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Google has a secret algorithm that it uses to determine websites' rankings, but did you also know that Google loves all things Google and relevant to Google?

Although there has been much discussion on this topic and many a complaint regarding this fact we could potentially go on forever about it. However, one thing that does strike a chord and also should be noted is that Google does not hide this fact. There are many Google toys and tools that businesses can all use to their Google ranking advantage. And to use these tools would equate to Google looking at your site in a more favourable way as opposed to other sites that don't.

A prime example of the above information would be Google Maps/Google Places. A fantastic quick tool for business that trade in a specific location can use to their full advantage. For example, when searching for a school in Kendal, you will see that Google Maps comes up and lists the schools in that area and the surrounding areas. One thing to note however is that this does not apply to web businesses such as web design companies, internet marketing companies etc.

A secondary example is the wonderful world of YouTube. As we struggle to get some keywords ranking in the first page of Google, we must take into account that Google loves to display YouTube videos that are relevant to that term in the first page, before other results. And Google also just so happens to own the wonderful website that is YouTube, how wonderful. You can benefit from using this YouTube site even if in the immediate vicinity this mean that it's helping Google rank higher initially, the long term results and effect on your website by using this service is far greater than not.
So needless to say if we follow the above examples the picture begins to clarify and a pattern begins to emerge. There really is no point discussing further examples as we would be here all day! Google+ has introduced a whole new realm of SEO possibilities based on getting found via Google's own properties. For starters, Google now ranks all Google+ results and more often than not, tend to appear in the first page.
Google gave an initial insight prior to the launch of Google+ their understanding was that would assist people in searching. Users giving a site a +1 would mean that this site is recommended and if it's good enough to get a +1 then surely it's good enough to get a good ranking and therefore climb the engines ladder. Direct Connect lets consumers find your brand's page pretty easily from the Google search box.
The Google "freshness" update highlights the fact that Google is now turning it's attentions to new and up to date information. Pages that are new can't always be found in the rankings but using Google+ the updates tend to be recent, and can be very rich in content, depending on how much you put into them. They can also spark conversations and sharing, which should all help your cause.
As the Twitter craze came about the plan was to use Google+ to replace it's Twitter competitor within real-time search, Google is failing its mission in search without it. So you can bet that this will come back sooner or later. It also has trending topics and there is no doubt that it will find itself within the user search experience in one form or another.

Your Google+ profile can be optimised itself; Kristi Hines at Search Engine Watch has a great article on this. She shares a n image of this that certainly drives the point home for us. It has become apparent that the content of your profile is really rather important in the searches itself. There is also a video available by Matt Cutts from last year discussing this prior to launch. Maybe worth watching.

In the video Matt says "We're also trying to figure out a little bit about the reputation of an author or creator on Twitter or Facebook," he says. Also enter authorship mark-up. Google has been pushing this as a way for content authors to send Google direct signals that content is indeed connected to them specifically. Now, we see author pictures appearing next to Google search results on page one all the time. And guess what those link to? The Google+ profile. By the way, Google also recently added circle counts and comments to authorship.

Google+ Pages are of course available now for businesses. If you haven't started using them, what are you waiting for? And don't be like other who set one up only to not add any content. It's not worked so well for them so far. And don't forget about the analytical benefits you can get from Google+.

At BlogWorld a couple weeks ago, Chris Brogan said, "Google doesn't index all of Facebook right now. It's a lost cause for SEO, they're also no longer indexing Twitter. Google does index anything publicly for Google+".

One thing you will do well to keep in mind is that "Google+ is Google." This is a mentality that Google has expressed on more than one occasion. If you're ignoring Google+, you're ignoring Google. Remember, if you want Google to RESPECT you (give you more search visibility), you should probably respect Google and the means you're given. Google+ is only going to get more integrated with every aspect of Google.