Google Plus Business Pages

Now that Google has finally enabled pages for businesses and organizations on Google+ there is a virtual stampede to get those pages up. Before you rush off and do that though, there are a few things to consider. We are by no means saying not to put up a page, just be aware of these three restraints before you hit the create button.

First, realize that your Google+ page will not have a recognizable URL. Instead of the pretty URL like Facebook gives you (after a certain number of “likes”), you will have something like https://plus.google.com/b/117917786821926763293. In addition, there can be multiple pages with the same company or organization name. What this means is that there actually is no big rush because no one can sit on your name. Unlike a dot-com name where only one can exist, there really is no limit to the number of “Acme Company” pages that might exist. The real downside to this is that it is going to create confusion when Google+ users are looking for you – how will they know which page is really you? To deal with this, when you create your page, make sure that you brand it consistently with your company, that you put in your one true company URL and that you provide lots of clues, like location and 10 word tagline, as to who you are. This will help searchers quickly spot you by logo, by location or tagline.

Second, the ownership and management of a Google+ page can not be transferred from the person who originally created it. At this time, it cannot even be shared. Until Google changes this it is extremely important to consider who creates the page. You will want a generic company email tied to the page. If you have a marketing firm create the page with their email, and then you part ways with that firm, the page would legally be theirs. The same would be true if it was created by an employee with their own email and then they were fired. So be careful.

Finally, a company page can not circle or follow, or even tag or mention, a person until that person has included them in a circle. This is to keep companies from spamming people. You will need to get people to follow your company by promoting your page through your website and emails and by personal recommendation within personal Google+ circles.

There are obviously many more things to consider when setting up your page for your business or organization, and this will be a constantly changing and evolving platform. We will do our best here at DesignTechWeb to keep you up to date and let you know about important developments. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions and let us know where we can help.