Have you checked out your website’s search rankings lately? If you haven’t, go ahead and try it. Enter a very specific search query you think you should rank for, maybe even your company name.

Did you come up on page 1? If so, are you signed into Google+? Compare your search results by toggling the “Private” search option (the little stick figure head/shoulders and globe tabs in the top right beneath your G+ image on a search results page).

That can make all the difference – and not just when you’re searching for yourself (sounds deep, I know!), but when anyone else is searching for what you’ve got to offer.

Two Kinds of SERPs

Before we go on, you may want to refresh yourself on how Google+ affects local SEO. But remember, that’s not necessarily a good thing if you aren’t keeping your local SEO efforts up to speed.

Next, try to think of search engine results pages as showing two different things for two different users: global user and social user. A global user is an old-hat Googler, just some Joe on a web browser looking for something. The second is someone signed into Google+ with unique search habits and follows.

For instance, you might find PuTTin’ OuT on page 1 for “las vegas social media marketing” if you follow me on G+, but if not, I might be in SERP no-man’s-land on page 7. Don’t believe me? I had one of my tech guys look us up to experiment. Check this out:

Signed in, we’re on page 1 for “social media marketing,” baby!!

Signed out… not so much. Not even page 10.

Using Google+ to Improve Search Ranking

The good news is, you can use this to your advantage. Use these G+ best practices every time you post something – wait, you are actually using and posting to Google+, aren’t you?!

• Always include links back to your website in every post. This increases backlinks and gives your followers some kind of “next step” to make your posts worthwhile.
• Encourage people (including your own team) to share your post from the post itself to improve your social reach.
• Of course, +1 it and prompt your readers to do the same!

All this sound like more than you have time for? Try the PuTTin’ OuT social media automation software today to make your life easier – and your social presence bigger!

Got more G+ SEO tips? Tell me about them in the comments!