Google now started to offer you more features for your Google+ pages to increase the engagement of your fans and visitors. You may have already set up a Google+ page for your business, product, brand or organization with a public identity. But does your fans know your brand page on Google+ unless you given them a link to your page?
Now Google made it easy for you. Google introduced Google+ Direct Connect feature on Google+ platform to find or to navigate to your Google+ page immediately via Google search once you search for a brand, business or organization by entering query with preceding + (Plus) sign. Once you activated or eligible for direct connect feature, your fans who comes to your page via Google search will prompt to add your page to their circles. Are you interested? But how do you make your page eligible for Google+ direct connect?
Once after creating a Google+ page for your site, you can eligible for direct connect easily. There you just need to link your site to your page and vice versa. When it comes to linking, there is two approaches - linking manually and adding Google+ badge. Here I'm gonna discuss about manual linking.
As Google+ Direct Connect aids your friends, fans or anyone to find your Google+ page via Google search and add it to their Google+ circles directly within Google search, you don't wanna miss it out. Also it will helps to consolidate or synchronize your +1s between your page and site too. However you have no complicated steps to eligible for Google+ direct connect and eligibility doesn't necessarily mean your page gonna appears on Google search right afterwards with enabled direct connect.
As Google+ Direct Connect aids your friends, fans or anyone to find your Google+ page via Google search and add it to their Google+ circles directly within Google search, you don't wanna miss it out. Also it will helps to consolidate or synchronize your +1s between your page and site too. However you have no complicated steps to eligible for Google+ direct connect and eligibility doesn't necessarily mean your page gonna appears on Google search right afterwards with enabled direct connect.
Before You Go:
You need to have an authorized Google+ page which represent your site. If you don't have one, read How to Create a Google+ Page.
Steps:
1. Sign in to your Google+ profile.
2. Click on little triangle displayed beneath your name at top left of sidebar.
3. Select the page you wanna link with your site.
4. Now carefully look at the URL of your page displayed on your browser address bar and take a note of your Page ID you find at the end of URL.
i.e: https://plus.google.com/b/111117610607219889806
5. Navigate to your page's profile page.
6. Click Edit Profile button.
7. Now click on Links section at your profile page.
8. Click Add custom link link.
9. Enter your Site Name and add URL of your site in the URL field.
10. Click Save button.
11. Now click Done Editing button on top.
12. Add below element into your homepage's <head> section.
<link href="https://plus.google.com/[Google+ Page ID]" rel="publisher" />
Note: Else you can show off a link to your Google+ page on your homepage.
<a href="https://plus.google.com/[Google+ Page ID]" rel="publisher">[Content]</a>
Color Indication Information
- Google+ Page ID
Add your Google+ Page ID here.
- Content
You can add any content here to represent your Google+ page. It's just a basic phenomena when creating links.
13. Use Rich Snippet Testing Tool to check your markup.
Note: You may find your publisher markup not verified yet. However it may take some time to verify your ownership by Google. Just be patient and Google will roll out Direct Connect for you once they found you are eligible.
Enjoy :-)
