Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
What is the Value of Embedding a G+ Post on Your Blog? Is there a Local Search Use Case?
Google+ has recently implemented the ability for a Google + post to be embedded on a page with comments on a different domain. It is simmple to implement requiring a small snippet of javascript (<script type=”text/javascript” src=”https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js”></script>) be embedded in your header and then simply copy the embed code from the post at + and embed it on your page.
The question is: what are the implications of this for local marketing? Will the post get more pages views and thus rise in Google search? Will it drive traffic to Google and away from your site? Or it will allow for more engagement on your site and the opportunity to both track and convert clients?
Yesterday I posted my Web Equity Infographic there and it generated a fair bit of conversation so I am embedding it here as an example and trying to wrap my head around the importance of this.
What will the search implications be of replicating here? Your thoughts?
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Comments
9 Comments
I hadn’t even noticed that one could embed a post. Thanks, Mike.
Seems to me that just embedding a post wouldn’t drive much engagement (e.g. +1s, comments, etc.), unless and until more people recognize exactly what they’re looking at. The first time I saw your embedded post, I thought it was a screenshot. It looks static. That’s not a knock on your post, obviously; either Google will need to make the embed code include something to make the post “pop,” or the person embedding it will need to call attention to the post and let the reader/visitor what to do.
Until embedded posts look more “alive,” I don’t see many implications for search – or wide use in the first place.
Yes its very static… even if they just showed the last 43 or 4 comments and the scroll bar you might get the idea.
Obviously for a blogger it makes it easier to talk about a conversation.. that makes sense to me.
But I have trouble envisioning a way for an SMB to use it… but maybe someone will think of one and suggest it.
Yeah, for most SMBs the embedding seems like a dead end. Inherently, it’s kind of a problem if all your good content is on your G+ page and less is on your site, to the point that you’re orienting your site toward your G+ page rather than the other way around. Sure, an embedded post might be handy on occasion, but for everyday use? Not seeing it.
@Phil
I wonder what signals embedding sends to Google and what influence those signals have on ranking of the original G+ post in the organic serps.
I am struggling to see the use case as well, but my guess would be something similar to how and why Youtube videos get embedded. Instead of “hey, I saw this great video and you should watch it,” more like “here’s a great conversation about x” and we should all jump in and join it.
@Daniel
Yes that seems to be the use case. Although a similar (but different) situation is that Google now allows live Hangouts to be embedded as well. When you are done, it seems to leave a video of the event. Now that has content value that should have broader appeal than this.
I suppose there are times, like I do with the occasional tweet, where I would embed something as a reference or as a credit to the original poster as well. But as for a local use case, unless there is some search value, hard to see it going anywhere.
I wrote a blog on this recently. The title sums is up decently, “Embed Google+ Posts for White Hat SEO AuthorRank Boost”.
Once you reach a certain threshold of engagement on Google+, posting on embedding engaging posts on web pages can maximize potential engagement. This is speculative and assuming AuthorRank will be real and Google+ engagement will be part of the algorithm.
http://www.jamesfgibbons.com/embed-google-posts/
@James
Thanks for the link
So it has the potential of increasing 1+.
That doesn’t strike me as a particularly strong benefit at this point. You are assuming that it will play a significant role in agent or author rank but reshares and who is circling you might far outshadow pluses in that regard. I suppose it might incent someone to follow me although I do that in my sidebar next to every post.
I am finding it hard to get too excited about it except as a way to highlight a post here that I might want to talk about. Do you see a specific use case in local?
This is speculative. There may still be opportunities for circles and reshares within embedded posts (assuming some users are signed in via their Google).
In terms of a use case, embedding posts can be easy content pieces for blogs; embed a few related posts, write brief commentary, and ask for discussion.
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