'Google+ gmail bias' as explained by Rand doesn't seem to work
-
One of the reasons we are using Google+ is the email via gmail bias. Rand says the following about this mechanism: Gmail is another way to get this same sort of bias. You can see it in there if you're logged into your Gmail account, and you can see "Hey, I'm not following this person on Google+. Oh, we've exchanged emails, so they're showing me these results higher that they've +1'd."
We just started using Google+ and are determining which email address to use for this functionality to work. Of course we need to use the email address which we use for customer contact, but it's not very obvious which one that is from a Google+ bias point of view:
We are using Google Apps for email hosting. We log in with our 'backoffice@company.nl' email address, which no customer of ours will ever know about. And we send emails with this backoffice account on behalf of our info@ourcompany.nl email address, which is the email address we use for all our customer contact. Both of these email addresses are 'users' of this same Google Apps account. Emails sent to info@ourcompany.nl also appear in backoffice@company.nl. So we actually never login to info@ourcompany.nl, everything is being done in backoffice@company.nl. But for the outside world (our customers) it's all about info@ourcompany.nl.
Which account should we use for making our company Google+ Page? The 'backoffice' one, or info@ourcompany.nl?
I have been testing to find out which account offers the bias, but neither of them showed any sign of this. I hope somebody can help me out here.
Wouter Olthof
-
Hmm... what is your process for trying to reproduce the bias?
-
Thanks Christy! Do you perhaps have an explanation on why I cannot reproduce this bias with either of these accounts/email addresses (not even with the info@ourcompany.nl)? I have been testing this bias with multiple accounts already.
-
Thanks for the clarification, Wouter. Given that information, I would go with info@ourcompany.ni. As it is gmail-hosted (and not forwarded), and the only email address that the public interacts with, it should give you the greatest advantages described in Rand's video -- and any that Google+ may roll out in the future. Best of luck!
Christy
-
Hi JCurrier,
I am aware of the mechanism you are talking about. However, there is another mechanism which is independent of circles. Rand says the following about this mechanism:
Gmail is another way to get this same sort of bias. You can see it in there if you're logged into your Gmail account, and you can see "Hey, I'm not following this person on Google+. Oh, we've exchanged emails, so they're showing me these results higher that they've +1'd." in this Whiteboard Friday: http://moz.com/blog/using-google-plus-to-appear-in-the-top-results-every-time-whiteboard-friday
This means that if I post on my Google+ and my post has +1s, and you and I have email contact without circling each other then the Google search results will give bias to my post when you search for something related to my post, if you are logged in to the gmail account you used for contacting me by email.
-
Hi Wouter,
I think you might be mistaken on what is actually happening with Google plus. It doesn't matter which account you use. What is being discussed is when someone is logged into G+ or their gmail account, the search results give bias towards sites plus'ed by the user and people the user has circled. Essentially, the idea is that if you or a friend have plus'ed something (essentially saying that it is valuable), then you will probably like that search result.
For example, you are logged into Google with whatever account is associated with your Google plus. I am in one of your circles and have given a plus to a certain website. When you search for something related to that website, it will likely show up in your results since you are logged in, but might not have shown up if you weren't logged in. Since I, who am in your circle, have plus'ed a page or site, it follows that we are friends and you may find it useful too.
So, if you can increase the number of people in your market who have plus'ed your page, content, and/or site, the likely hood of other people in your market (eg. their friends) seeing you in search results increases.
-
Thank you Christy for your quick reply.
-
Yes, we are using Google Apps for email hosting. Both email addresses are 'users' of the same Google Apps account. (I clarified my post a little bit)
-
I mean the Google+ bias resulting from email (gmail) contact as explained by Rand in this Whiteboard Friday.
Wouter
-
-
Hi there, and thanks for your question! First off, I would like to clarify a couple of things:
-
Are you using Google Apps for email hosting, or are you forwarding your "back office" email address to info@ourcompany.ni?
