I must admit, I was one of the people who took a little longer to give Google + a shot. After being a part of several different social media sites, I really wasn’t interested in learning and growing another account.
Now Google+ is actually my favorite social media site due to the value it offers. On top of that, discovering the power of joining Google + Communities really sweetened the deal.
Google plus Communities are a great way to learn more about your niche, meet others in your niche and drive traffic to your website. We will look at things you should look for in finding the right Google + Communities and how to drive traffic from them.
How to find the right Google Plus Communities
Just joining a bunch of Google + Communities and blasting your link will not get you the best results. It could even get you banned from well monitored Communities and these are the Communities you want to be a part of. Take a few extra steps and join Communities that will benefit your goals.
Find Communities In Your Niche
Start by Login in to your Google + account http://plus.google.com.
After you have Logged in, take your mouse and hover over the “Profile” button towards the upper left of your screen.
You will see a drop down with “Communities” listed around the middle of the drop down. Click on “Communities”.
Then you will search for Communities in your niche by placing your query in the Communities search bar. “Then click Enter”.
Google + has many great communities. A lot of them may pop up in your search results depending on your niche but all Communities are not created equal. Let’s look at a few things that help determine what Communities will be better for you.
Find Communities With More Followers
The more Followers a Community has, the better it will be in driving traffic to your website. The more potential eyes will see your post. 
This principle is just for driving traffic purposes. If you see an interesting Community that shares some good content, then by all means Follow them. With any Community you Follow, whether it has plenty of Followers or not, it should at least follow this next principle.
Find Communities With Plenty Of Engagement
This is social media. So Sharing, commenting on post, +1 people’s post and Circling people is something you should do on a regular basis. It is something you should be looking for in the Communities you Follow as well.
Before you join a Community, look through it for signs that people are engaging with one another. The more +1’s, shares and comments you see, the better the group will be for driving traffic to your website.
This is a great way to find out if the Followers in this Community actual visit this Community and reads the content posted. Using these principles will ensure that you are finding quality Communities that will be beneficial to you. You want these type of results, so you should look for groups that are already offering what you would like.
The process of finding the right Communities is done but driving traffic to your website takes a little more effort. Do you use any other methods of finding Google + Communities?
How to effectively Use Google + Communities
Know that just like with any Community, Group or Social Media site you have to put in some time to get the best results. With these principles you can effectively send plenty of traffic to your site.
Be Social
Don’t let the post with you sharing your own content be the only time your seen in the Communities. Actively Circle, share, +1 and comment on others post. This will not only make you look less like a spammer but you will start to be recognized. The more your known for great comments and sharing others content, the more likely they will take a look at what you have to share. Building solid relationships will get you some amazing results alone.
Add A Little Something Extra
When you are promoting a new post on a Community, try to add something of value to the post. The Headline will show from the link which may not be enough. Adding a question or some type of statement has been a more effective way of driving traffic and engagement. Sharing just a link to your content is leaving potential visitors on the table.
Post To Multiple Communities
Find many Communities to Follow and post your content to them as often as possible. The thing to remember is that if you Followed these Communities, others in your niche maybe Following some of the same Communities as you. Diversify the content you share to these Communities. Posting the same thing on multiple Communities is not recommended and should be avoided.
Pick two or three and share your new post immediately. From there, every other day or so, share you latest post to other communities.
Additional Benefits of Using Communities
Yes, driving traffic to your blogs and websites is a huge benefit of using these communities. It should not be the only focus though since there are a good things that come from using the strategies listed above.
Your Content Survival Rate Increases
Just as with most other social media platforms out there. The content you share has a shelf life of about a day. That is much less for a site like Twitter where you have minutes. Posting to multiple Communities will allow your content to survive longer.
The longer your content appears on social media. The chances of going viral, getting backlinks and continued traffic increases by 3x!
Your content can continue to get traction over 24 hours of posting to a Community. Where as you only get minutes on several of the other social media platforms.
You Gain More Followers
The more you post quality content to these groups, the more people will want to find out more about you. Each high quality post can get you multiple followers each time.
