Setting Up Direct Connect
Direct Connect is a feature in Google Search that enables people to search for your brand’s Google+ Page. They do this by typing a + symbol and the name of your brand, so if they type +pepsi, Google returns the Google+ Page at the top of the suggested search options (as shown in Figure 16-10). If you type +pepsi into Google Search and press Enter or Return, you are taken straight to the Google+ Page.
FIGURE 16-10 A Direct Connect result for a search.
Setting up Direct Connect requires you to add a piece of code to your web page. The next time Google Search crawls your site, it adds the Direct Connect details to Google Search.
Follow these steps to set up Direct Connect:
1. Visit https://developers.google.com/+/plugins/badge.
2. Copy the Direct Connect code from the text box (as shown in Figure 16-11).
3. Paste the code into the <head> area of your website.
It may take a while for Google to crawl your website and the Direct Connect link to work.
FIGURE 16-11 Include this code in your website for Direct Connect.