It has been a week since I created a Google+ “Community”, and I’ve been getting lots of positive feedback, and lots of new visitors to my blog because of it.  

When the community page came out on Google+ I immediately jumped on it through sheer intuition.  I do believe that if you have a presence on Google+ it will improve your rank in it’s search engine.  If we post good content in Google+ communities, and create authentic conversation, our social status will become a great asset, given the new Google algorithm, and it’s decided movement toward social proof and relationships.

Now, my blog has ranked pretty high for a while now, mainly because I write good content and have a great engagement from my readers.  I do have a pretty strong organic backlink bank, but have never done anything paid or contrived to add backlinks to those that have been naturally seeded.

Since Google made drastic changes in their ranking algorithm this year, their SEO bots have been looking for more grass roots social interaction.  So, it only made sense for me to put my feet on the ground in their new G+ Communities.

How can Google+ Community pages benefit you?

The more you share on this platform, the more authentic relationships you will be building.  Additionally, the more engagement you generate in your Community, the more organic and social the G+ backlinks to your blog will be.

Using communities will give you a better way to brand yourself.  As you do, you will more easily drive traffic through your G+ Community, and on to your target blog or website.

This is not just traffic, it is highly targeted traffic for you (ie., people who are sincerely interested in what you’re doing online), and it’s ideal traffic for the new social component that Google has integrated into it’s search algorithm.

Are There Different Types of Google+ Communities?

Yes.  There are both Private and Public Communities.

So far, in the very short time that these communities have existed, I’ve noticed that lots of folks are quick to jump on the bandwagon.  Before you take that leap, think of what you want to accomplish.

PRIVATE COMMUNITIES
You can create a private community to be more selective about the number of people you want to join, and can exert more control over what sort of sharing and dialogue you want.  This gives you the ability, for instance, to seek and approve only content relevant to the theme of your G+ Community.  Think about that for a moment.  In one week, the folks I invited to join my G+ Community have been abuzz in conversations and blog posts related to my chosen theme.  Honestly,  I have rarely seen such quick response, sincere enthusiasm and focused activity.

Private communities can be controlled.  Less is more in my books, so you see I prefer a private community focused on one thing!  I find you can accomplish more direction and focus with a few like-minded people, than you could by just building a huge membership of people with a wide variety of interests and agendas.

PUBLIC COMMUNITIES
I’ve seen numbers here go from 20 to the hundreds in a matter of days.  I joined one and jumped out quickly.  If it is all about relationships and sharing things socially, I found it almost impossible to keep up with the roll.  

I kept scrolling down like a mad woman trying to choose people to get to know.  

To me, the public communities are not close knit and end up like a poorly monitored, open Facebook group.  You know, you must have seen those large groups where people drop their messages and links, then run on to the next one.

The numbers game never works for me!  I’d far rather have good content and deep conversation.

To me, Public G+ Communities are like McDonalds drive-through, as opposed to a Private community that is like sitting in a cozy nook of a romantic, dimly lit restaurant, with linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, fine wine and great food.  Which one is more enjoyable to you?

G+ Community Accessories

Another great thing about using G+ Communities is that your group can meet on a Google+ Hangout.  Have you ever hung out?  I do every week with a few of the best bloggers I know.  Not only do we sit and share ideas and learn from one another, but we have a great time.

This brings us closer as friends.  And the closer you get with people, the more you can help your business grow.  When we get together on a Hangout, we not only talk strategy and share our experiences of the week, but we give each other constructive criticism.  It also gives us an intimate opportunity to learn different social media and blogging techniques that each of us brings to the table.

Don’t overlook Google+ Events, too.   It’s an excellent way to promote your newest endeavor, and you can even interface it via Facebook, Twitter or your blog!  Ready to drive folks to your webinar, ebook or product release “open house”?  You can create an event and have your buddies help out by syndicating your invitation.  Of course, you do the same for them in return.  

Reciprocity is the key when it comes to business.  If you go-give, it will come back three-fold!  Google+ gives you a great platform for doing just that.

So what do you think?  I would really like to know if you’re interested in creating your own Google+ Community… and why.

Thanks,
Donna

• Bio
• Blogging Magic

Donna Merrill

Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.