All About Content

Ok, so you’ve got a brand page on Google+; now you’re wondering how that will appear in Google’s search engine results.

Last week I speculated it might be  similar to how Google Profiles show up for individual users, but today I noticed this integration (screenshow below) of a Google+ brand page directly underneath the brand’s website. Note how the SERP pulls the posted G+ status updates right into the results page, as well the +1 counts and the number of comments for those posts.

You can “add to Circles” right from the SERP if you’re logged in.

 
This display isn’t limited to pages you’ve added to your circles, since it shows up even if you’re logged out.

So far I’ve only seen this treatment for “verified” accounts, but not on every verified account.

There’s been a lot of speculation about what will differentiate Google’s new social platform from Facebook, and why a brand would bother maintaining a separate preference. I think this is just the beginning of an aggressive push by Google to provide value to brands (or give a competitive disadvantage to brands that aren’t using Google+).