The most important thing you can do for your content and social media presence is focus on writing magnetic headlines! It is the first thing people see whether it is in your feature image or not.
Build Your Authority
When you increase you content survival rate and gain more followers, your Authority will continue to grow. In order for this to happen, you have to focus on your content.
Getting them to click on your link is hard enough in itself. You have to be sure to have the content to meet your visitors needs as you promised through your link.
Conclusion
Google + Communities are a great way to drive some extra traffic to your website. Just be sure to follow the Communities rules, engage with others and tastefully share your content. If you have not given Google + or its Communities a try, you should give it a go as soon as possible. Google + is not just about driving traffic. No matter what your niche may be, the benefits of being on Google + out weigh the bad for sure! Start by connecting with me on Google + and then sharing this post 
Have you used any these techniques or have any that you would add?
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- Extremely limited on time
- Want to better Optimized you post
- Make more shareable content
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I love your tutorial style posts Steven, they’re a big help.
I actually like Google groups much better than LinkedIn or even Facebook groups so this has been a nudge for me to get more involved in finding good Google groups.
I can also appreciate your advice about posting to multiple communities and diversifying your content.
Thanks Steven,
Liz
Liz
Elizabeth McGee recently posted…Tips For Engaging Your Audience Through Social Media That Work Like Crazy
Hey Liz,
Yeah, I’m a huge Google + fan now. I found myself shying away from other platforms but I want to get back active with Linkedin. I never found a ton of value in Facebook groups and never really stuck with them.
I appreciate the compliment. I’m glad to know you feel they are helpful.
Thanks again Liz. Have a good one!
Hey Steven. I’m a newbie to G+. This was very helpful. I appreciate it.
Hey Sean,
I’m glad this was helpful to you. I appreciate you stopping by.
Take care Sean
Steven,
This is a great article and tells it like it is. Have been a G+ member for a while and love it. You hit the nail on the head with the larger communities.
Mike
Mike (Nomadic Texan) recently posted…Photo of The Day #60
Hi Mike,
I’m glad you found value in the post. Larger communities are great for exposure. You can not only get visitors to your website but learn a lot, get plenty of shares and find really smart people to follow.
Thanks for stopping by!
Twitter: AdrienneSmith40
I agree Steven, this is a great post.
I’ve tried several communities and interacting but obviously I’m still not finding the ones that are fitting what’s best for me. I joined a few more last year and posted over there and would visit a few of their blogs but soon found out that the majority of what they were sharing was of no interest to me. I got some visitors from it but they didn’t hand around either.
I think I’m going to go and take another look because I left a lot of them at the beginning of the year and only stuck with the two that are working well for me right now. I need to get more active on Google+ though so this is one of my goals to achieve this year. Your tutorial is very helpful for that so thank you so very much.
Great job my friend and have a wonderful week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…How Bloggers Help Bloggers Increase Their Incomes
Hey thanks Adrienne!
I have been learning more and more that Google + Communities are very content specific. Like your recent guest post on Mindset may do well on a general Blogging Community but it may not do well on a Social Media Community, even though you blog about that also.
It takes more time because you must be active in all the communities but the return you get on your post makes up for it.
I’m sure you will find a winning formula!
Thanks again and you have the same
Great post Steven,
Finding community that can actually drive traffic is important now since traffic is the life blood of a website.
Okto recently posted…What Content Factors Needs to Consider Before Implementation?
Thanks Okto,
You absolutely right. We need and want traffic! Google + provides an awesome avenue for generating traffic.
