Monday, July 22, 2013

Why You Need a Google Plus Profile and What it Should Say About You

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I know, you already feel guilty about your LinkedIn profile page which grades out as a C minus. But Google+ is getting to be a big deal, and like it your not your Google+ profile is appearing in search results when someone Googles you. What does yours Google+ profile say about you?

Google+ is not only gaining on Facebook in number of users, but it’s quite a bit more professional than Facebook in who is using it among the people I know.

Google+ also impacts your online influence. That’s important for bloggers who want to to see their blog posts appear higher in search and to see their picture next to their blog posts in search results — much more likely to get clicked on.

Google+ offers you the opportunity to make a name for yourself. Here’s all you you need to complete for your profile.

  • My story. Placed first, Google+ wants the world to know your tagline, intro, and bragging rights.
  • Contact info. Knowing Google could be where you get everyone’s contact info, what’s your office and home address, cell and direct phones, and work and personal email addresses? It’s not about you as a lawyer, it’s about clients, prospective clients, business associates, bloggers, and the mainstream media – make it easy for them to get a hold of you.
  • People. Who are in your circles? Motley or impressive crew? Or maybe no one.
  • Work. What do you do? What have you done? Is your track record a credible one?
  • Places. Where have you lived? Displayed on a world map, it”ll show if you’ve been around the corner.
  • Other Profiles. Google’s not shy, nor worried about competition. Get all of your other social networking and media profiles listed and linkedIn to. Google+ could become our home base — or at least where people search for our social profiles.
  • Links. Why not have links to your law firm, blog, and other sites?
  • Basic Information. Gender, birthdate, relationship status, and the like which other social networks offer.
I used to use Google+ solely to cover my ass. Google is as big as they come in search and I didn’t want to come up short when social influence became big in determining how my content and I got found on Google — like it is now.

I am now seeing the true value of Google+ for a profile and for sharing info, pictures, and commentary. With that and when people search for me or the subjects I blog about, I want people to see who I am, to see my social network, and to be able to get a hold of me — all that through my Google+ profile.

Take some time and complete your profile. Try Google+ as well. It’ll be worth your while.
-Kevin O'Keefe

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