Google+ has managed to catch up with major social networking platforms like Facebook over the past year and is quickly becoming a major player in online communication. With many features similar to that of Facebook as well as Twitter, Google held back for some time in its attempt to build a social platform that is more agile and simpler than its two predecessors. If you have been pondering how to expand your Google+ following, look no further. Here are a few simple tips to quickly (and for free) expand your clout and bring into the fold more interested acquaintances and friends.

People Search

Sounds simple, right? Well, you will want to refine your search to include people who are interested in the same topics and categories that you are in order to gain maximum exposure for yourself and your website/business. By logging into your Google Plus account, selecting the Circles tab and clicking on Find People, you can quickly find like-minded individuals to add to your circles. You can also use existing email contacts to find possible contacts; simply import your email list into Google Plus to see everyone who currently is signed up. You can also invite those who have not joined to sign up.

Returning the Follow Favour

You will have most likely seen individuals add you to their Google Plus circles for various reasons. Maybe you have friends in common or perhaps you have a similar interest. Whatever the reason, it is always a good idea to return the favour by following them as well. This is not only polite but will also expand your clout among those in that person’s circles who may also share similar interests with you. Those who do not return the favour may find that the people who have followed them will proceed to unfollow them in the future.

Share Unique Content

If you want to attract people to your Google Plus profile, then pinging YouTube videos, infographics and other forms of interesting content may be just the thing you need to do. By constantly producing valuable information – whether it is your own or is simply being re-distributed – you will find that more and more people will interact with your page. As time goes on, this will make it more likely that your content is shared by those following you. This in turn will lead to those in your circles sharing the content with their friends and acquaintances and hopefully will translate into you receiving more followers.

Add Share Buttons to Your Site

If you operate a website or business, then you can benefit by adding Google Plus sharing buttons to your pages. By combining this tactic with great content, you can encourage viewers who you may not connect with otherwise to share your content and begin following you or your webpage’s Google Plus profile. This tactic can prove to be beneficial on more than one front as visitors may end up sharing and liking any additional multimedia listed on the page, pinging YouTube videos and other forms of content higher up in search results.