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This isn't exactly "new", it's been like this for a week or more but when you search for popular brands in Google's search results, if they have Google+ Brand pages - the search results for that brand will add the Google+ information.
The added details include:
- Link to the Google+ Brand page
- Most recent Google+ post
- Most recent Google+ photo
A WebmasterWorld thread is waiting for Google Product Search and +Brand pages to be combined where searches for products return not just product images but Google+ data from the merchant/brand.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
Four to the 4
12/22/2011 01:40 pm
So in a sense Google leverage their search power to aid their social media venture. If having a G+ page helps you in SERPs then who isn't going to want one?
Nick Stamoulis
12/22/2011 02:23 pm
It only makes sense that Google would feature brand pages prominently in the search results. This will encourage more brands to set up Google+ accounts and be active in the social network, hopefully helping to grow the user base.
Warren Lowe
12/22/2011 04:06 pm
Its a clever idea to get brands to sign-up to +. however you cant be sure its permanent . They had the + button on search results for a while then removed it. Maybe its an experiment.
RogueMedia
12/22/2011 04:35 pm
If Google wants to compete with other social networks (Facebook), they'll need to do something in order to build a user base. Leveraging their dominance on the search engine market and creating a demand via search results is one way to do that.
Cassandra Mantis
12/23/2011 01:37 am
Facebook has over 800 million users. Google is trying to catch up. Get the big brands behind you and you get there faster. It makes sense. As for any possible hint that it is somehow bad or some kind of cheat - remember that Google helped reinvent Search and are pioneering this system and the Google Plus Network. Why didn't Yahoo come up with this idea? I am not a total fan of every thing Google has done in its life time, but I will give them credit for its joined-up thinking. The kind of clever thinking Apple is usually good at.
Megan
12/26/2011 06:10 am
I think google should keep a special link for brands where all branded sites can be listed under
Ori_Zilbershtein
12/26/2011 07:08 am
i always knew Google is the best ! it is going to ruin Facebook's Christmas