Once you sign-up for Google+, the first order of business should be to build your profile. As with any social networking site, your profile is your home base. It’s where you tell people what you’d like them to know about you. This is where you showcase the information you want to be publicly available when someone searches, or googles, you online. It is also the information others will use to decide whether or not to connect with you on Google+.
Before you begin, you must find your way to the right page in your Google+ Profile. If you previously had set up a Google Profile, it has now become your Google+ Profile. See the red arrows above to direct you to the correct page.
- Get Started: Click on the ‘Edit Profile’ button to begin. You will then see that it is easy to click on any section you wish to edit.
- Profile Photo: Select a photo to upload. You may want to review 8 Tips for Selecting the Right Profile Photo to help with your selection.
- Name and Headline: Be sure your name is correct. This must be your own name, not the name of a business. Make sure to include a headline. It can be a mix of serious and fun, but use the space wisely.
- Text Sections: The Introduction is important. What is the story you’d like to tell about yourself? As you write your introduction, you may want to include keywords which would enable you to be found most easily. While it remains to be seen how searchable Google+ profiles will be, we do know that Google will be giving some visibility to public content on Google+. I’d say that the Bragging Rights section is optional, but I’d suggest that professionals complete all or most of the other sections.
- Employment: This tiny section is extremely powerful, though its power isn’t obvious at first glance. The information you add here will provide a window into what you’re all about to anyone who wants to make a quick decision about whether or not they’d like to connect with you or view your profile to learn more about you. Here’s how it works… If you see, for example, an insightful or witty comment I added to one of your friend’s posts and you wanted to find out more about me, you would hover your cursor (see red arrow in image below) over my name. By hovering here, you will see my hovercard (see inset box in image below). From this hovercard, you can instantly follow my public posts by adding me to your circles. All too often, I find that people have left this field blank. When their name appears in a discussion or I see that they’ve added me to their circles, I wonder, “Who the heck is this person?” and peek at their hovercard to find out. If I find no information on their hovercard, it is much less likely that I will circle them back. Make sure you put something meaningful in this section; not just your employer or name of your business, but also something about what you do there. If you are seeking employment, this would be a great place to highlight your skills or accomplishments.
- Links: Any good online reputation or digital footprint is seamlessly connected. Make it easy for me to see where else I can find you online. Add links to your social accounts, blog, website, presentations, publications, videos, photos – anything you feel helps tell your story online.
- Search Visibility: Now this is key. Do you want your Google+ Profile to show up in search engine results? For me, the answer is 1,000,000% yes because I know what a huge branding and visibility opportunity it is. If you are worried that this will mean that everything you share on Google+ will also be publicly viewable, don’t. You have complete control over each individual post and can easily share each item publicly, privately, or somewhere in-between. (More on sharing in an upcoming blog post. Be sure to subscribe at the end of this post if you don’t want to miss it.)
- Formatting Text: In each text section, you have the ability to add links and format the text as best suits your needs. It isn’t mandatory that you do this and it is certainly something you can always revisit at another time, if you’d prefer.
- Private vs. Public: Google has learned a lot about users’s desire for complete control over who can see their content and they’ve gone a long way toward allowing you to manage your profile privacy at a granular level. For each section, you will be able to determine who will be able to see your information. For example, if you added your telephone number in the appropriate section, but didn’t want everyone to be able to see it, you would select the Custom option and then might make it visible to only your Family and Best Friends circles.
- Done!: Bravo, you’ve finished! Just click Done Editing and admire your work. See something you’d like to change? No problem, just click the Edit Profile button again and tweak away. You always have the ability to jump back in and make adjustments.
If you haven’t yet joined Google+, you can sign up here and to find out why your Google+ profile is an important branding opportunity, whether or not you’re using Google+, you’ll want to read this.
I’d love to see your Google+ Profile. Post the link in the comments below and I’ll add you to my Almost Savvy circle. I would be delighted if you added me to one of your circles to see what I’m sharing on Google+. Also, please share your tips you’ve come across about creating Google+ Profiles.
Thanks to S Sriram for capturing the screenshot of my hovercard for me.
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I dont see “angel” in the other names
Thank you for point #5; I never realized how that worked. I just modified my profile.
One suggestion regarding the profile photo: If you uploaded a photo to your Google profile before Google+ was rolled out, I recommend uploading it again. G+ seems to be using larger photos with greater resolution, and photos uploaded before G+ wind up looking grainy.
Excellent suggestion, Jeri. For the longest time, I was wondering why everyone’s photos looked so grainy. Speaking of which, I need to fix my own. 🙂
Great post! I am still a bit confused between the difference between Occupation and Employment, but agree that I’ve noticed it’s often the *only* piece of info you see about a person until you visit their profile.
Anyway, here’s my G+ profile for those who are interested: https://plus.google.com/113683173113414215373/
Good question about the difference between the two fields. I think there are a number of ways to interpret the difference, though knowing one appears in your hovercard and the other doesn’t should probably be your guide in deciding what to write where. I love what you’ve written in the “occupation” field; it gives a more complete idea of what you’re all about.
Interesting 🙂 I think I’ve done all of them 😀
Already got you added to one of my circles 🙂
https://plus.google.com/105396760821096005690/
Wonderful, Stefan. I’ve also added you to my circles.
I think it is Un-Savvy that those with a Google apps domain cannot use Google+. We had just read that Google was making these email addresses functionally on a par with traditional GMail accounts.
Brian, thanks for the comment. You are certainly not alone in this frustration. I hope Google will be resolving this problem very soon to allow those using Google apps to join Google+.
Here’s my profile page, Irene:
https://plus.google.com/?tab=XX#107386502152174751016/about
You forgot to mention the “Employment” field can be as long as you want it. If you click my above name, you will be whisked to my Google+ profile — and you can then hover over my name to see what I refer by a summary of who I am.
Don’t assume the person will visit your profile page. Give it to them up front!
Great point, Ari. This field is a rich opportunity to tell your story. You’re very right that many people won’t bother to click through to read your profile. Thanks for the tip.
Here is my profile. Thanks for the great tips. I’ve been avoiding Google+ in protest. After all, aren’t there enough social media sites already 🙂 But the time has come to jump in the deep end so thanks for the insight. https://plus.google.com/101226313113521896389/posts
Hi Kalynn. You are definitely not alone is asking whether or not we’ve already got enough places to connect online. Thanks for sharing the link to your profile; I’ve added you to my circles. You may want to add the information you’ve got in the Occupation field to the Employment field. That way, it will be visible when people view your hovercard.
Excellent overview Irene – I will be sending people here when they need help.
Irene: I’ve followed your tips on setting up my profile. Thank you! When I hover over my name, all I see is Gayle Grace, All Things Home Organizing, even though I filled more info into the employment/occupation sections. Do you see something else or did I not do this correctly? Thanks!
Sorry, but I think Google+ is turning out to be a flop. You have a great article, but it just doesn’t seem to be worth the effort, compared to ease and benefits and general acceptance of Linked In and Facebook. Plus, it can’t even be used at work by those with a Google Apps domain.
Great Post! This is the single most important area to your G+ presence. This tell your potential followers all about you. If you want to have some fun with your Profile Pictures Check out this tool: http://gpluspic.com/
Fantastic resource… thank you so much for sharing with us… I have shared it on 🙂
Thanks, Suz. Glad to know it was helpful.
http://gplus.to/cynikaloptimist
Thank you for all this valuable information. Here is my profile link.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/107981923873107458938
Nice article. Thanks for providing the tips!
Here’s my profile link (I’ve added yours to my circles):
https://plus.google.com/u/0/116718257983320730307/about
Hi I’m new to google any input will be greatly appreciated