-
There are a few ways that gmail can help you use Google+ more successfully. What exactly do you mean by the "Google+ email contact bias"? (I just want to make sure we are on the same page before proceeding.)
Christy
-
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Is there a Facebook Ad equivalent to Google MCC?
Hi Mozzers, Really unsure if we are missing something here, but whilst trying to set-up paid ads for some of our clients on FB we have run into a significant issue. We need to be able to allow FB to debit multiple business accounts for varying ads on different pages. However every time we try to access the ads manager to set-up a new ad, FB takes us to the individuals (the person logged in to the page) account, rather than creating an ad account for that page/business individually. What are we missing? We use Google MCC for managing our PPC campaigns and so wondered if there is anything similar we can use for FB? Or any other recommendations on how to get round this without dragging each client into the office and asking them to log-in so that we can set these up? Thanks!
Social Media | | Silkstream1 -
Is this mistake in use of 'publisher' meta tag
Hi There!, There is a confusion with 'Publisher' meta tag. Instead of using 'Google+ page' we have used Google profile pages in meta 'publisher' tag on most of pages. Currently they all are indexed. Also, in 'Author' meta tag same Google Profile page is linked. E.g. - on page - https://www.sitegeek.com/arvixe , following are the publisher and author tags: <a href="https://plus.google.com/117949772080676863960" rel="<a class="attribute-value">publisher</a>">a> <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102179677098786549874/about" rel="<a class="attribute-value">author</a>"> So I am not sure how much it would effect SEO rankings. Please suggest what would the best way to update it? Further, site has its Google+ page: [https://plus.google.com/+Sitegeekcom/posts ] so it should be updated in 'publisher' tag or we should create a new Google+ page using existing Author Google+ profile. Rajiv
Social Media | | gamesecure0 -
I understand Authorship is Dead, but here's a question on the Google+ Profile
I guest write for some blogs, as well as several blogs I manage myself. What is the correct usage of the "Contributor to" field and the "Links" field? Contributor to: The overall blog itself and; Links: To individual blog posts themselves? Or the reverse? Thank you!
Social Media | | booboo220 -
How Have You Got More Likes On Google +?
Hi All, My company has done fairly well with regards to achieving followings on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. BUT one that we REALLY struggle to get a following on is Google +. We have about 25 Google + followers, compared to 1.2k Facebook likes and over 2k Twitter followers. We do relatively similar things on each of these. What can we do to increase our following specifically on Google +? As it stands we do pretty similar things, it would just appear that there's not much taste for us on Google +! What kind of things have you guys done to boost your followings on Google +.? All suggestions are appreciated! Thanks Sam
Social Media | | Sandicliffe0 -
Best way to create content in Google Plus to help SEO
Hi, I would like to know what is your experience about how to create content for Google+ in order to improve your SEO. I mean, tips like content length, opitmization, links, hashtags, and so on... What do you think? How would you integrate this strategy with the other ones (facebook, twitter, blogs, etc.) Thank you.
Social Media | | teconsite0 -
Anyway to have a 'like' button for main page?
I have a Facebook like button on each of my individual posts and a box on my home page where people can 'like' my Facebook fan page..but is there any way to have a Facebook 'like' button on my home page so people can actually like the home page?
Social Media | | NoahsDad0 -
Google+ and its effects on SERPs
Hi all, With the recent launch of Google+ I've looked into the possible effects of +1'ing sites and whether or not it has a direct effect on other people with whom I'm connected within Google+. So far I cannot see any direct correlation, however I running a bigger/wider experiement with more people to get a definitive answer. What does scare me as an SEO, is that Google+ users will (most likely) use Google search whilst they are logged in, which, as we know personalises results based on a myriad of suspected metrics such as previous visits, personal +1, etc... How is this going to effect the SEO world if/when a Google+ attracts more users. Experienced this first hand when a client called me to congratulate a jump from position 9 on Google to first position over the weekend, which when I checked, the website hadn't shifted, the client was logged into her Google account due to the fact she had been playing with plus. Thoughts? Cheers Aran
Social Media | | Entrusteddev0