Optimize your content
With more and more people coming around to the fact that Google Plus is not only here to stay but can play an important role in SEO, chances are good you’ve been considering spending more time on this social network yourself. And as with any social media platform you decide to spend your time on, you want to make sure your posts are getting the most impact by optimizing them appropriately for the channel.
One of the things that makes Google Plus unique is the fact that longer blog-style posts are not only common but considered good form. While longer posts may garner you better results, keep in mind that people can still be put off by long blocks of text. Taking advantage of the text formatting option, another quirk unique to Google Plus, is a great way to make your longer posts instantly more scannable.
Formatting, the Google Plus way
Bolding sentences or headers is the quickest way to make your post more readable. It helps key ideas stand out to the reader so they’ll be more likely to stick around and read a bit further. To bold words, simply add an asterisk directly before and after any word or phrase. For example, *a sentence like this* will show up in your post as a sentence like this.
Italics are ideal for adding emphasis to a phrase or word you want to call attention to, which, again, helps makes your content easier to scan. You can italicize words in your post by adding an underscore before and after them. For example, _These important words_ will look like These important words when you’re finished.
A strikethrough is a formatting option that isn’t used as frequently but that can offer major impact. To strikethrough a set of words you’ll need to put a dash at the beginning and the end of the phrase. For example, -words that are actually a lie- would look like words that are actually a lie after you’re through.
Putting it all together
Numbered lists are probably everyone’s favorite way to make a longer post more easily digestible. And Google Plus has made it easy to add them to your posts. All you have to do is add a *1*, *2*, *3*, and so on directly before the phrases you want numbered. For example,
*1*This sentence. *2*Followed by this one. *3*And finally this one.
Will end up looking like
- This sentence.
- Followed by this one.
- And finally this one.
Now get out there, champ!
Once you’ve got your post perfectly formatted, don’t forget that Google+ stole from was inspired by Twitter and incorporated the ability to tag others directly using the @ symbol, as well as the option to utilize hashtags to categorize your posts and give them a little extra opportunity to be seen by a larger audience.
Next time you’re composing a post on Google+, try flexing a few of these new formatting muscles to see if you get any sort of increase in engagement.
