Google+ for Real Estate Agents: A Beginner’s Guide

Have you joined Google+ yet? Joining Google+ is great for SEO. Since Google+ is run by Google, almost everything you add is immediately indexed into search results, meaning that your blog posts, neighborhood videos and client interviews become searchable more quickly.

Today we've compiled 8 easy steps that will help you get started on Google+. Spend just an hour getting your profile up to speed, and you'll be a G+ mover and shaker before you know it!

1. Complete Your Profile: You wouldn't go out half-dressed would you? Well you shouldn't put a half-completed profile out there in social media either. It's simply unprofessional. Taking just 10 minutes to complete the 'about' section of your Google+ profile will show prospects, business associates and Google that you're a serious and thorough agent. Be sure to include a good headshot and a high resolution cover photo, perhaps of a listing, your logo, or something you love in your local community.

2. Add Authorship: If you haven't done so already to enter our contest, click here for step-by-step instructions explaining how to add authorship to your Google+ profile. Why would you want to add authorship? Because it helps index your content and adds your image to search results, something that's been shown to result in higher click through rates.

3. Expand Your Circles: In Google-ese, a 'circle' is a collection of contacts grouped together based on how you think of them in real life. Create different circles for different types of connections, like friends, family, buyers, sellers, coworkers, vendors and so forth. You can choose what information each group sees and target your posts accordingly. Got some great home staging tips? Share it with your sellers circle to avoid pestering friends and family with posts they might consider irrelevant.

4. Hit +1: Start building rapport by finding content that you like and clicking the +1 button at the bottom of the post. +1 is similar to a 'like' on Facebook and let's the person who shared it know that you appreciate their contribution.

5. Share Others' Content: Share content posted by people in your circles by clicking the little arrow button at the bottom of each post. This is called content curation. By curating content and sharing it strategically, you are accomplishing two things: you are showing the author that you value their contributions to Google+ and you are establishing yourself as a knowledgable expert in your field, who is keeping up to date using social media. You are also helping others discover posts that might be helpful to them. So we guess that's really 3 accomplishments achieved with one little click!

6. Share Your Own Content: If you are publishing content on your website or blog, share it with your circles on Google+. Because you have been so good about +1ing and sharing with your friends and associates, they will be likely to do the same for you.

7. Join Communities: Communities are a great way to make new connections and network with other Google+ users in your industry or in your neighborhood.

8. Check In Frequently: Don't just set it up and forget it. To get the most engagement out of Google+, you should be checking in at least once a week.

Looking for more Google+ for real estate resources? Here are some great articles that will take you from beginner to expert, in no time flat:

• Google Plus for Realtors®: Who Needs It? You Do! by Mark Traphagen on the Maximum Exposure Real Estate blog
• Google+ for Real Estate: How to Get Into the Game by Rebekah Radice on the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate blog
• Google+ Hangouts for Real Estate Agents by Sarah Hill on the Planwise blog

Wondering what not to do on Google+? We were, too. Click here to read about 5 Google+ faux pas on the GeekEstate blog. And finally, follow us on Google+ and we'll add you back. We love keeping up with our readers!

How do you use Google+ for your real estate business? We're ready to add to our list of tips!

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.