With the Google Plus dust having settled a bit and the newness somewhat worn off, you might be wondering if Google Plus is really worth your time.

You already know that sharing articles or blog posts with your Google Plus Circles is helpful with SEO. You’ve read that your Google Plus profile is the ideal method for establishing your Rel=Authorship markup for your site. And you’re aware of the differences in search results between a person’s Google Plus profile being chosen vs not.

In addition to those compelling reasons for joining and engaging on Google Plus, here are 4 more.

1. Search, Plus Your World Have you noticed this blue “person” icon in your search results? It signifies that people you are connected to via Google Plus circles have shared this page. This also means that the more people you are connected to via Google Plus circles, the better your chances are for showing up as well-ranked in more Google searches.
2. Keywords where it counts Building out your Google Plus profile allows you to select the proper keywords you would like associated with yourself with regard to search.
3. Identifying social influencers The insight gleaned from viewing your Google Ripples helps you to know who is sharing your content the most often and whose sharing has the greatest impact for you. Identifying top influencers may also help you to focus your social media efforts on those who matter the most.
4. It’s not Facebook This may seem like an odd and obvious statement, but many of the changes taking place at Facebook seem to favor only the biggest brands (with the largest pocketbooks). Google Plus users – especially small business owners – don’t have to worry about things like EdgeRank, competition from premium ads nor cluttered streams.

If you’ve decided Google Plus may be worth your time, be sure to add a Google Plus button to your sidebar to encourage others to circle you.