How to Make a Google+ Brand Page

If you’ve already tried to set up your Google+ brand page but didn’t know where to start, then we know what you have been through. Although they are one of the most successful companies in the world, the user eXperience on their social media platform leaves much to be desired. Despite this, you shouldn’t write off this useful platform for your business. Hosting 395 million monthly users, it can be a great way to connect with people, get your business noticed and share your content. Not to mention the useful ‘hangout’ video chat feature that they offer with Google+.

Before we continue, it’s important to note that a Google+ brand page is not a Google my business page. They can often be mixed up because they sound similar and people often search ‘how to set up a Google+ business page’ and get directed to Google my business page, rather than setting up a Google+ brand page.

As we know Google+ can be a little confusing, we are going to take you from the very first step of creating a Google account, to getting your business a Google+ brand page. So, without further ado, let’s get to it…

Create a Google account

The first thing that you have to do is make a Google account. This one account connects you to all of Googles features such as; Google+, Drive and Gmail. If you have a Gmail email address then you have a Google account and are ready to join Google+. If you don’t know whether you have a Google account or know you need to create one then go to Google’s Create your Google Account page. It should look something like this…

Follow this though entering your name, email address and some personal information and you’ll have yourself a Google account. Phase 1 Complete!

Join Google+

Now you have a Google account, you can join Google+. To clarify before we continue, you need to set up at personal Google+ page to then create your Google+ brand page. Don’t worry, we will get to the brand page later. For now, you need to access the applications on Google. Open up a new tab on Google chrome or go to www.google.com. In the top right hand corner you will see; Gmail, images, 9 squares, a notifications bell and your Google account logo. The 9 small squares are your applications. For a clearer picture look below…

Click on the 9 small squares to open your application drop down box and select Google+. You will be directed to the Google+ plus dashboard. On the left hand side there will be an option to ‘Join Google+’. Click it and follow through Google’s wizard entering your name, gender and you can also add a profile picture too. If you don’t have one to hand, it’s okay, you can edit your profile later which leads us nicely to our next point.

Quick tips for your personal Google+ profile

As this post is about your Google+ business brand page, we won’t go into too much detail about how to optimise your personal account. But here are a few quick tips to bear in mind and get you started;

Profile Photo – We recommend that where possible you keep your profile photo consistent across your social media accounts. This is important for ease of recognition and allowing people to get familiar with your brand. Saying that, this is your personal account. Your profile photo could be a picture of yourself to make it more personal. It’s often good to put a face to your business as it means people will find it easier to make a connection with you.

Cover Photo – Your cover photo, which appears at the top of your Google+ page, is a great way to personalise your page and engage visitors. It’s much larger than your profile picture so use something striking and related to you and/or your business.

Tagline – Your tagline appears underneath your profile photo and cover photo. It should be a small explanation of who you are and why people should know you and your business. Use keywords related to your industry in your tagline to improve your findability.

There you have it. Your Google+ page is active and you have started to optimise it. Phase 2 complete! From this you can create your business brand page…

Creating your business brand page

Finding where to make a brand page is far from obvious. On your Google+ page in the bottom left corner in small print you will see ‘Brands’. Click it and it will bring you to a page where you can create your brand page. Alternatively for ease, click this link plus.google.com/brand. Below is the small print to look out for on your Google+ page dashboard.

Whether you have clicked ‘brands’ on your dashboard or gone through the link above, click on the ‘Create Google+ Page’ button to begin making your brand page. Enter your business name and create.

Next, you have to enable Google+ for your brand so people can find your brand when they search for you. It also means you can post, comment, +1, and share from your brand page independently rather than through your personal Google+ account.

We’ve made it! The moment you enable Google+ for your brand you have your business page. Well, you have the blank canvas that will be your business brand page…

Follow our tips below to ensure you have everything you need to make your brand page stand out and gain traffic.

Optimise your Google+ brand page

As you now have an ‘empty’ brand page, you need to add visuals and information about your brand. This is a similar process to editing your personal profile which we touched on before. However, we will give more you of a detailed explanation about optimising your brand page below.

Begin to edit your brand page with 2 clicks.

This will bring you to an edit profile pop-up page. From this you can add your profile picture (if you haven’t already got one), your cover photo and your tagline. We advise that using your brand logo for your profile picture is the way to go on your brand page. This means your brand is strong and easily recognisable for your users. To add more detail to your brand page, click manage page on the edit profile pop-up.

Once you have clicked manage page you will have the option to add contact information, sites, and your story. To do this, click the pink ‘+’

Contact Information – Now, this may sound too obvious to mention but this is our simple guide… You should add your contact information to your brand page so that people interested in your business can get in touch. In this section you can add your phone number, e-mail address, chat and address. Address is especially important if your business has a physical shop so people know your location.

Sites – Simply copy your URL into the website section to add your business website to your brand page. This is important as it creates an inbound link to hopefully create traffic to your website where you can then make sales. You should build your pages link section. Add links that are important to your business. Along with your website, include your blog if you have one, other social media platforms and any page you want to direct traffic to. Keep it related to your business or industry.

Story – This section involves two parts; your tagline and your introduction. Your tagline should be short and snappy, your introduction on the other hand should have a bit more too it. The section is called ‘story’ so tell people your story, who you are and what you’re about. If your story is lacking people will assume your business doesn’t have much to offer. Make it interesting and relevant to your business to get that all important follow!

Phase 3 complete! You’ve set up your Google+ brand page for your business and you’re ready to start posting and interacting with content. We hope you have found this post useful, not only in setting up your Google+ brand page but clarifying that there is a difference between a Google+ brand page and a Google my business page! Now you have a Google+ brand page, why not set up a Google my business page too?