leslie, the surprise is NOT the bias. The surprise is that Google would endanger their credability by ranking a person or brand's Google+ profile or page ahead of far more "seasoned" and powerful sites. Bias is one thing but throwing away what you built your system upon, argued for, and preached as gospel seems blantantly egregious to me.

Nov 13, 2011 05:59 AM #11
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