It should be clear by now that Google+ is definitely not going anywhere. It's gaining in popularity and is a great complement or alternative to Facebook. If you're already set up on Google+, you might want to look into adding a Google+ page for your business, organization, club, or just good old personal self-promotion.
Setting up one or more pages is easy, but you should of course put some thought into how to make it distinctive. If you're still new to Google+, check out the MUO Guide, Get Into Google+: A Guide For Everyone to get up to speed.
Sample Google+ Pages
If you don't hang out on Google+ a lot, you may not have yet seen examples of Google+ pages. Some of the top pages include Android, Google Chrome, The New York Times, and of course MakeUseOf's very own hangout [no longer available].
Google+ Business pages are similar to personal Google+ streams but of course the space is promoting your business, brand, or group, rather than the streaming content of you and your contacts.
Create Your Own Page
Though most popular Google+ Pages are business sites, there's plenty of room for groups and personal pages. Google+ pages can be used like blogs where you can add original content, or linked content from anywhere on the web.
To create a Google+ page, simply log into your Google+ account and locate the "More" icon on the side menu bar of on your account page. Click the Pages icon right next to Games.
Next, click the red "Create new page" top-left button to create a new page. You can add more pages for different purposes. Each page gets its own unique URL.
The next part of the setup involves picking a category that best describes your page. Notice that the categories are pretty wide - from Local Business, Institution or Organization, to Arts, Entertainment, and Sports. If none of those fit, choose Other.
Add the other information about your page, including title and description. Be sure to include your business, club, or blog website address, which will help support and bring traffic to your Google+ page.
Next, you need to click the big blue Profile Photo icon and add a photo in which the dimensions are at least 250x250 pixels. After you drop the phone into the editor, you can crop and move the photo around as you see fit.
The "Creative Kit"next to the editor also includes additional options for editing and enhancing a photo, and adding image effects.
Adding More Photos
After your click Finish, your Google+ page is ready to go. Clicking the Profile button on the top-left side of the page will show you how your page will look to others. Each Google+ page gets a standard background image behind the profile image added in the setup process. Put your cursor over the background image and select "Change cover photo" if you want to customize it.
You get the option to add five separate photos in each square, or you can add a banner photo that runs across the header.
Now just as with any other online site, you need to start adding rich content to your page. Just as with regular Google+ pages, you can link articles, and add photos and videos to your page. You can promote your page of course to your circle of Google+ friends and link it to your existing websites. There are plenty tools available for promotion.
At this point, what makes Google+ pages significantly different from say Facebook is Hangouts, which allows you to connect via video chat with your clients, club members, and readers. You might consider even setting up a weekly "event" for your page where attendees can ask questions and get feedback.
Google+ may not be as widely popular as Facebook, but it is nevertheless a another useful place on the net for promoting your business, organization and institution to build a following.
For other related articles on Google+, check out these:
Let us know how you’re using Google+ Business pages.