The tsunami of changes that are coming from Google these days is without parallel. I look back to October 2010 when Google Places was integrated into organic search results and since that major shift, the team at Google has been keeping Automotive SEO strategists on their toes.
It is clear that organic search results shown on Google Page One are being influence by social media posts, likes, fans, and now +1. Just this week I noticed that a dealer’s Facebook page moved to the second spot on Google Page One over well aged and well linked microsites.
This dealer has over 35,000 likes to his Facebook dealership page. The highly trafficked Facebook Page outweighs the SEO strength of his other web assets. Change is here and documented!
Google +1 Implementation
Now we have Google +1 to play with and people are asking how they can leverage this new search “stamping” tool. According to Google’s website:
“Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1?s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.”
Do you believe that your business provides great products and service to local consumers? Do your employees feel the same way? If the answer to both questions are “YES”, then what strategy do you have in place to educate and energize each employee to +1 your key digital assets. These assets are MORE than your website.
Your Google +1 strategy should include your Youtube Videos, microsites, press releases, slideshare docs, etc. Any web assets that will help consumers connect with your brand and that show your company in a positive light.
Have you started tagging your web assets with the +1? What are you waiting for then!
Empowering Your Customers
Once you and your employees have been educated and a strategy put in place, next comes family, friends, and customers. This means that you email templates and communication process for soliciting reviews can be enhanced to leverage the Google +1 tag.
Have you added the +1 toolbar on all your blogs like the one at the top of this page? This toolbar makes it easier to get your readers and fans to engage in your +1 strategy. By the way, have your new customers been encouraged to +1 tag your Google Adwords ads?
By the way, before you leave this page, use the toolbar at the top to +1 the article and share it with your network. What are friends for, correct?
When You Use Google +1 – SERP’s Change
Here is a quick task, please follow along with me. Log into your Google Account. Go to Google and search “Automotive SEO“. Here is what you will see if you are logged into your Google account:
The first two listings should be www.dealer-seo.com and www.automotiveseo.co.
Click on the +1 button for these two listings.
What happens after your +1?d these two listings, the next time you search for this same phrase “Automotive SEO“. What changed?
Now was that hard to do? You know the top search phrases that consumers use to find your goods and services. If your website is not at the top of search listings, these +1 tags from local consumers can make your listing stand out. Do you want your website assets to stand out?
The Bigger Picture – Socialized SERP’s
Google is aligning business interests and search engine result pages (SERPS) to get more consumers to create a Google account and use Google tools. Once Google decided to get into the review business, a clear signal was sent. Reviews posted with GOOGLE accounts can be leveraged top increase SERP visibility and traffic; that’s Google Boost.
Now that Google allows consumers to “mark” their favorite search engine result pages, once again businesses will educate and encourage consumers to mark THEIR listings to create a more visible SERP listing.
The future of SERP’s is socialized and personalized results for local markets. The sooner your business engages with a proactive review collection process and now a proactive +1 process, the faster your SERP listings will be standing out. The faster your PPC campaigns can be enhanced with “stars”.
