Modern-day interior designers should know that there are a few neat tricks you can do on your website AND blog to make YOU stand out more in Google when your clients search for you or the things you create.
I’m going to take you through two DIFFERENT but related changes to your blog/website.
Company Brand
When you search for a brand or a rock star or something famous(ish) then you sometimes will see some interesting bits of information appear on the right hand side of the Google search results…the place where the ads normally can be found. Try this search for Barack Obama to see what I mean. This interesting information might come from a Wikipedia entry about a rock stars career or it might tell you that company’s local contact information and maybe some images of their work or some customer reviews of their services.
If you can get a Wikipedia entry about your ‘notable’ business then you will have this problem solved. Tell me how you did it as it is notoriously difficult. (Hint: Don’t try).
You only sometimes see that information because the brand owner has only sometimes told Google what to put there. You can assume that Coca Cola have done this and this search for Coca Cola shows you. You’ll notice it is slightly different to the Obama-Wikipedia one, perhaps your version shows a local stockist?
Well; you are a brand owner of your interior design business. Have you told Google?
Here’s How
You need to potentially do quite a few things here. You (or your techie person) are going to be getting involved in HTML code using rel=’publisher’ and you are going to need to create a Google+ page for your business. If that hasn’t put you off let’s continue.
Firstly you need to create a Google+ account for YOU.
1. If your business has the website BlahDesign.com then you need to have a personal email such as Nathalie.Arrigone@BlahDesign.com (Nathalie@yahoo.com will not work). With that email address go and create a Google+ account for you ie Nathalie Arrigone. It is possible to create a login based on Nathalie.Arrigone@BlahDesign.com if you look closely.
- Do not use the wrong name eg Nat Arrigone or Nathalie A. It will not work.
- Do not try and put a funny picture there. It will not work
- You need a passport standard photo. Otherwise it will not work.
- Do not put a picture of your company or product. It will not work
- Got the message?
- You could of course create a totally fictitious persona based on a photo of your dearly departed aunty. Which would be a bit creepy 🙂
Almost there! Well the first part, at least.
2. While you are on your new Google+ page the only thing you NEED to do is to check that you are listed as a contributor to your website AND to your blog. Go to “About/Links” and add that information.
3. Now use this link to verify your email address.
4. Now choose your profile and then PAGES. Create a the appropriate page for your business. Ideally Local Business or Organisation
- Add your real-world website AND verify it eg www.BlahDesign.com AND http://blog.BlahDesign.com
- Add all the appropriate email addresses eg info@BlahDesign.com and verify them ALL including yours if you have not already done so..
5. Finally ! You have to now put a link on your website to your new Google+ PAGE – replace 1111111111111 with the number of your Google+ page. Do it on your home page and also for the home page of your blog.
<a href=”https://plus.google.com/111111111111111″ rel=”publisher”>
Please do not try to link this to your personal page. It will sort of work. For a while. You have been warned!
6. You can now test your new Google+ Company Page is working with the Google Structured Data Testing Tool. Just look for the section further down the page concerning the PUBLISHER information. It’s just that bit that should be nice and green coloured.
So that should be “all” you need to do for the company branding. You can play around some more with the Google+ Business Page and you can add map, product, address and other information which will also get shown by Google in various places.
2. Personal Branding – You as a creator of content. AUTHOR Boost
If you create truly meaningful content then you should go forwards with this option. This particular post that I am writing now would count as meaningful, original content. If you put up a blog post with the line “Here is a picture of a chair I like” – then that is not meaningful content. The content needs lots of original stuff (pictures and/or words and/or video).
Personal branding will mean that sometimes Google will very kindly put your Google+ image (from earlier) next to your content when it appears in their search results. Not always. Sometimes. When they choose. You can’t control it (and from 2015 onwards Google have decided to display it much less as it attracted people away from clicking on their ads !!)
You add this line to EVERY post your write and/or every page of your web site. You change the 4444444444 with your personal Google+ Account (not your company page. The company page will not work. Don’t do it. Honest).
<a href=https://plus.google.com/44444444444 rel=”author”>
Do not try and confused Google between the real you and your company…it will NOT work.