Yet Another Reason to get Social
If you haven't seen the benefit of getting plugged into the social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, then perhaps you'll have a new perspective after you learn of an experience I'm about to share.
Hey, I Know That Face!
I was searching the web for something when Google returned a search result that was quite interesting, and will possibly carry more weight in the near future of search results. The search result was a friend of mine that I'm connected with through Facebook and a few other social networks we're in. He had published an article that provided information regarding the topic I was researching.
His picture drew my attention from all the other search results.
Google denoted the search result as, "Results from People in your Social Circle". At the time of this post this savvy feature in Google is still in BETA. Google's Social Circle feature gives me all the more reason to get socially connected so friends of my friends looking for services we provide will see our listing in their social circle results and gain immediate trust in our company as someone they should call about building their professional website or running their Internet marketing campaign.
Changing the Way People Search
Imagine the impact this could have on how people use Google! Have you ever asked a friend, coworker, neighbor, or family member... "Do you know a _____?" Fill in the blank: Mechanic, House Painter, Web Designer. Most people prefer doing business with people they already know, and trust. I can imagine Google's Social Circle results will carry a lot of weight in the near future just as Google Places has dominated the top portion of the search results. Google's intention is to connect you with the right information, the right business, the right people. Who better to connect you with than people already in your contact sphere?
Get Social, Get to the Top!
When it comes to climbing to the top position on Google you need to leverage what you can in order to claim those top positions! Build your social network, publish useful content, and get more business!