Thanks for commenting Okto. Take care
Hi Steven,
I am so glad to be here,
I am here via my blog friend Adrienne Smith
her latest blog post brought me here,nice to know more about your page and in this post on G+ there are lot of basic info. Though I am a G+ user since its inception i was not aware about most of its uses, though i joined in some communities, i got more tips on community sharing and membership etc, thanks for that info. I just joined in a good community today just after reading this post. i need to check out more, though i use different other social sites I prefer and like G+ and most of the time i go there since its easy accessibility is one thing i like just open email of blog page your pages right top the plus notification is visible and it enable one to reach there easily, this is one of the advantage i found in G+
Thanks for other tips too
Will come again to read more
Best Regards
Phil
Philip Verghese Ariel’ recently posted…Confident Living Magazine Articles: How To Begin And End Each Day
Hi Philip,
I’m glad you were able to get something out of the post. I agree that Google+ is more convenient than other social media sites. I was against using the service when they first launched because I didn’t like the way they integrated the site and I felt like they were forcing down my throat. Fast forward to today, those are the things I love about the service
I hope to see you again soon. Take care Philip
Well this is a nice post, helps a lot the businesses that start on G+. There is one issue: if you own a website that is restricted to a small niche you can’t find communities with a lot of followers. Joining small communities won’t get you any benefit. The other case is if you have a website written in another language than english: let’s say real estate in denmark(as example). In there you won’t find nothing of use. For the moment communities are working for US based businesses and for large niches.
Hi Radu,
What would you consider a small amount of followers. You can still find benefits of smaller communities as well. If you are apart of a small niche, these smaller communities can be a great way for you to build your Authority and grow your brand. With the smaller communities the focus shouldn’t be getting tons of traffic from them but getting the right traffic from them. I’ll take fewer visitors that engage, subscribe and share any day over a visitor that stops in and disappears after that.
As for the different language issue, that is a very good question. Unfortunately, don’t have an answer for that. I am interested now and will look into this for sure. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Thanks for the comment Radu!
Hello Steven,
Nice article, Yes google plus is future of social media and communities of plus are more effective than Facebook.
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I love G+ communities. Before they were created I would get negligible amounts of traffic from G+ but now I always submit articles to various communities and the traffic can add 30-40% to monthly visitors, even more if you have the right article at the right time.
I was a bit wary of submitting articles at first; would it get deleted for being self-promotion?, but as you say being active in that community helps as your posts are more likely to be trusted and get some clicks.
Michael recently posted…Notification Center Tray Behaviour Chrome
Hi Michael,
Timing is huge! You have good content that you can submit around the time that topic is a trending topic, say hello to traffic! That’s some great numbers, 30-40% increase in traffic from one source is really good. Congrats on that! Sounds like you found a great strategy that has been working well for you.
Being active in the communities are so important. Engaging with others in the community will benefit you much more than sharing links. As you mentioned, “trust” is what we should all be trying to achieve online.
Thanks for the comment Michael!
Twitter: enstinemuki
Excellent guide Steven!
I used to search and join communities but I think I can add more to that. I just added you to my circle and hope we continue for more engagement even on Google+
do have a wonderful weekend
Enstine Muki recently posted…My secret free blog traffic source revealed!
Hi Enstine,
Yeah, Google+ communities are great for driving traffic and also connecting and learning also. I added you to my circles as well and will definitely be in touch.
Take care Enstine!
Excellent blog post! It is one of the best post I read today! Thanks for the clarification.
Andrea recently posted…TARGET AND YOU PART 2
Hey thanks Andrea!
I appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by.
Take care
Hey Steven,
Being average with G+ generally, I must appreciate the wisdom and authenticity of this post.
However, one question stands: The big ‘G’ is effectively the police of the web. Won’t submission to multiple communities on its own very network be marked as spam?
Always,
Terungwa
Akaahan Terungwa recently posted…HOW TO OPTIMIZE IMAGES FOR SEO: 3 POINTS FOR BETTER RANKING
Hi Akaahan,
Good question! I think if you blast your post in multiple communities (whether the community is on topic or not) and not being active in any of the communities or on Google + period, could be looked at as spam. That is why you should engage on the communities and not post to multiple communities at one time.
Pick a community or two to post on and let the shares etc from them spread the word for you. It doesn’t take much. Blasting it all over multiple communities is not necessary and should be avoided for sure.
Thanks for stopping by Akaahan! Take care
Great Post, I am a new user G+,this really helped me thanks steven
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Thanks Erik!
I’m glad you found this useful.
Your welcome and take care Erik!
