Earlier today Google’s new Search Plus Your World (SPYW) disappeared from my Chrome browser for several hours. It was back to what looked like “Google Classic.” After a browser restart a few minutes ago SPYW was back…but something had changed.

Suspecting that the “downtime” might have been Google installing an algorithm change, I did the now classic “proof search” for SPYW: “music.” Until today, this search returned Britney Spears as the top result in the “People and Pages on Google+” box for all users.

Results before today - Searchengineland.com

Also, Britney’s Google+ profile was near the top of page 1 of the actual results when searching for her name. This result was roundly criticized by many tech bloggers as delivering less-than-relevant results, as Britney has far larger followings (and posts more often) on other networks, such as Twitter.

Where’s the Britney?

But now a search for “music” gives me the “People and Pages” box shown below.

Three more obscure musicians, certainly less famous than Britney. Each of them has a large six-digit following, but perhaps more important: each of them posts more recently and more frequently than does Britney.

Could Google SPYW be moving toward more real relevance?

Hello, Twitter!

So next I searched “Britney Spears.” First result is her personal web site (as it should be). Second is her Wikipedia page. Following that area number of popular YouTube videos. But most significantly, the first social media result is Twitter, and her Google+ profile isn’t even on the first page!

Other users I asked on Google+ are seeing the same sort of changes today. This looks like a major response to one of the most strident criticisms of the new Google search.

So you’ve followed the sage advice of savvy social media experts like Neal Schaffer, telling you why you need to have your business on Google+, and you’ve created a business page for your brand.

Now what?

Obviously (I hope it’s obvious!) the worst thing you could do is just let your page sit idle. So let’s set some priorities and get to work making your page effective. The recent announcement by Google that G+ is now heavily integrated into Google search makes it all the more important that you optimize your page and start your involvement on Google+. G+ is still young, but it’s growing rapidly. Early adopters of any new social media outlet gain significant advantages over the competition, and it’s not too late to claim that space in Google+.

Read more >>>

1. How to Get Yourself Featured in New Google Search plus Your World Personalized Search

2. How to Show Your Google+ Profile Photo in Google Search Results

3. How to Add Administrators to Your Google+ Business Page 

4. How to Verify Your Google+ Brand Page with Google 

5. How to Use Google+ Ripples to Increase Your Social Capital 

6. Complete Guide to Optimizing Your Google+ Brand Page (featured by Guy Kawasaki in his “Mega-list of how-to guides for Google+ brand pages” )

7. How to Use the Post from Google+ Search Feature – Start a conversation around a set of search results

Here’s how it works on a breaking news item (about the Costa Concordia, a luxury liner that ran aground off Italy):

Now at the top of any Google+ search for posts from Google+, you’ll see a “Join the discussion about [search term]” box (arrow). Notice also the Pause button (red  rectangle), handy for breaking news because the search stream updates in real time.

Click in the “Join the discussion” box and you get the familiar Google+ sharing box. Notice it has all the familiar features: add photos or videos, a link, or a location. Just as usual, select the circles you want to share with and click “Share.”

Your post is posted to the circle(s) you selected…but it also is inserted into the search stream where anyone who does that same search and is in the circles you chose (or everyone, if you made it public), can find it there. Anyone who can see the post can comment on it, not only in your stream, but also right in the search stream! There is also a convenient link in the post to the search stream from which you shared it.

For right now, the most useful aspect of this new feature is the convenience of posting to your circles about a topic you’re searching without having to leave the search stream. Imagine how this might be for a true breaking news story. You go to the search stream for the story, create a “Join the discussion” post, share it with your friends, and then watch as the discussion builds, while you are keeping an eye on the real-time flow of posts in the search stream.

Try that on Twitter!

Almost all of the focus has (naturally) been on the heavy Google+ presence in the new personal search. But what many might be missing is that Google+ was already having a strong influence on the “pure” Google results…and it still is.

Here’s an example that just happened to me today.

This morning I put on Google+ a post titled “All My Google+ Guides in One Post.” A short while later it was shared by Google+ user +Denis Labelle, resulting in at least 56 known re-shares (see the “ripples” of that post). Denis Labelle is followed (“circled” in Google+ parlance) by 37,820 people, and is ranked 498th of all Google+ users by circlecount.com.

At 4:30 this afternoon, here’s what the Google results for “google+ guides” looked like for me, logged in to Google+ and in the personal search view:

Google Results in Personal Search

You can see that Denis’s post sharing my post is in the #2 position.

