Google Plus is finally welcoming brands, 5 months after the launch of the social networking service and 4 months after it unceremoniously booted businesses from the site.
Google has faced criticism for failing to supply an approach for corporations to connect with people on Google Plus and the company is, eventually, trying to remedy the problem with the debut of Google Plus Pages, profiles set up specifically for businesses and brands. It ought to come as no surprise, given the name, that Google Plus Pages are Google’s answer to Facebook Pages, which are designed to “[give] a voice to any public figure or organization.”
In a post blog on November 7, Google announced that it might be rolling out the new feature worldwide from “yesterday” noting elsewhere that “any organization can soon be able to join the community by clicking here.”
Google highlighted twenty companies that already have pages on Google Plus, including in alphabetic order All American Rejects, Anderson Cooper 360, Angry Birds,Barcelona Football Club,Burberry, Dallas Cowboys,Good Morning America,H&M,Macy’s,Modelland,The Muppets, Pepsi, Phoenix Suns, Save the Children,Special Report with Bret Baier, Toyota,Train,WWE,X Games and Zen Bikes
“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’s Vic Gundotra wrote in the blog post. “Google Plus 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.”
Not only will brands’ Google Plus pages be included in search results, but Google introduced a new feature, Direct Connect, that makes it possible for users to visit Google Plus pages without a single click. If you Google a company’s brand name, preceded by the plus sign, you’ll be taken directly to that company’s Google Plus Page (try searching for “+Savethechildren” to give it a whirl).
I point out to you that it seems that this feature is active only on Google.com (USA).
I’ve tried to do this new search method on European versions of the popular search engine but It doesn’t work.
I’ve checked out these European country: Italy (.it), Germany (.de),France (.fr) and Spain (.es),please let me know if you’ve some updates.
If you want to learn more about the updates don’t miss the video below about Google Plus: