Google Plus – Business Page

Google+, a social network powered by the search engine giant Google, was launched on June 28 2011. Since then businesses were keenly waiting to create a business page to develop relationships with their prospects, customers, fans and followers on Google+. At last, Google announced the release of Google+ business pages on November 7, 2011.

If you have a Google+ business page, you may:

• Start real face-to-face conversations with Hangouts
• Create circles to share the right message with the right people
• Help people recommend you on Google Search and ads with the +1 button

If you are eager to create a Google+ Page for your own business, the process is quick and easy. Here is a simple guide.

You need to have a Google account to join Google+.

If you have a personal Google+ profile, you will notice a new link appearing below the Start a hangout link on the right side of your Stream. Click Create your Google+ Page and get started.

If you have not yet set up your personal Google+ profile, click the link below:

Create a Google+ Page

Pick a Category

You can choose from the following options:

• Local Business or Place
• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organization
• Arts, Entertainments or Sports
• Other

If you mouse over a category, Google will give you hint about that category. For example, if you mouse over Local Business or Place, you will get the hint: Hotels, restaurants, places, stores, services …

Pick Other, if your business doesn’t fit into any other category.

Add Your Info

After selecting your category, fill in your basic information, including your page name, your business’ website URL, your service (additional sub-category that suits your business), and who can view your Google+ profile. The default is any Google+ user, or you can restrict this to users 18 and older or users 21 and older.

Customize Your Page’s Public Profile

The next step involves customizing your public profile.

You may add your ten word tagline that describe your page best.

You can add a profile photo.

These are just the basics of your page’s profile. You can fill out a complete profile later.

You have created your Google+ page that is now public!

Access Your Business Page

If you have set up your Google+ business page from your personal Google+ profile, you access it through your personal Google+ profile.

On your home page below your name and avatar pic is a drop down menu.

Open this menu to see your page, click on it to access it.

Promote Your Business Page

People want to hear from you! Customize your page even further and start photos, videos, links and other interesting content publicly before you begin promoting the link to your page and start adding people to your circles.

Once people have added your page to their circles, you can add them back. Use your circles to get the right message to the right people.

Spread the word!

Go to your page’s stream and click Spread the word on the right side of the page.

Tell everyone in your own circles about your new business page.

Distribute the link to your page everywhere you communicate online to encourage people to add your page to their circles so your posts will appear in their stream.

Put the +1 button on your website, blog, Facebook fan page welcome tab or anywhere else you’d like people to be able to recommend your business, products or services to friends and contacts all across the web.

Lastly but not the least, link your page from your website or blog to make it easy for people to find and recommend your page. Place the Google+ badge or a small code snippet on your site.

I have already created GoldenTwine’s Google+ Business Page besides my personal Google+ profile, so you can follow our business updates and add GoldenTwine to one of your Circles!