But next I searched the same phrase (“google+ guides”) in a different browser, not logged in to Google. And this is what I got:

Google Results Not Logged in to Google.

Notice that Denis’s post from Google+ is still in the #2 position (the top item is an ad).

Conclusion: Google+ has a lot of oomph in Google search results, even with the new personal search turned off. If you are a content producer and are on Google+, and you’ve been following my guidelines, and you’ve been building a good network that includes powerful influencers like Denis Labelle, you already know that Google+ needs to be a major part of your SEO and marketing strategy now!

—————

Want to take advantage of the new social-SEO revolution? Virante , already a leader in the SEO industry, is uniquely positioned to enable you to do so. We’ve been on Google+ since it’s first week, and we’ve been intensely testing and studying the best methods to get your business noticed, on Google+, search, and throughout the social web. Our contact info is in the sidebar. Let us know how we can help get you noticed!

For more great insights on Google+ and social media marketing in general, follow author Mark Traphagen on Google+.

The personalized results side now shows a ramped-up “social search,” pulling in more material relevant to you as based on your social relationships (as defined by your Google+ profile). The non-personalized results are more like “Google pure,” although some social material, such as public Google+ posts, will still be pulled in.

Two Sets of Search Results: What About the AdWords Ads?

So now for any given search query, there are not only two sets of search results (with a toggle button to switch between them), but two different sets of ads.

Look at this actual search. I searched for “wood stingray violin” (a really cool electric violin, by the way!). Here’s what I got on the “personal” side of the new search results:

Ad rankings with "personal" turned on

Notice that the ad for electricviolinshop.com is in the #1 position.

Now I immediately toggled over to the “non-personalized” results for the same query.

Ad ranking with personalization turned off

The ad for electricviolinshop.com is in the #2 position. It’s important to emphasize again what’s happening here: for the same search query, executed only once, ads for the same advertiser display in two different rank positions. I can’t think of any other way to look at this besides from now on, there are two ranking “auctions” executed for every one search query.

Here are the questions we’ll want answered:

1. How does this affect stats? What about things like impressions? If the searcher toggles between the two views, does each generate an impression? And what about average ad position? How is that calculated now if ads can show in different positions for the same query action?
2. How will we manage for this change? Is the AdWords management interface going to change to reflect the new search? Will there be segments available to see stats for personalized vs. non-personalized? Will we be able to bid separately on them?

I’ve put these questions to AdWords Product Manager +Jon Diorio on Google+. I’ll let you know if he gets back to me with anything.

With the introduction of the new Search plus Your World change to Google search (which more closely integrates Google+ and other social entities into Google search), Google just put chocolate in your peanut butter, bringing search and social together in a way that opens up whole new levels of opportunities for content producers.

Related People & Pages: Power to the People!

As part of the Personal side of the new Google search, Google has introduced “Related Pages and People.” For relevant topical searches, Google search will display a sidebar box labeled “People and Pages from Google+.” The box displays some active Google+ users who post frequently about the topic you’re searching. If you’re logged in to Google+, you can add them to your Circles right from the box.

Obviously, this could be huge for you if you are trying to build yourself as an authority in a topic are via your online content.

So How Do You Get Yourself Featured on Google Related People and Pages?

The great and encouraging answer is that this feature is not just for +Britney. This morning my Google+ friend +Gerwin Sturm, who is passionate about origami and posts a lot on Google+ about the topic, showed up in that featured box:

Gerwin is a great guy, but he’s no celebrity. If he did it, you can too. Obviously, it helps to be after a niche topic (good luck ousting Britney from the “music” featured box). Here’s how you can conquer your niche:

1. Fill out your Google+ profile

Make sure it is as complete as possible. Include a high quality photo of yourself, and make sure to mention your key topic interest areas in the introduction. Include links to all your other public social media presences.

2. Post about your topics

Write frequently about your central topics. Don’t spam; create useful, original content that your followers will enjoy.

3. Encourage engagement

A major factor Google’s algorithms evaluate in deciding who to put in the featured box is not only frequency and consistency of posting about the topic, but engagement by your followers. This means the more +1′s, comments, and reshares you get on those topical posts, the more “juice” you’ll have with Google to get featured.

