This document discusses Google's efforts to build up its social networking platform Google+ to compete with Facebook. It outlines Google+'s history of social projects like Orkut, Wave, Buzz that failed to take off. While Google+ now has over 400 million users, engagement is still low compared to Facebook. The document then focuses on how Google is trying to integrate Google+ more into its search and local search results to drive more users, and the strategies local businesses can take to optimize their Google+ Local listings and websites to better rank for local searches.

2. Who on Earth is Equator?
We know what makes your customers click.

3. Who am I?
Marketing Director of said large full-service digital agency
Almost 20 years online
» Been social networking online since 1992
» Built my first website in 1994
» Built my first web server in 1995
» Thesis written on Marketing on the Internet in 1996
Never looked back!
» Been doing internet marketing and spending too much time online ever since

4. Why am I here?
We know what makes your customers click.

5. We know what makes your customers click.

6. We know what makes your customers click.

7. We know what makes your customers click.

10. Social is important to Google
Google made $38,000,000,000 last year - 96% of which came from Adwords
• Targeting consumers right at the point when they want to buy…
Best prices Apple Ipad 3
Audi car insurance
Cheap personal loan
It’s been a hugely successful business model – one that others have struggled to beat

11. Social is important to Google
However, that’s on the decline – seeing an 8% drop in revenue YOY
Meanwhile, Facebook has come from nowhere to grab more than $5,000,000,000 from social advertising
Facebook understands your demographics, your emotions, your relationships, your motivations and a lot more…
Google needs to succeed in social to get in on this
But it’s not for want of trying…

12. It’s been a long journey

13. It’s been a long journey
Started wayyy back in 2004 – a month BEFORE Facebook
Been a Google project from the off - but never been a priority for them.
Shares many features of Facebook including embedding photos and videos, live chat, likes and more…
But… it never took off in the USA or Europe….but it was HUGE in Brazil, India and Estonia
Now losing ground to Facebook and Twitter – over 86% of its Indian audience leaving in a year – dead soon?

14. It’s been a long journey

15. It’s been a long journey
What even was Google Wave?
• A replacement for email?
• A new kind of instant messenger?
• A collaborative project management tool?
• A cloud storage tool?
• An open platform for new social media tools?
It sort of did everything – but something else did each thing better…
It died on April 2012

16. It’s been a long journey

17. It’s been a long journey
Google Buzz was Gmail on steroids – take all the sharing that exists on Facebook and plug it into email…
Not quite Facebook, not quite Yahoo Messenger, not quite Twitter but did all of this within Gmail
Privacy was chucked out the window in an attempt to garner takeup
Again the purpose of it was unclear and the product was far from street-ready
It died on December 2011

18. It’s been a long journey

19. It’s been a long journey
Google Plus is their BIG push into Social media
Taking all the best bits of Buzz, Wave, Orkut and…Facebook… and removing the geeky bits
The success of G+ will directly affect Googlers’ bonuses
They’re pulling out all the stops to make this a resounding success
And it’s definitely got some stuff going for it….

21. Is it a better social network?
Integrated with other Google Services – Gmail…Docs…Picasa…Drive… and a lot more
Circles make more sense as a way to manage your contacts
The mobile app works well and is slick
Privacy settings are more intuitive and easier to manage
Hangouts are genuinely cool – chat rooms and video meet-ups on speed
Much more intuitive interface than Facebook and constantly improvements
Search is not crap!
More targeted ads (currently)
Far better manipulation and storage of photos and videos

22. So is it working?
Launched just a year ago it is already claiming to have over 400 million users (100Mn active)
AND… companies like Cadbury have garnered a million followers and reasonable interaction
AND… they’re attracting SOME celebs - Britney Spears has 2 million followers…
AND… photo sharing is taking off in a reasonably big way…
SO… it must be good news then ?

23. 100Mn is not that many really…
G+ Active Users Facebook Active Users

24. And 3 minutes is just tragic…
G+ Time on Site Facebook Time on Site

25. What’s to be done about this ?
It’s clear that G+ for all its take up is not getting adopted and Facebook continues to grow…
Google is getting more desperate with every passing day to make G+ a success
It could be argued that they’re coercing people into using it – specifically businesses
And there’s good reason to…

26. Where it’s at...
Despite well documented issues (merged business info, duplicate listings etc)
Google has the most complete and accurate local search database in the UK
Consumers find local listings to deliver the most relevant and trusted results
Ahead of PPC and traditional organic results…

27. Where it’s going...
34% of Adwords budget now being spent on local keywords
Google increasing visibility & creating new ad spaces in local and social markets
Visible in universal results pages and in Google+ Local business pages
Increasing visibility & capitalising on local and social advertising space
What happened next to Google+ was inevitable…

28. Merging the properties…
It was inevitable that to get people using G+ - search was the place to start
And so Search Plus Your World was born….
That didn’t work…
So they got stuck into schlooping lots of important Google properties together…
• Google Places, Local Business Centre, Google Maps & Google Local

