In this easy tutorial I show you how to create a Google+ page for your blog.. If you’ve relegated setting up a Google+ profile and page to the too hard basket, then it’s time to rethink it. Google is building Google+ social networking features and tools into almost all of its existing online services from Search to Documents to Video (YouTube). Millions of people use Google’s free services, and with Google+ integrated into them it makes sense to utilise all the features to increase your online presence.
How to set up a Google+ page
First you need to set up a personal profile on Google+. Once you have done that click on the home button which will bring up your stream. On the right hand side click on ‘Create a Google+ page’.
Click on the category you want your page in, then complete the details to set it up.
Once you’ve set up your page, you access it through your personal Google+ profile. Click on “More” on the left hand menu, then pages.
Managing your settings
Click on your page name on the top right of the page. Click on “Page Settings” and go through all your settings and change where necessary.
You can also set up another manager for your page. Manager’s can do everything the page owner can do except delete the page or transfer ownership.
Adding people to your circles
Unfortunately you can’t add a person to your page’s circles unless they have already added your page to their circles. Start by telling people in your personal circles using the “Spread the word” option (on the right hand side) on your page’s stream.
To see who has added your page, go to the “Circles” tab and click on “People who’ve added you.” You can now add these people into your circles.
Verifying your Google+ page and getting a badge for your website
As a verified page, you should get preference in Google and Google+ search results, and you’ll also qualify for Direct Connect when it rolls out. (Direct Connect allows searchers on Google to go straight to your Google+ brand page by entering a “+” in front of your brand name.)
Firstly you need to make sure you have a link to your website on your Google+ page. Go to Edit Profile and either put it in the website details, or use the recommended links tab.
Then you need to link your website to Google+. Click the Home button on your page. Then click the gear icon on the top right side of your feed. On Click on “Get Started” and then click on “Get the badge” under “Connect your Website”.
The first code snippet goes in the header section of the main page (between the <head>and </head> tags). The second goes where you want the badge to appear on your website, such as in a sidebar widget.
If you have a WordPress site, go to Editor in the Appearance section of your Dashboard, and edit header.php. If you’re on Blogger, go to the Design tab and click the Edit HTML sub-tab. Place the header code anywhere in the top part of the template, before the </header> tag.
Recommended links
Don’t just use this for your website. You can put links to top pages on your website and other online presences like Facebook etc.