You can’t force engagement, of course, but you can encourage and foster it. First and foremost, be interesting and helpful! But don’t shy away from calls to action. Politely invite followers to reshare, comment, and +1 if they like your stuff.

4. Build a following

There’s no way to force people to follow you, but if you consistently practice 2 and 3 above, participate in the community (comment, +1, reshare other’s posts), and make yourself indispensable on your topic, the numbers should follow. Followings can grow faster on Google+ because of how easy it is to add anyone to a circle (just by hovering over their name) and the power of things like Shared Circles.

That’s it!

Oh…and this works for Google Business Pages as well. Welcome to the new SEO!

“Google+ could change the entire way we use the Web — and drive millions of Web sites who depend on Google to change how they attract customers.” – Business Insider

“… a significant blurring of the line between the web as we know it and the web as you and your Circles of friends know it.” – Mashable

“Google’s search results are undergoing their most radical transformation ever, as a new “Search Plus Your World” format begins rolling out today.” – Search Engine Land

What’s Changed About Google Search?

I recommend reading the posts linked to the blog quotes above for details, or Google’s blog for details. But in a nutshell, the new “Search plus Your World” as Google is calling it brings Google+ content (public and/or shared with you) into your search results more strongly than before. (Did you notice the sly inclusion of “plus” in the feature name?)

The effect will be strongest for users logged in to Google+, but all users have some access to the Personal side of the new SERP. The new layout includes a toggle button that allows searchers (for the first time) to turn personalized search on or off (the off position is known now as “Global,” and will show results the way you saw them until today if you weren’t logged in to Google.

Here’s a bouncy video from Google demonstrating what Search plus Your World will do in results:

Content Creator’s Bonanza

If you create original content on the web, this update may result in the potential of much more of your content surfacing when people search for your name. This is a huge step forward in the power and importance of personal branding on the web.

With Search plus Your World in Personalized mode, when you search for a person’s name, Google will bring Google+ profiles into the results. If you’re a Google+ user, persons more closely associated with you will get priority (a real help if you follow an author named “John Smith.”)

Here’s the kicker: the results will also pull in content from around the web associated with that person. Now we know yet another reason why Google has been pushing authors to implement the rel=”author” and rel=”me” tags linked to their Google profiles. Authors who have implemented that verification will get a huge boost to their content in search results.

If you are a content generator, today’s change means that it is no longer optional for you to be on Google+, and it is no longer optional for you to have your content authorship verified with Google.

Thankfully, we have a handy guide “How to Show Your Author Photo in Google Search Results” that shows you how to enable that verification. Do it today!

I received a very nice New Year’s gift from Google this past week. I was checking search rankings for some of my more popular posts when I saw this:

Placing verified author profile photos and a linked byline in the search results is a feature Google began rolling out in the summer of 2010. Although anyone could implement the steps that would make their posts eligible for the feature, for a while it seemed to only be used for very high profile authors. Now, however, it looks to me like Google is using it more frequently. So it behooves all online writers to get their profile verified and linked to their posts.

Why Verify Your Author Profile with Google?

There are several benefits to verifying your author name and profile with Google, but among the most obvious:

• Facial images are very eye-catching. Your profile avatar next to a result from your site makes it stand out from the other search results.
• Google will promote your content over stolen versions. If you’ve been blogging for any time you’ve probably had the disconcerting experience of finding your original content wholly lifted and posted on another site, often without attribution. It’s most infuriating when the stolen post outranks your own in search results. Google wants to combat that, and their author verification tagging system ensures that they’ll give preference to your original posts.

How to Verify Your Author Profile with Google

Verifying your post authorship with Google involves placing special tags that create a three-way link between your posts, your author bio on your site, and your Google profile. The chain looks like this:

• The rel=”author” tag should be in the link between the byline in your posts and your author “about me” page.
• The rel=”me” tag should be in a link to your Google+ profile.
• There should be a link from your Google+ profile back to your site’s “about me” page.

The concept is easy to understand. The trick is how to get those tags in the right places in WordPress.

Note: If you have a single author blog, Google has now provided a simpler method to verify your authorship by verifying your email address with Google. Skip down to the heading “Simpler Method: Verify by Email” below.

