There has been a lot of news on the Google front lately. We’d like to run through a few of its social media products with helpful updates we’ve been sharing with small businesses.

1) YouTube – One Channel vs. Partner Program.

YouTube’s new “One Channel” layout offers a different layout, with a chance for you to display a trailer to visitors who haven’t already subscribed to your channel — as a great way to entice them to become subscribers. Here’s an example of a One Channel YouTube, um, channel.

As you can see, the background is removed completely and in place it uses a Google+/Facebook cover type layout. The perk is that this cover will be used across all YouTube applications—mobile to desktop—which is great for branding.

Now, this example is a special layout for users participating in the YouTube Partner Program. It has a larger header with basic HTML capabilities to embed unlimited amount of links. Brands can get highly creative on this layout but then again, it will only be viewable on web/desktop.

Here’s a specs guideline from YouTube on One Channel.

2) Google+ changed its dimensions of Google+ header images.

As we all experience with all social networks, they are constantly evolving. Google+ recently updated the header feature for Google+ profiles. This larger piece of real estate can provide an enhanced visual display for your followers.

3) Google Reader

The news of Google Reader going away has been a controversial topic for some time. Just to recap, for those who have used Google Reader to keep track of your news feeds, you’ll have to find something new. According to Google, the Google Reader will come to an end July 1, 2013 — due to decreased usage, and what Google claims to be a better focus on fewer product offerings. Google says they’ll offer a three-month window before closing it down, so you’ll have some time to find yourself another feed reader without losing all your feeds first.

4) Other Google buzzwords…the “a” word…”authorship.”

Want a great way to get more followers on Google+? Sign up for Google Authorship and help make your content more discoverable. Google uses author information associated with their Google+ profiles in search results, meaning content produced by writers with personal Google+ profiles linking website/blog content to their profiles will be more widely visible.

In addition to this search, results with the author’s photo displayed are more eye-catching to users and have more likeability to be clicked on. Using Google+ Authorship also draws in readers and helps them connect with authors — you — in a more engaging way than before.

To claim, follow these instructions.

Are there any other Google updates you have questions about?

PS Did you catch the April Fools joke by Google? They launched “Treasure Maps” 🙂

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