I like you was reluctant to join Google+ as I found it difficult to learn and navigate. However once I got stuck in, I found it wasn’t really that hard and I now prefer it to Facebook.
The communities are great too, and definately good for building relationships and sharing each other’s content. I have personally found some great stuff there!
Hey Catherine,
We were definitely in the same boat. I am on Google+ now more than any other platform. I have had the best discussions, found excellent content and made some really good connections there.
I recommend G+ to anyone who wants a social network with substance.
I appreciate you stopping by Catherine! Take care
Hi Steven,
Honestly, I have been looking for legit ways to become active on Google plus, have more circles and use it to increase traffic to my blog.
I must admit that I went the bad way of getting circles ( was just adding circles anyhow).
Your post is going to be really helpful to me. thanks for sharing.
Hi James,
If you give it time, I think you will grow to really enjoy G+. There is a lot that is offered there other than just increasing traffic.
It sounds like you realize that you were headed in the wrong direction. Just start fresh like if you have zero people in your circles and build from there. I’m sure you will get thing going for you on Google +.
Thanks for commenting James! Take care
Hey there Steven,
While I do make sure to hit the G+ after every post, I’m still basically a lost lamb when it comes to G+. This will be another one of your posts that I will bookmark for reference.
Thanks Steven for the education,
Donald
Donald Thomas recently posted…7 Networking Tips For The Internet Marketer
Hi Donald,
Your welcome! Google + is great for many reasons but increasing our traffic is one of the best perks for sure.
Thanks for stopping by. Take care Donald!
Twitter: profitblitz
Thanks for this article Steven. I’m trying to get more involved with Google+, so this is definitely helpful for me.
Marc recently posted…10 Fantastic Email Marketing Tips from the Experts
Hi Marc,
I’m glad this was helpful to you!
Take Care.
Twitter: NandaRahmanius
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the tips.
I did have joined several Google+ communities, however, some points in this article has not occurred to me. So, I will try to implement it.
Thanks for sharing these tips with us, Steven.
I really appreciate it
Regards,
Nanda
Nanda Rahmanius recently posted…Great Internet Marketing Tips From The Pros
Twitter: coach2coachguy
Hey Steven!
Another truly excellent and insightful post! As much as it pains me to admit it, I too was basically spamming these communities initially!
Thinking that I was in fact sharing my content!
Now as a direct result of getting much better educated, because of social media marketing experts such as yourself and my coach and mentor Adrienne Smith, I’m starting to see the light and more importantly get the much desired results!
As you mentioned, results definitely take time, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run!!
Extremely practical, and very solid advice! Thanks!
Mark recently posted…Five Things You Might Seriously Consider Before You Hire A Top Web Design Company!
Hey Mark,
I definitely get where you are coming from. It can be easy to get caught up in the trap of to much self promotion! On the groups where you can get the most benefit, engaging will get you much further for sure. It has helped me learn a lot as well.
I use the word patience a lot. One thing I can say is that anything that is done ethically online takes time to achieve. We all want it now! More visitors, shares, followers and so on but the ones that we get doing things the right way will do much more for us in the long run!
Thanks for taking a look around and for another awesome comment!
I actually like Google groups much better than LinkedIn or even Facebook groups so this has been a nudge for me to get more involved in finding good Google groups.
Hi Akshay,
Yeah, Google+ communities are great and should surely be given a try! Thanks
Twitter: BAMoneyBlogger
Hi Steven
Google+ is I think among a few of social media which gives a DoFollow link to our blog. That is why its importance is quite higher than other social media.
You pointed right; readers engagement is the main criteria to see if we can get huge traffic from a particularly community.
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful and traffic-boosting post.
Mi Muba recently posted…A true story of a flop blogger to define blogging correctly
Hi Mi Muba,
I’m not sure about the Do Follow links but one reason that Google doesn’t use social media high in their raking factors is due to control and quality of the information they receive from the other social media sites. Well we know for sure that that is not a problem for them on Google + !
I understand the other social media sites not wanting to give up this information too. Why would you want to share this type of sensitive information with a competitor and one that is slowly but surely becoming one of the elite sites to use. Getting such quality traffic is a huge selling feature that many are continuing to notice.
