Eversince Google+ started, businesses have always wanted to be part of it. In July, Google closed any account that has been verified as a business. Fortunately, earlier this month Google+ Pages welcomed in businesses & brands to use the Google+ social network.  An amazing addition is that Google+ branded pages are appearing in search results.
People + pages, better togetherÂ
Google+ has always been a place for real-life sharing, and Google+ Pages is no exception. After all: behind every page (or storefront, or four-door sedan) is a passionate group of individuals, and we think you should able to connect with them too.
For you and me, this means we can now hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our wardrobe with a favorite clothing line, or follow a band on tour. Google+ pages give life to everything we find in the real world. And by adding them to circles, we can create lasting bonds with the pages (and people) that matter most.
For businesses and brands, Google+ pages help you connect with the customers and fans who love you. Not only can they recommend you with a +1, or add you to a circle to listen long-term. They can actually spend time with your team, face-to-face-to-face. All you need to do is start sharing, and you’ll soon find the super fans and loyal customers that want to say hello.
A number of pages are already available and to create your own Google+ Page for your business, go to the Create A Page and choose which category you belong.
- Local Business or Place
- Product or Brand
- Company, Institution or Organization
- Arts, Entertainment or Sports
- Other
According to Google, if you create a page for a local business, you have special options.
Local Google+ pages are unique from other categories of pages because they have features that allow customers to easily connect with that business’s physical location. For example, local pages include a map of the business’s location and feature its address, phone number, and hours of operation.
Just like how vanity or branded URLs are in Facebook, you can also have them in Google+ page, so be sure you can secure and use your real business name.
In addition, business pages will have an overall Google +1 count that shows on the profile page in which people can also +1 the page.
Direct Connect from Google search
People search on Google billions of times a day, and very often, they’re looking for businesses and brands. Today’s launch of Google+ Pages can help people transform their queries into meaningful connections, so we’re rolling out two ways to add pages to circles from Google search. The first is by including Google+ pages in search results, and the second is a new feature called Direct Connect.
Maybe you’re watching a movie trailer, or you just heard that your favorite band is coming to town. In both cases you want to connect with them right now, and Direct Connect makes it easy—even automatic. Just go to Google and search for [+], followed by the page you’re interested in (like +Angry Birds). We’ll take you to their Google+ page, and if you want, we’ll add them to your circles.
*You can add a brand to circles directly from a search result page with Direct Connect.
It will be exciting to watch how traffic is going to go between the big social networks and the integration with Google Analytics, but whatever the case may be, our  focus is developing the marketing and brand using the content we have and the tools Google provides.
