[ibimage==33974==Small==none==self==ibimage_align-left]As someone who grapples with SEO issues on a daily basis (in my work at Local Reach Marketing) I have to say that Google+ has its...wait for it...plusses (I know, I know) when it comes to bumping up the visibility of a blog or a website. As someone who is paid to figure out every angle for boosting search engine visibility, I have found Google's own, much maligned and mocked, platform to be well worth at least some effort.
In the quest for making one's self or one's organization relevant in socialmediasphere, Google+ has had some jokes made at the its expense (for example, in a sort of "Social Media In a Nutshell" thing I read once it summed up Google+ as being the platform where you can meet Google employees promoting Google+--as opposed to any run of the mill, everyday folks such as those on FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).
Nevertheless, in real world terms, there is not the slightest doubt about Google's dominance in the search engine area, and I notice even in just working for local companies, that there is so much power even within quickly-achieved efforts. As examples of the latter, merely commenting upon a post, or posting a news article (and commenting!) upon a post in Google+ can carry surprising clout in SEO terms. The mere act of making a new profile--in nearly any social media platform--for my clients often creates noticable, nearly immediate SEO benefit. I have seen this take place in even dubious contexts. For example, even my SoundCloud account shows fairly prominently in Google searches with my information. Indeed any activity that shows on agoogle search can wield an important SEO boost. To reiterate, much of this has to do with the overwhelming dominance Google enjoys as the primary search engine: [ibimage==33977==Large==http://google.com==self==ibimage_align-center]
It is worth noting that Baidu is used nearly exclusively within China, making Google the proberbial 800 lb. gorilla here in the States. Therefore, even if Google+ carries nowhere near the weight of a Facebook, Twitter, or even Instagram, it is still well-worth the effort to at least have some sort of presence on it. This is the case, even if one doesn't reach a ton of potential clients on the platform itself. My basis of reasoning in asserting this is it's value from an SEO standpoint.
For more about SEO, Local Business, ideas for using social media in creative ways, etc., continue to watch this space...
Sean Alden Fitzgerald
Local Reach Marketing
Colorado Springs, CO
FB: facebook.com/LocalReachColorado
Google+: google.com/+SeanAldenFitzgerald
Twitter: twitter.com/localreachmktg
Pinterest: pinterest.com/LocalReach
Blogger: localreachmktg.blogspot.com
About.Me: about.me/SeanAldenFitzgerald
Wordpress: seanaldenfitzgerald.wordpress.com
Medium: medium.com/@SeanAldenFitzgerald
Instagram: instagram.com/SeanAldenFitzgerald
YouTube: youtube.com/SeanAldenFitzgerald
