Author Rank: A Step-by-Step Guide to Dominating Search with Content Marketing. Google Places Is Over, Company Makes Google+ The Center Of Gravity For Local Search. When Google+ and Google+ Pages for business were introduced a little less than a year ago many people in the local search arena began anticipating the day when Google would merge or integrate Google Places and Google+ Pages. Well, today is that day. Google Places pages have been entirely replaced by new Google+ Local pages. As of this morning roughly 80 million Google Place pages worldwide have been automatically converted into 80 million Google+ Local pages, according to Google’s Marissa Mayer.
It’s a dramatic change (for the better) though it will undoubtedly disorient some users and business owners. (See our related Google+ specific coverage, New Google+ Local Tab Unveiled, Will Replace Google Places, at Marketing Land.) A Range Of Changes Implemented Here’s a brief overview of what’s new and what’s changing: Static Places now give way to more dynamic Google+ Local pages.
Below is an example SERP for “burgers near Seattle.” Consistent Experience, Several Doorways Discovery . . . A Look At Google+ Direct Connect For Google+ Pages. Along with the big announcement of Google+ pages yesterday, a search-specific feature called “Google+ Direct Connect” was also announced. The Google+ Direct Connect functionality will help to give Google+ pages more visibility in the search engine results pages when custom operators are used.
What Exactly Is Direct Connect? Last month, Google retired the “+” operator, most likely in anticipation of the Direct Connect release. Now Google+ Direct Connect leverages the “+” symbol for those looking to go directly to a Google+ page in search. Instead of typing in “YouTube Google Plus” Direct connect will allow you to type “+youtube” to be escorted directly to the Google+ page, no results required. Let’s looks at Direct Connect in action. Upon clicking on that link (or hitting enter when query is completed) users will be escorted directly to the Google+ page bypassing search results altogether. Connect Your Website Tips On Becoming Added To Direct Connect Answer? 40+ Tips on How to Become a Social Media Rock Star on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ There are a several kinds of people in social media.
There are the people that enjoy a nice, quiet existence with their family and close friends. There are the bots. There are the people that have a massive following on one network, but you really don’t see them anywhere else. And then there are the people that no matter where you find them, they have (or are currently building) a massive audience. The latter are social media rock stars. Chances are, if you are promoting a blog, building a business, or simply want to share your thoughts with the masses, you want to be a social media rock star. In today’s post, I’m going to share with you my top tips for building an audience and becoming influential on social media. General Tips for Building an Audience No matter what social network you are targeting, the following are tips that will apply to them all. Use Your Real Name or Business Name Complete Your Profile Make Some Status Updates Before Adding Contacts Cross Promote Your Profiles.