Google Plus for Artists – How to Setup an Awesome About Page

The About page is the most important part of a Google+ profile. A completed About page will help achieve higher rankings in Google search. Completing the Contributor section will help in claiming authorship of blogs and articles you write online. A good cover photo and well written Introduction section will entice visitors to follow you.

I recently updated my own Google+ about page (finally!), and thought I would share with you some tips on completing your own.

For some reasons why we recommend Google+ for artists, please refer to this article:
4 Good Reasons Artists Should Use Google+ for Promoting Art

 

For this tutorial, I will assume that you already have a Google+ account. If you do not have one yet, please refer to our previous tutorial: Google+ is an Amazing Place for Artists

1. Google+ Cover Photo

   
   If you haven’t visited Google+ for awhile, you will notice that the new cover photo is dramatically bigger. The last one was made up of 5 small images displayed horizontally, and was very restricting in what one could display. The cover photo now takes up most of the screen, and measures 2120 x 1192 pixels. This is massive! My cover photo is displayed below, and can be found at my Google+ profile here: Graham Matthews
   
   
   
   The general consensus is that this is too big. But, I see this a great opportunity, especially for artists, to display their best artworks (or a single artwork) at the top of their Google+ profile. I would recommend working from a template though to make efficient use of the space. For Photoshop users, search for free Google+ cover photo PSD templates to find a list of templates for creating a Google+ cover photo. A basic Photoshop template for your Google+ profile can be found here.
   
   Not long ago, I published a tutorial on creating a Facebook cover photo collage using Picasa. The same tutorial can be used to create an awesome Google+ cover photo. When you get to the part about selecting the dimensions, simply make it 2120 x 1192 px.
   
   

2. Google Plus Profile picture

   
   The profile image now appears circular in shape, though in search results it appears square. For logos, this can present a problem with white space appearing around the sides. You will either have to make your logo smaller, or use a different profile image. Also, make sure your profile photo stands out from the cover photo background.
   
   Google recommends that the profile image be a good clear photo of your face, as this is what Google uses in search results (though mine is not!). Use an image which has the minimum dimensions 250 x 250 px.
   
   

3. Google Plus Story

   
   This section is made up of three parts: tagline, introduction and bragging rights. Click the edit link to add your own information here.
   
   The tagline is a short statement or summary of what you are about. The more lengthy and keyword rich the introduction, the better. The more you include here, the easier it will be for people to find you.
   
   An interesting profile will also influence more people to follow. Include a short bio, your artist statement, and whatever other information is relevant.
   
   

4. Google+ Work

   
   Just like on your Facebook profile there is a way to set your Facebook page as your employer (Add Employer to Facebook), you can set your employer at Google+ to be your website.
   
   Whenever I see someone post something, I often hover over their name. The popup reveals a smaller image of the cover photo and profile picture, an excerpt from the tagline and employer, and where they live.
   
   So, for the employment here, I conveniently placed Artpromotivate.com.
   
   If other employers are listed in this place, only the first one will be displayed in the popup preview.
   
   
   
   
   

5. Google Plus Links

   
   The links section consists of Other profiles, Contributor to and Links. In Other Profiles, simply list other social networks such as Pinterest, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Google makes it easy for you by automatically finding your other profiles on the web. Simply select the ones you want to include.
   
   The Contributor to is the most important section here, especially if you are a blogger or website owner. You can list all the sites which you personally own. This will help Google+ establish you as the author at these locations. Sites and blogs with Google authorship are known to appear higher in search results.
   
   Finally, for the Links section you can list some of your favorite websites and recommendations.

 

That’s all for setting up your Google+ profile page. The other sections such as Education, People and Places are very straight forward. If you are new to Google+, I recommend not showing your followers (People) just yet. Leave this for when you have gathered a large amount of followers, as this will leave a better impression.

If you have a Google+ profile, you are welcome to mention it below in the comments. Also please tell us what you like most about Google+.

Find my Google+ profile here: Graham Matthews 
Check out my completed About page by clicking the About link at the top of that page.

This is the Google+ page for Artpromotivate, which I will be updating soon with a new, much better cover photo.