As you are well aware now, Google launched the Google Plus, or Google+, social network a couple weeks ago for field testing. As of right now, Google+ is by invite only, not fully available to the public. Registrations are in the millions, but Google is still controlling  the total number of users on the platform while it works out early kinks.

Still, even with this slow rollout, many wedding pros are wondering what the significance of this new network is and how Google Plus will affect their bridal business.

My take? It will affect your search engine rankings.

Social Search

Social search is the new, evolved form of traditional search engine querying. Social search serves the same purpose as traditional search, helping brides find what they are looking for. The primary difference is that social search factors in the social influence of a website or company or piece of content and traditional search doesn't.

So, instead of your wedding website showing up in the search engines due to factors like keywords and PageRank alone, now it will show up higher when you also have a strong social influence in your network.

Why Google Plus for Bridal Businesses?

Google Plus is Google's way of breaking into the social sphere so that is can monitor what types of content are being shared socially and what seems to be most popular. Google will then use this data to rank certain webpages and brands higher in its search results pages, or SERPs.

By observing what types of links, videos, articles and photos are shared (how often and by whom), Google can factor in the social popularity of a given piece of content. Which, of course, will lead to that content getting ranked higher in search engines when the keywords associated with it are used.

But Google can also factor in the popularity of an individual or brand. Using a mix of metrics, such as followers, "plus one" votes and viral content, Google can now use the Google+ network to find out how influential and 'significant' you are online. And, in turn, this could affect how important Google views anything you share to be. 

What This Means for You

Google is going to be using its Google+ network to pick up 'social signals' that influence your website and your content's rank in search engines, not to mention your G+ profile itself. Over time, your page rankings will go up or down depending on how well you are engaging on the G+ network.

So here's what to do:

• Open your account on Google+ or ask someone for an invite
• Start building up a network in your niche on Google+
• Start using your keywords on Google+
• Start engaging your network and creating interaction on Google+
• Share viral-worthy content and webpages on Google+ that will get passed along and "Plus One'd" (that's like a vote or a 'like')