So you’ve decided to promote your law firm via Google+. Great choice! Now, the there is some work to be done. Creating an effective Google + business page is the first in including Google + in your social media marketing efforts. Below is a quick tutorial to help you through the process. Keep in mind that Google changes layouts regularly. If you find a hick-up in these directions, let us know!

1) Preparations

Similar to Facebook, Google requires all those who are looking to create a business page on its social media network to have a personal account first. If you have a Gmail or YouTube account, great news! Creating a Google+ account is as easy as visiting plus.google.com and signing in. You will be able to link all of your Google service accounts to one username and password. If you do not have a Google account yet, visiting the same link will guide you through the process of setting up your individual account (again, necessary to create your Google + law firm page).

Creating your personal Google+ account actually helps get you used to the medium as well. Google will help setting up your personal profile via a blue box on the right of your screen; follow those instructions to create a professional presence. This is important, because a link to your profile will appear on the finished business + page manager.

Feel free to utilize your personal profile to try out basic functions such as sharing an update (on the left of your screen), viewing your circles (on the bottom right of your screen), and checking out the newsfeed by clicking on the Google+ logo at the top left.

2) Create the Page

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the medium, it’s time to create your law firm’s Google + business page. Google offers multiple ways to create a page, but the easiest to begin by clicking this link. On the next screen, you’ll have to choose the type of business.

After that, you can find your business on a map of the world. Chances are that your law firm is already included in Google Maps (probably from an outside business data provider and not something you forgot you did), which means it shows up after you enter its name in the search box on the left. If it doesn’t, don’t worry! There will be an option for you to create a business listing, and after entering your law firm’s address, name and contact information, you’ll be able to proceed.

Once you’ve clicked on or created your business listing in Google, you will have to give authorization to create a Google+ page; if you are an authorized manager, check the box and continue. Next will be a verification method to ensure the business is actually yours, and you can confirm via phone or mail. You will be able to begin editing your page even while it is being confirmed, but the changes won’t be live until after this process. Once you have received and entered confirmation code, your page is officially created and live!

3) Filling out your page

The first two steps ensures that the bare bones of the page are there. Now, let’s fill it out. That includes entering your business name, company logo, tag line, cover photo, and ‘about’ information.

By clicking the red ‘Edit’ button at the top right, you can edit the ‘about’ section of your profile. The name should be the name of your business, nothing more and nothing less. Adding a website is especially important, as it will help in your SEO efforts. The category should be ‘Lawyer’, and the introduction should include a single paragraph about what exactly your business does – including keywords explaining your practice areas.

After you click ‘done editing’, you are prompted to add a profile picture. This is usually a great place for your company logo – not only will it show up in your profile, but also alongside every status update you post in the future. By clicking ‘add an intro about your business,’ you can give a single-sentence description of what exactly your law firm is about.

4) Next Steps

And just like that, you have created your law firm’s Google+ Business Page! Now, it’s time to start planning your status updates, begin looking at page analytics and maybe even create some ads. Contact us if you need any help setting up the page or figuring out what to do next!