29. Shifting sands…

30. Still shifting…
Now you can expect to find a floating map
Up to 17 results shown on Google's 1st page
• 7 local results
• 10 organic listings
And now all of this relies heavily on G+
• Reviews
• Plusses
• Offsite content that is linked

31. G+ vs. Organic
Why do I want in this space?
» For searches with local intent G+ Local listings now dominate search results
» Over 40% of results on 1st page being G+ Local results
» Most G+L results sit below the 2nd or 3rd organic listing
Not in G+L or in top 3 spaces? You’re not in the top 10!
» You’ll struggle to catch the attention of searchers!
What can a poor man do?

32. Can you optimise?
We know what makes your customers click.

33. Optimising for G+
For businesses it’s about being found and G+ is proven to help with local search results
Dentist in Glasgow
Glasgow Airport Car Hire
Glasgow restaurants
Needs 3 main areas of focus
» The information on your G+ Local page
» The information on your website or webpages if you have more than one physical location
» Offsite optimisation and authority

34. Needs some foundations…
Need a business with a physical address in city you are optimising for
» Ideally, your business is located within 2 mile radius of centroid
» Depends on competition
» Proximity is one main ranking factor
Before optimising G+L for generic keywords - research competition levels within your radius

35. Consistency is key…
The SINGLE best way to rank well in Google+ Local
Maintain consistency with your business information
• Especially your business name, address & phone number
• Otherwise known as NAP
Then it’s a case of ticking some more boxes…

36. A partial view of G+L Dashboard

37. Optimising G+ local pages
Set up account with company domain email address
Ensure you have Local area code phone number on place page
Get your listing verified
Use service & location keywords in business title
• Against Google guidelines but works!

38. Optimising G+ local pages
Use service & location keywords in place page description
• Think keyword focus in everything you do within G+
Place latitude and longitude coordinates in custom attributes
• Unexciting but works!
Get Proper category associations

39. Optimising your site
Google measures a lot of the traditional SEO signals when analysing on-site factors
Such as
» Domain authority, page authority, geographic keyword in title tag, URL, H tags, Copy etc
The main unique onsite signals Google look for when factoring results for Google+ Local are
» Name, address and phone number or NAP for short
» This must match the details given in your Google+ Local account
» Make sure phone number used has local area code
» Wrap the NAP in hcard or schema mark-up
» Add KML file to tie up coordinates with Google Earth & Google Maps

40. Optimising off-site
Just as with organic search, Google takes into account the traditional offsite SEO signals
Quality and authority of back links
Quantity of back links from locally relevant websites
Location keywords in back link anchor texts
Business title keywords in back link anchor texts

41. Optimising off-site
Gaining citations from local directory sites - whitespark!
Gain links from locally focused business websites kills two birds with one stone
Gaining reviews!

42. This stuff works!
We know what makes your customers click.

43. Ranking with nothing…
Despite having a one page website
» Being located 3.6 miles from centroid
» No use of geo keyword “London” in the title tag
» And no instances of the search term being
used in the anchor text
Agency Republic rank 1st place in Google organic and
in G+L results No1 in Google
For the moderately competitive search term “digital
agencies in London”

44. It’s all plus points
Local area code phone number
Location & keyword in text - albeit thinly spread
Address wrapped in hcard micro format
Low number of citations however, NAP is consistent throughout
Google maps show as a key ranking factor…
• even one page websites with light content
• In unfavourable locations
• And no use of search term in external anchor text links

45. Ranking with something…
Something more competitive…
» Restaurants in London
» 22,200 monthly searches
Ranks well by more traditional means…
Ranks in 3rd in G+L

46. Going a bit further…
Close proximity to centroid – less than a mile
Geographic keywords in <title>
Decent volume of quality links
Local area code phone number
Address wrapped in hcard micro format
Link to Google maps
Reasonable number of decent reviews (160)
Address with link to maps

47. Is sharing worth it?
We know what makes your customers click.

48. Not quite in the searches…

49. But isn’t Google+ a
SOCIAL tool too?
We know what makes your customers click.

50. Not quite at the races…

51. Roundup
We know what makes your customers click.

52. Rounding up…
Google+ may yet turn into a genuine social network to reckon with
• It’ll take some doing to make it happen though
However, it’s definitely gearing up to be a tool that can influence search
• And they’re still working on it
If you’re a business with local presences complete every aspect of everything Google gives you
• Use Google+ and populate it even if your customers don’t…
Stay tuned!

53. GIMME SOME QUESTIONS!

54. How to fix inaccurate information
No quick fix and no guarantee

55. Google+ Local Ranking Signals

56. Zagat Reviews

57. Tracking in Google

58. What are the pros & cons
Pros
» Chance to rank well ahead of global websites
Cons
» Wrong info
*