Chances are if you have been on the Google+ page of your favorite website or product, then on the site’s profile page underneath its name you have seen a little checkmark next to the site’s url. If you hover over your cursor over the checkmark it will say ‘Linked Website.’
What this essentially means is that through either Webmaster Tools or through inserting HTML code into your website, you have verified that you are indeed the owner of the website, and that your Google+ page is the official page of your website.
By verifying your Google+ page it allows your followers to know that it is the official page, and that any imitators are just unofficial fan pages. As we have seen before on all social media platforms there are a lot of dummy accounts impersonating the real product, and many times things get posted on those accounts that are inaccurate. This is another step ensuring that users are following the actual account of your website or product.
Aside from just providing credibility, verifying your site on Google+ allows you to interact with visitors on your site through Google+ on your very own website. Similar to seeing a Facebook ‘Like Box,’ on a site or ‘Follow Me on Twitter’ box, you can set up a widget on your website that allows visitors to directly access your Google+ page and start following you. Visitors will be able to see your profile images, and be given the option to add you.
This gives visitors who may not know you are on Google+ an opportunity to know that you are on the site, and that they can start following you. So just by verifying your website you can ensure that you are reaching out to your community in every way possible.
Additionally, another positive in verifying your website is that it enables your Google+ page to show up in Google searches through something called Google+ Direct Connect. What this does is that if someone searches for your website or product through Google on the right hand side of the search results your Google+ profile will appear as one of the search results. Right in Google Search users can see your profile picture, recent posts, and even contact information. There is also a follow button, so users don’t even have to visitor your Google+ page, they can just follow right from the Google Search. If you have ever used Google Search, chances are you have, you have seen that on the right side of search results there is usually a large blank space with nothing there. With Google+ Direct Connect your Google+ profile will show up, drawing a lot of attention to it. Google has stated they are still experimenting with this feature, and it does not work for all pages, but it does work for most.
Nothing is more important than making sure visitors to your site are presented with every way possible to connect with you. Verifying your site on Google+ provides credibility, allows user to connect with your page through your own site, and even increases the chances your Google+ page appears in Google Search results.
Before you can link your website you first have to sign up for Google+ which is now challenging Twitter and Facebook for total user accounts. Google+ is Google’s social media site that allows users to promote their own content and share it with their followers. With that being said while Google has all the bells and whistles of other social media sites, it also is a great way to improve your website ranking. If you’re thinking about verifying your website, contact one of our experts at Premiere Creative and give us a call at (973) 346-8100.