Setting Up Author Verification in WordPress

Step 1: Create a Google+ Profile

…if you don’t already have one. If not:

1. Go to http://profiles.google.com and click “Create my profile”
2. Sign in with your Google account. (If you don’t have one, go to https://accounts.google.com/NewAccount)
3. Fill out your profile as completely as you like. For our purposes here, you must include a profile photo (use the same one you use on your blog). This should be a clear headshot.
4. Google recommends making the +1 page of your profile public. That page displays anything that you have publicly “+1ed” on the web. I’m not sure what this has to do with author verification, but they recommend it so I’d do it. While in edit mode on your profile, click the +1 tab and check the box “show this tab on your profile.”

Step 2: Create an Author Bio Page & Link to Your Google+ Profile

Before you do anything else, you need to make sure you have an author “about me” page on the same domain as your posts, with some important elements included. Important: make sure you’ve updated WordPress to the latest version. Older versions may not let you insert the rel tag in your author link.

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Users” > “All Users” and select your user profile.
2. Fill in any relevant fields if you haven’t already. Use your full first and last name as they appear on your Google+ Profile. The only other field important to what we’re doing here is the “Biographical Info” field.
3. In the “Biographical Info” field, in addition to whatever information about yourself you want to include, add the following using standard HTML:
• An img link to a good, clear headshot photo of you. This should be the same image used in your Google+ profile (see above).
• A link to your Google+ profile including the rel=”me” tag, with a + at the end of the anchor text. End the anchor text (the text that is displayed for the link) with a +. So if your anchor text is My Google Profile, make it My Google Profile+.

Here’s an example:

<a href=”https://profiles.google.com/Google_Profile_ID” rel=”me”>My Google Profile+</a>

Note: If you have a multi-author blog, you should use rel=”author me” in the link to your Google profile. There’s some quirk in WordPress that will get this messed up for multi-author blogs if you just use rel=”author”.

Note 2: If WordPress strips the rel=”author” tag in your link to your Google+ profile, try adding ?rel=me directly to the end of your profile URL in the link. So the above example would now look like:

<a href=”https://profiles.google.com/Google_Profile_ID?rel=me“>My Google Profile+</a>

Step 3: Link Your Author Byline to Your Blog “About Me” Page

Warning: You’re going to be messing with the HTML in the template for your WordPress site, so proceed with caution! I recommend backing up your site, or at least copying the original single post template code and pasting it in a text file so you can always restore it if something goes amiss.

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Appearance” > “Editor”
2. From the list of templates, select “Single Post” (single.php). This template controls how your individual blog posts look.
3. Find where your author name is inserted into your posts. This is the tricky part, because the code will vary widely between different templates. In most templates you should look for some code referencing “author vcard”. Find the link code (HTML tag starting with <a) that links the author name to the about author page. It will probably contain some variant of get_author in it. Mine begins like this (with a lot of other code I’m not showing): <a class=”url fn author”</a>. If you can’t find that or are unsure, use step 4.
4. Optional, if you can’t do step 3. If you are a single author blog, you can just add the Google+ Profile Button to your site. Go to http://www.google.com/webmasters/profilebutton/ , select the button you want, copy the code, and paste it into your site’s HTML where you want it to appear.
5. Add rel=”author” into that tag. So now mine appears (again, with a lot of code left out): <a class=”url fn author” rel=”author”</a>

Step 4: Link Your Google+ Profile to Your Blog About Me Page

1. On your blog, go to your author bio page (just click your linked name in any of your posts) and copy the URL for that page.
2. Make sure you’re logged in to your Google account, then go to http://profiles.google.com
3. Click the “Edit Profile” button

4. Find the “Contributor to” section in the right sidebar and click on it to edit it

5. In the edit box, click “Add custom link.” In the first box put your link text preceded by a + (e.g. “+Joe Smith’s Blog”). In the second box paste the URL from your blog’s “about me” page that you copied in step 1
6. Click “Save” and then “Done Editing.”

1. Amplified creation: Anything you create can be spread anywhere in a very short amount of time. There are no longer any middle-man barriers between you and your public.
2. Wealth enough to do what we want (and we want to be weird). “Standing out takes time, money, and confidence. More of us have all three now.”
3. New marketing techniques that are better at reaching the weird. Marketers are finding there is no more profit to be found in encouraging and supporting your weirdness than in trying to force you into a mass mold.
4. The power of connected tribes: we are no longer alone. No matter what our weirdness, we can find others who love it too. Those who are good at connecting tribe members will reap rewards.

What is your “weird”? How has the new connectivity encouraged it and allowed it to flourish? What are you able to do now with your life that would have been inconceivable ten years ago?