If you’re like many businesses, the rapidly growing and constantly evolving world of social media probably has your head spinning, and for good reason. It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new platform to experiment with and new updates to learn on the more well-established sites (here’s looking at you, Facebook timelines). The web was abuzz about Google+ months ago when the hype leading to its premier was at its peak, but lately you don’t hear as much about it. That’s most likely about to change.

Why? Well, Google has introduced a new enhancement that will mean a Google search will include highlighted Google+ results. Yup, Google+ is giving Google+ search results preferential treatment. What does that mean for you and your business? In short, it means you should create a Google+ page and commit to updating it at least semi-regularly. If you care about your search ranking in Google, that is. That’s because Google will, no doubt, look favorably on those who “play its game,” so to speak.

Signing up for a Google+ business page is pretty simple. First you have to create a personal page. Then, go to Create a Page on Google+ and choose your category according to the type of business you run. From there you’ll put in your business’s custom info, including a photo, tagline, and more. You can also create a photo stream, add individuals to your circles, and more. Mashable has a great Google+ page you can take some inspiration from.

Creating another social media presence may seem like a chore, especially if you’re already managing multiple platforms as it is. That’s why it’s so important to be efficient with how you manage your accounts. Don’t set out to create content for just one platform – replicate it and spread it out across all platforms, making the most of what you have to offer. And get started on creating that Google+ page (and don’t let it languish in inactivity!). If you want potential customers or clients finding you on Google, Google+ is worthy of your consideration.

Besides being named the best place to work in the U.S. and seeing its stocks dip this week after releasing disappointing fourth-quarter earnings, Google has cropped up in tech news recently with a few new features. Here are three that marketing and design professionals should note:

Google algorithm tweak

Google tweaks its algorithm relatively often, so its announcement of yet another tweak in the way Googlebot crawls web pages might have gone unremarked. This tweak, however, affects web design and page layout in relation to page rank, so design professionals and others who rely on page rank should pay close attention.

To sum up the change, Google’s search algorithm will now punish pages that push advertising at users beyond a normal degree, especially “above the fold.” The idea is to improve user experience by downgrading pages that irritate users by putting too much unrelated content in premiere web page real estate.

Google mentions that it only one in 100 searches will show a user a different page order than before the change. The user feedback-prompted change does show Google’s commitment to using its algorithm to provide the best search experience, not just on the results page, but also on the pages that float to the top of those results. Design and web marketing professionals should take this as a continued step in that direction.

Google+ integration with search

The search giant’s recent foray into social media with Google+ has earned mixed results, but Google’s recent actions show its determination to make the new social media platform an integral part of its search experience. Google recently started showing “personal” results above regular search results – meaning that if a user searches for a TV show, their Google+ acquaintances’ posts about that show will appear above the Wikipedia entry.

The change has upset some media commentators, and it remains to be seen whether this is a permanent change for Google, or if it will be short-lived like its Buzz platform. While the change is in place, however, personal results have the highest placement in the results page, meaning that social engagement on Google+ could, at least temporarily, be just as important as the No. 1 page rank.

It might not push Google+, with its 90 million users, past Facebook, but at least in the short-term, it raises the platform’s viability as a marketing tool.

Google Web Fonts

If you’re a fan of the popular blog I Love Typography, no one needs to tell you what role typeface plays in design and everyday life. Fonts can often be an expensive investment, but Google has turned that on its head, as it did for books and scholarly articles years ago. With Google Web Fonts, users can download a huge library of font files for free. The repository of open-source fonts will open up typography to people beyond designers and typeface enthusiasts, and should be a wonderful resource for print and web designers.

With so many social media platforms, review sites and business listings out there, controlling your online presence can feel like plugging leaks in a dam with your fingers.

Since consumers increasingly rely on the wisdom of the crowd to make decisions, businesses need to know what the crowd sees and thinks. This is especially critical for restaurants, retailers and service providers, but useful for other industries as well.

Here are four reasons why you should understand and control your online image.

1.       Put accurate information out there.

If you are not in control of your content on sites such as Yelp, Foursquare or Google Places, your customers can and will put up information about your business that they believe to be true. “We don’t manage our page,” will not mollify an angry customer who showed up an hour after closing based on faulty information on Yelp.

By claiming your Yelp Business page or managing your Foursquare Venue page, you can ensure customers have accurate information about hours, location and services provided.

2.       Track and engage.

On sites with check-in features, such as Facebook and Foursquare, managing the business page lets you see how many people are checking in at your business. Each check-in promotes your business across the site to the user’s friends.

With a review site like Yelp, claiming the business page lets you receive alerts when site users post reviews. A savvy page manager can engage with customers by sending them private or public messages about their reviews, encouraging feedback and being first on the scene to remedy misunderstandings.

3.       Online advertising platforms.

Both review sites like Yelp and social media platforms like Facebook and Foursquare offer unique opportunities for targeted ads and promotions. Knowing how to fully utilize these sites means that you can market directly to users who will actively engage with your business.

4.       It’s easy and informative.

On most sites it is easy to register and free to manage the business page. Most sites also offer tracking to help you learn more about your customer – for instance, Foursquare breaks down users who check-in by gender and age, and Yelp allows you to see what other businesses reviewers are visiting.

Maintenance of the business page can be as easy as an automated email report in your inbox daily, weekly or monthly. You only have to log in if the business information changes significantly.

Pivot is experienced at managing a variety of social media and review sites. Call or email us to learn more about the importance of controlling your online presence.