Google Friend Connect – Features and Benefits

Leave it to Google to come up with yet another way to use this search engine giant and their services for SEO and internet marketing. One of their latest is Google Friend Connect. This gadget can be used either on a Blogger blog or a website.

In a nutshell, Google’s Friend Connect is a way to present a list of people following your blog or site. A little icon of each person’s avatar appears in the gadget.

When you click on the avatar, it brings up that follower’s Google account “About Me” information, their list of links (such as their own website or blog URL), and a listing of other sites they follow. Click their avatar one more time and their Google account page will appear.

In order for their information to appear in the widget, the follower must specify that they want to follow your site publicly, versus privately.

Using Friend Connect For Marketing And SEO

There are several advantages of adding Google Friend Connect to your site.

If you already enjoy a good number of subscribers, your site’s popularity is reflected in the list of names on this gadget. It’s a fact of human nature that we tend to follow the crowd and a popular blog will attract more followers than a stagnant one.

If you properly market the addition of this gadget on your site, it is bound to attract even more followers. This creates the feel of a community where like-minded fans can gather and read your latest content, and comment in response to each other.

In terms of direct marketing, Google Friend Connect offers a real opportunity. It lets you communicate with your followers. While you don’t directly get access to their email address, you can click on their links and look there for that information.

Start by sending them a personalised, private message. From there, you can ask if they wanted to be added to your newsletter mailing or if they want further information in the form of a sales letter, etc. There are many ways to nurture the relationship.

Adding Google Friend Connect

Adding the Friend Connect widget to your Blogger blog couldn’t be easier. Simply click on the layout link from your dashboard. Select “add gadget” and you will find this new one at the top of the list. The only options are for changing the colours.

Of course, Google recommends you add the widget to the top of your blog sidebar to make it more noticeable but it is doubtful whether this will really make it more effective. They also suggest that you create a post which specifically draws visitors’ attention to this new addition to your blog.

To add Google Friend Connect to your website, there are a few additional steps to go through. There are two files you must download and then upload to your web server site. Google will provide you with the code that has to be included on your site’s page(s). After that, you can customise some of the settings.

Google’s new Friend Connect gadget is just one more way to add some good SEO to your site. It also presents a new marketing opportunity that is easy to use.