Last Monday, I attended the Dallas-Fort Worth Social Media Marketing Meetup. Giovanni Galucci (@Giovanni on Twitter) was speaking on Google Plus. Anytime you can hear this guy speak, it will always be good. He is a wealth of knowledge, but is also very entertaining. The other thing I like is that he speaks from experience, and not just what everyone is saying. He shares his techniques and tactics that he’s learned, and not just things that other people have said.
I also was interested in hearing what he had to say, because he wasn’t speaking on whether or not you SHOULD be using Google Plus, and how you should be testing the waters; He was speaking on why Google Plus was a bona fide product, why it is here to stay, and how he, in only a few weeks, has learned to optimize the network and has used it to re-brand himself.
The main things I took away from Giovanni regarding Google Plus was that with “Circles”, which are the bread and butter of the social network, we are creating a keyword-rich relationship database for Google. For instance, Giovanni ranks number 3 organically for “social media expert”. If multiple people circle Giovanni in a “social media expert” circle, that may signal Google that Giovanni is a social media expert, and if someone is searching for one of those in Dallas, he may be pushed to the top of the results. Likewise, if Giovanni is circled under similar terms, say “marketing guru” or “digital media king”, that MAY let Google know that “Social Media Expert” and “marketing guru” and “digital media king” are all somewhat interchangeable. Therefore, it is all the more important to optimize your profile to be found in Searches.
He also informed us that one of the reasons why Google Plus was built was that over 70% of the information within Facebook is closed off to search engines; by building a system that is more open, Google Plus can build a huge social database.
Giovanni later shared that, while he still wants to be known as a “social media guru” he is also very interested in photography; he would like to grow his photography business, and to start ranking organically for that. One of the main ways he is using Google Plus is to start ranking organically for Photography. He’s doing this almost exclusively through EXIF and Meta Content hidden within pictures.
He said that if you do anything related for photography, photographing events, or anything like that, it is ESSENTIAL that you have an EYE FI card. It has allowed him to own searches for certain events before local news outlets can. Even with sporting events, he can own searches for a Texas Rangers game before the first inning is over.
This, he said, is why meta data is so important for Google. Some don’t want to optimize their content for keywords; they’re afraid that their readers will catch on and become angry. Giovanni then explained that that is what is perfect about the Meta data within photos; it’s something that the reader can’t necessarily see, but search engines can, and it a great option. He also made the point that if you’re not doing it, other people might be, and may be stealing your rankings to beat you.
Another tip that Giovanni gave us, which I found the most interesting was that, while some people prefer to have private profiles, it’s better to have a public profile; It’s better to GIVE Google your information up front, so at least it is correct, than to hide it from them, and force them to piece it together.
All in all, I gained a TON of information from Giovanni regarding Google Plus, and how I can use it in the future, and incorporate it into my social media routine.
Giovanni is everywhere; here’s Giovanni Gallucci’s website, his social media and photography blog, his twitter profile, and last but not least, Giovanni’s Google Plus Profile.
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