Google+ Overview

Google+ is a social networking site developed by Google that debuted in 2011. Both individuals and businesses can develop presences on Google+.

Anyone with a free Google account can create a Google+ profile. Once you've created your profile, you can find people to connect with and add them to your network. You can publish updates and images, share links, comment on other people's updates, and more. If you own a business or brand, you can create a Google+ Page for it.

Google+ includes a number of features and terms that are unique to the site. Following are some definitions to help you understand how to use Google+:

Circles: Circles are categorized groups of people that you create from your Google+ connections. For example, you can create a circle of your colleagues, a circle of your family members, a circle of your friends, and so on. As you connect with people on Google+, you can place them into the circle (or circles) of your choosing. Then you can share your updates and posts with your entire Google+ network of connections or just with specific circles, which makes it easy to target your messages to specific audiences.

Hangouts: Hangouts are group video chats that can be held between up to 10 Google+ members. For example, you can use the hangout feature to have a virtual meeting or a chat among friends or family.

Huddles: Huddles are group text chats that are held among Google+ members. For example, you can have real-time, private text conversations with other Google+ members rather than using a separate instant messaging service, email, or telephone.

Sparks: Sparks are keywords related to specific topics that you want to keep track of on Google+. For example, you can use a spark to keep tabs on conversations related to your business or keywords related to your business. You can also use a spark to share content about a specific keyword with your Google+ connections or discuss content with the members of specific Google+ circles that you've created.

Google+ for Blog Promotion

Google+ works well to drive traffic to your blog because it allows you to connect with your target audience and share links to your useful blog content. You can target specific types of content to specific people by placing them in circles, so they only see updates from you that are likely to be interesting and meaningful to them.

You can also use Google+ to build relationships with people, demonstrate your expertise, and develop your reputation as an expert in your field and in your blog's subject matter. Don't forget to connect with online influencers on Google+ who already have the eyes and ears of your target audience. Google+ is a great place to get on their radar screens and build relationships with them, too.

Learn 10 ways to get blog traffic from Google+.

Bottom-line

Google+ is owned by a powerful online brand which also owns the most popular search engine. It's safe to assume that in time Google will use information from Google+ activities in its search results rankings in some way. Therefore, it makes sense for bloggers to create personal Google+ profiles and circles dedicated to their blog audience. Furthermore, if your blog is a brand or a business, you should consider creating a Google+ Page for it.

Regardless of how Google+ will affect search rankings in the future, it's one more place where you can share your content and converse with people who might be interested in your blog topic and the information you publish.