So I’ve been thinking a lot about Google+ lately. I’m not happy about this. It’s a site I’ve been trying to ignore for two years now. I mean I’m barely keeping up with Twitter, and my LinkedIn page is a poor, stunted thing. Do I really need another social media site to neglect?

But last month I ran across this post.

It seems that, as a social network, Google+ is in a unique position. Why? Well, because it belongs to Google – the world’s most powerful search engine. So for writers trying to build their online presence, it's got a lot to offer.

One of Google’s goals as a search engine is to have good quality writing appear higher in search rankings than low-quality sites. Basically, Google has declared war on the content farm. In its efforts to offer better search results, Google has also given writers a method to boost their own profile. A writer whose Google+ profile is linked to their online posts will see more detailed search results popping up – results that include a profile picture and other authorship information. The photos and the extra information lend more authority to your link, which results in a greater number of clicks.

It turns out Scientific American was saying all of this a year ago. Their post on the topic provides a handy link to a tutorial on how to set up your Google+ profile so that your authorship information appears beside links to your work.

Sounds like it could pay off to invest some time in Google+. I’ll add it to my to do list. Sigh. Or maybe I’ll just go and fiddle with my LinkedIn page instead...

 

Do you use Google+? Have you found it worthwhile? Please share your experiences in the comments.