5 Steps to Optimize Your Org's Google+ Page

Editor’s Note: This is Gisele Navarro Mendez‘s last installment of her series helping you optimize your nonprofit’s social profiles for SEO. Check it out her posts on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Optimize your Google+ Page About section (title and description)

Your nonprofit’s name in the “page name” field will be the title shown in search results, and your meta description will be a combination of your tagline and introduction. Your Google+ Page introduction should be descriptive and it has to be optimized for your primary keywords, but don’t over do it!

>> Pro Tip: You can use rich text formatting (italics, bold, bulleted lists) and include links to your site hyperlinking your keywords.

2. Link the Google+ Page to your website to “verify” the account

Link your site to your Google Plus page using the Google Plus badge, or by adding the following HTML code on the header of your website:

<link href=”https://plus.google.com/YourGoogle+IDNumberGoesHere” ” rel=”publisher”/>

>> Pro Tip: Implement Google Authorship markup to attribute the content on your blog to the corresponding author. By showing the author’s picture and name (linked to their Google+ profile) on search, these Author Rich Snippets will help you get earn more links and improve your site’s search trust, while building a reputation for your writers.

3. Maximize your +1s

If you have added the Google Plus Badge to your website, then you already have a +1 button for your homepage. If you decided not to include a badge, you can add a standalone +1 button into your homepage and on any other internal pages you think will earn you +1s. Last but not least, you will also want to include a button on your blog posts.

4. Add links to your other social media profiles

Google Plus allows you to create a list of recommended links, so this is your opportunity to connect people to your blog as well as to your other social profiles such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

>> Pro Tip: To promote your Google+ Page, contact the people who have followed you on Twitter, and liked you on Facebook. They might also be interested in adding you to their Google+ circles, so invite them to connect on Google+.

5. Keep it active

As we’ve said on SEO 101 for nonprofits, Google loves fresh content. Updating your Google+ Page with new content on a regular basis will increase your profile’s visibility in the search engine rankings.

Optimizing the social profiles of your nonprofit will improve their visibility within search engine results as well as inside each social platform. The relationship between social media and SEO is stronger than ever, so it’s time to step up your game!

Do you think the above tips are useful? Are there other SEO related topics you would like me to address?