Google Buzz and SEO
1. indexing – Nobody expected Google to ignore the data coming in from Buzz. The most logical step is to use it for quick indexing of new content. I’ll test that but others have already written that Google will index links you post on Buzz. So to get a new page indexed post it on Buzz or better include a buzz button.
2. keyword research – Use buzzzy.com, the third party Google Buzz search engine to find out currently popular keywords. They’re displayed right on the homepage as “popular searches”
3. link building – This is obvious: Google Buzz does not use “nofollow” as Google moves away from this mistake of the past. The nofollow attribute backfired for Google as they can’t index most links these days. Thus they’ve decided not to cripple their own site at least. Twitter adds nofollow to all links in tweets by now, even those to your tweets and profile. Some people only add their Twitter feed to Buzz in order to get it properly indexed and followed.
4. real time search – Google Buzz items don’t appear correctly in real time results on Google yet but they surely will soon. I guess it’s one of the main reasons Google introduced Buzz, to compete with Twitter etc. for attention. So if you care about timely or real time results start using Buzz.
5. personal branding - Buzz is very closely connected to your Google Profile. Indeed it even hijacks it as Danny Sullivan calls it. It’s a double edged sword but you can use to your won advantage as well. Choose your buzzes wisely only buzzing the quality stuff and keep the chatter on Twitter and this way you can brand yourself as an expert via your Google Profile. On Twitter the links you post get forgotten almost immediately, on Buzz each time someone comments they end up on top again. So a great item might get attention over and over.
6. microblogging – While most people compare Buzz to Twitter and Facebook it’s in reality rather a Tumblr and Posterous rival. It’s good for content you just drop quick and dirty without much fuss. Tumblr and Posterous are still much better but Google is bigger. So choose one. Why use microblogging at all? Consider this buzz of mine where I ridicule a SEO spammer. This is not the kind of quality content I’ll post on a regular blog and it’s too long for Twitter. It’s an ideal chunk for Buzz.
7. content creation – I’d call it content theft but when Google does it it can’t be bad can it? You can repost whole blog posts via Google Reader. As Google facilitates that you can now share (steal) content and get away with it.
8. crowdsourcing - Crowdsourcing on Twitter is great because of the easy to use nature of it, the critical mass and the responsiveness of real followers. It’s annoying to have to post tweets over and over to make people contribute though. On Buzz one item will suffice. Additions get collected as comments and each time a new comment comes in the item ends up on top of your Google Buzz interface. Isn’t that much more convenient?
9. multi-platform publishing – In case you don’t care for duplicate content and you are rather keen on getting seen everywhere Buzz is is your friend among other services. I expect Ping.fm and similar services to support Buzz and then it can become another channel for your content. I’m not a friend of this type of cross-posting but I even know non SEO people who do that. Why publish only in one volatile place or use several services each of them separately? Isn’t it a waste. I can’t argue with that.
10. life streaming – Those of you who already have used Friendfeed now what I’m talking about. You can use Buzz as a life streaming tool as well adding your contributions and content from elsewhere. It doesn’t support as many services as FF but I guess it soon will. So in case you don’t use Friendfeed or like me you’re to seldom actually visit their site you might consider Buzz for life streaming instead.
All in all you can do things with Buzz you can do elsewhere as well. Buzz does not excel at any one of these disciplines, Twitter, Tumblr und Friendfeed are better and more specialized applications. On the other hand, Google Buzz is an all-rounder allowing you to do several things in one place.