Thanks for stopping by Mi Muba!
Yes, Google+ is best for SEO and SMO.
Hi Ravikant,
I agree. Google+ has plenty of benefits that is continuing to catch on.
Thanks Ravikant!
Twitter: kevinjduncan
Hey Steven,
I must admit to being slow getting into the whole Google+ Communities thing. I joined a few when I started really utilizing G+ back in May, but I really haven’t done much with them.
I’ll have to remedy this by using some of the tips in your post!
Have a good one, Steven…
Kevin Duncan recently posted…What Weird Al Yankovic can teach us about blogging
Hey Kevin,
Just like any social site it takes work but even with not having a huge following, I get tons of referrals by using Communities. G+ is my number source right now.
It is definitely worth giving it a shot!
Thanks Kevin. You have a good one as well…
Awesome Post stevan.
with Google PLus its really easy to drive traffic. g+ communities are good place for engagement. Most important. G+ traffic is human. Nospam and shitty bots.
Thanks for this awesome post.
Arpan recently posted…InInbox Review : Premium Email Marketing in small Budget
Hi Steven,
Feeling nice to comeback to your site once again.
Thanks again for this great topic and your great tips. Many congratulations,,, I can see you are doing very well.
Have a great week ahead!
Susanta recently posted…How Actor Robin Williams contributed to mankind
Hey Steven,
You have included nearly all the aspects of G+ and I must say that it really helps in traffic generation as per my personal experience. And even the Google is now giving preference in ranking the SERP positions.
Thank you for sharing.
~Mohd Arif Khan
Mohd Arif Khan recently posted…How To Drive Organic Search Traffic To Your Blog
Hey Mohd,
I appreciate the validation on the techniques I put in this post! I have noticed that Google is giving preference to our shared post in SERP’s as well. That is a pretty big bonus and shows the future potential that Google+ will do for us!
Thanks for stopping by Mohd!
Good enough you just posted a similar post to mine today. I posted how Google can help bloggers.google+ was one of the top service I listed. As a prove to what you just posted, I saw your post from Google +
Hi Andrew,
Great! It sounds like we agree and are on the same page when it comes to the power of Google +.
Thanks for stopping by Andrew. Take care…
Great post about Google+ communities. I just started my blog and stumbled across the communities. After following some of the tips you mention here, G+ has become my main source of referrals. I never thought I would like Google Plus but I am quickly changing my mind!
Hey Emily,
Google + is a great place for us. You can also start getting the benefits from Google + Communities from day one.
I’m glad that you found this post useful and have received results from its suggestions.
Have a great weekend Emily!
Hi Steven,
Thank you very much for sharing this simple but awesome tutorial…
I was planning to be active on G+ for last few weeks but was NOT able to make any plans…
Now after reading your post I am confident about it…
Regards…
Karmakar recently posted…Free Web Traffic, Enstine Muki’s Dream and My Visualization
Hi Karmakar,
You’re welcome! I am a huge fan of G+ and recommend it to everyone.
Even though I’m not in thousands of circles, these tips help me drive some targeted traffic right out the gate!
Thanks for the comment Karmakar!
Hey Steven,
First off, just finished reading your guest article at Adrienne Smith’s blog. That was really a great read
Now to your post here, I really have to thank you for putting up this post. I also was one of the many who gave little or no attention to Google plus. In fact the only reason why I even went ahead to create an account then was because it’s Google’s product
While I can’t really say I am fully knowledgeable about how best to get traffic from Google plus, I can at least say it has remained one of the traffic source to my blog and increasing that speed is what reading your article has done for me today!
Thanks so much for sharing this. Now I can go ahead and try join communities and see how it goes…
Do have a wonderful week ahead Steve.
Jackson
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Jackson Nwachukwu recently posted…A Blog Like an Eatery!
Hi Jackson,
I appreciate the kind words her and on Adrienne’s blog.
I am a huge G+ fan. It is my favorite social network and I use it more than any other. I find that the quality of traffic is much better there.
