Can Google+ Communities Really Boost Your SEO?

So I have to ask you a question – are you participating in Google+ Communities yet? Have you started your own? I know – it just seems like one more place to be, right? But in all honesty, it's so much more than that; I could easily write an eBook about the many reasons you need to be using Google+ and all of its features to boost your business. (Hm…maybe I should think about doing that!) And that includes Google+ Communities in a big way! Now there are a lot of people-oriented reasons to use Google+ Communities. By that, I mean that people will see you as a thought leader in your niche, you'll network with some great people, and you'll keep learning and growing in your field But – there's a whole different side to Google+ Communities that affects whether people even find your articles and information, and if you know anything about my blog, you might have guessed that I mean your search engine optimization or SEO. Using Google+ Communities can provide a huge boost to your SEO, and here's how.

Yes, Google+ Communities Really Can Boost Your SEO!

1.Google indexes public Google+ Communities If you've been doing SEO for any length of time, you'll know that getting indexed by Google as many legitimate ways as possible helps to boost your SEO. If you are involved in your own or other public communities on Google+, Google will increasingly see you as an authority in your field, and your position in a search engine results page or SERP will benefit as a result. 2.Networking leads to inbound and outbound links The more you network with people in your niche via Google+ Communities, the more you'll likely end up reading other peoples' blogs and having people in your niche read your blog. As you comment on each others' well-written blogs in ways that contribute to the conversation, you'll start creating a very rich set of links between others' blogs and yours. Both inbound and outbound links are important signals to Google (the search engine side) that your site is relevant and authoritative in its niche. (Relevant means it's about what you say it's about; authoritative means that people can trust your information.) The more your site is seen by Google as being authoritative and relevant, the higher you'll appear in SERPs. 3.Boost knowledge of your brand Active involvement in your Google+ communities will begin to boost people's knowledge of your products and services (not to mention their knowledge of you as an expert in your field). As you become seen as an authority in your niche, people are going to naturally recommend others to you and post your company as the "answer' to someone's problem when they see questions about your niche in online forums. All of these things naturally boost your SEO when people are referring their friends to your company to provide the products or services you need. Are you active in a Google+ Community? Come hang out at my Google+ community – I'd love to see you there! I want to know what you think of Google communities and if you have one or have joined one. Leave me a comment and share your thoughts.