If you’re Ignoring Google+ Wear a Helmet in 2013

Google+ is a social networking platform that was released in 2011. It's seen respectable growth but has, frankly, been in the shadow of Facebook's monstrous appeal and market share. All things come together in due time, though, at Google, and those of you that see the value in building a reputation as an authority figure in your real estate market need to be aware of one of Google's goals in social network and the tactics that are being used to make Google+ more attractive--which is the online equivalent of walking softly and carrying a big stick.

On September 21, Google posted an update in Webmaster Tools noting the display of authorship information in search results. This isn't totally new; a lot of you may have noticed seeing little icon-like photos of people in search results for some time. We started seeing evidence of this back in March and--surprise, surprise--authors with a Google+ profile were the folks we were seeing in prominent positions on search engine results pages (SERPS).

Obviously, the results that have a pic to the left are a lot more eye-catching than those without. To get this kind of exposure and claim valuable marketing space in the SERPS, real estate agents should be proactive in building their Google+ profiles and make sure that any of the digital content marketing that they are creating is linked up with their Google+ profiles.

As with all things Google, you can bet that relevance, authority and quality are going to figure heavily into any ranking scenarios moving forward. Creating content online has always been important because without content, Google literally can't read you. With newer algorithm shifts moving away from link-based ranking signals to moving towards the social graph, Google+ is going to be a heavyweight in this arena. The Big G is in essentially saying, "If you want to play ball, get on our team."

It doesn't feel Googley to think that raw numbers are going to count in a business-as-usual sense on Google+, given the dramatic shifts in algorithms during 2012. The zombie-like protocol of follow and be followed, no matter who or what, may cease to be the biggest signal of success. Not only do you need to pay attention and make sure you're credited with your content, but real estate professionals need to pay mind to who they are keeping company with, as relationships with other heavy hitters will only add to the development of an authoritative online presence.

Keeping in line with the communal concept of social networks, show Google that you have a pulse. Google+ is based upon the most sophisticated search engine in the world, so make use of it inside the Google+ platform. Talk to others, post on a regular basis and, of course, make sure that your profile is public. Getting all of your content synced up with Google+ can be a bit awkward, depending on which method you have to use. In particular, there is no guarantee that your Google+ profile pic is going to show up with your content, so you don't know if you set it up right the first time. I've set mine up following the instructions laid out by Google here. Do try to develop good content, because you never know who's going to be looking and what kind of opportunities can come from a well-written and insightful piece.

To view the original article, visit the Dynamic Page Solutions blog.