I am still learning things about G+ today. The great thing is that with not to much knowledge at all we can get huge perks for using the service!
I’m sure you will be happy with the boost you get from the Communities. Give it a go and let me know how it goes!
Let me know if you need anything. Take care…
Hi Steven,
This is my first time here. I came to know about you by Adrienne’s blog. You have done a nice post there. I really liked it.
This is also an amazing post. I heard from many expert bloggers that google plus is very best source to attract the large volume of traffic. I have already started with this trick since few weeks and it’s really booming. And I am improving my traffic with G+ communities.
Thanks for sharing this deep tutorial. This will be helpful for all who doesn’t aware about this. I will be sharing thisa with my network too.
Have a good day ahead!
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Nisha Pandey recently posted…An Open Discussion with the Founder of QUICKSPROUT: Neil Patel
Hi Nisha,
I appreciate you coming over to my blog.
Google + is a great place for tons of ‘Targeted’ traffic. I find that the type of visitors I get from G+ is of higher quality than many of the other platforms out there.
Glad to hear that the Communities are working for you!
I appreciate the share! You have a good rest of the week Nisha.
Hi Steven,
I made a commitment at the beginning of 2014 to dive into Google plus and stay there until it felt comfortable. It was my third or fourth time coming back to the platform – the first being when it began and one needed an invitation.
Once I made the jump (and stayed away from Facebook which was driving me crazy), I invested time every day to meeting people and understanding the culture of the platform.
I have to be truthful and let you know that I have not yet invested my time heavily in groups and communities as you suggest in this post, yet it appears like this is smart next step. The connections I’ve made in the past 9 months on G+ have been quite amazing and I can only imagine becoming more involved in a few highly target communities will only make it better.
Thanks for this valuable information Steven.
Warmly,
Deborah
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Deborah Tutnauer, MEd, MSW recently posted…{True Story} Car Thief on the Run in your Neighborhood – How a Moment of Creativity can Comfort, Calm and Inspire Your Entrepreneurial Business
Hey Deborah,
Well I can say one thing for certain. You have done an excellent job at growing your G+ followers in less than a year! Congratulations on that!
I just decided about a month ago to start to really focus on my followers count. I did pretty much to opposite of you. I pretty much just used the Communities for everything. Well I will still use them a lot but its time to build my own following now.
I’m glad we connected Deborah. You seem like an excellent person to get to know.
I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts with me. Have a great Friday!
Twitter: basicblogtalk
Thanks for sharing..! that is really nice article to me. actually, I spent more time on Facebook and group discussion. I feel like I am lacking the chance from Twitter and Google+. However, during this few week seem more active on twitter. The next step is Google+ community. Anyway, thanks for sharing the post..! It is so helpful to my plan.
Hi Kimsea,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article! I have been doing just the opposite. I actually just started to really dive into Facebook Groups. Excited to see how it works out.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a great rest of the week Kimsea!
Twitter: basicblogtalk
Thanks for responding, actually I just reading and I have no question yet. However, I will ask for that next time..!
Kimsea Sok recently posted…How Awesome to Join Our Best Blogging Community
Thanks Steven, I never thought Google+ is a good traffic source. But after this post, maybe I will give it a shot.
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Minh Vu recently posted…How to track website traffic using Google Analytics
Thanks! I’ve tried Google Communites and the biggest challenge for me is finding the right community for my blog. Often times, I find myself posting only to get the same few users constant +1 the post, but never getting any click-thru traffic. Do you have any suggestions on getting more clicks?
Victor chen recently posted…Everything to Know About SimCity BuildIt
Hi Victor,
I think the two most important things that will help with click throughs are your headlines an featured image. Get those two right, it will help tons.
I hope this helps.
Have a great rest of the week Victor!
Do you have tips on featured images? Where do you usually find them?
Victor Chen recently posted…2006 Toyota Camry Hybrid (8 Years and 135K Miles and Going)
I use Canva for my feature images. It doesn’t have to be over the top or anything. Try out Canva. Go through their tutorials. It’s very simple and easy to pick up on.
Thanks Steven! I’ll give canva a try!
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