Using Google+ is becoming increasing important for business as Google continues to make its new social network more integrated into search results. For many, Google+ is still a new frontier in the social media realm, but Google makes it easy to get on Google+ and start interacting.

Below are five Google + tips for beginners, whether you are seeking new friends, new customers or new visitors to your website:

#1. Target Your Circles.

Google + operates differently from Facebook, and it can serve as a means for you to expand your network beyond friends and family you know in real life to people who share similar activities or interests. This is one of the most basic of Google+ tips for beginners.

Using Google+ searches, you can find people who have similar political, sports, writing, or business interests as your own, and you can monitor and engage on their Google+ thread by “circling” them and placing them into a specific “circle”. It can be a unique way to make new friends or contacts for the future, which is a key for any business.

#2. Write Interesting Content.

You probably want your information to be shared to the public, which is what makes writing interesting content so important. When someone enjoys reading what you have written, they are more likely to share it with others, and that means your message gets out to more readers.

If you have a blog or are seeking to promote a business, this is a very good and important tactic when it comes to Google+. With its “circles”, you can target your content to the people that would likely be most interested in what you have to share.

#3. Use Original Content.

While interesting content is good enough, it should be something original. People are more likely to want to read your posts if they don’t contain writing they can find elsewhere. Original content also helps you maintain a consistent theme and tone because they are your own, and can help you build your following, and having them share with their circles what you have shared.

#4. Comment Liberally.

You like to receive comments on your posts on Google+, and so do others. People are more likely to comment or share your posts if you have done the same for them. While comments are great to get recognition from people within your own Google + circle, they also serve as a means of expanding it as friends of friends spot your comments and choose to follow your thread as well based upon what they have read in your comments. In addition to posts, you can also add a +1 to comments showing that you like would people have to say.

Remember that comments that are funnier or more insightful are more likely to expand your own Google+ circle than quick one-liners or some equivalent of the Facebook “Like.” Be engaging and interesting, and you could find yourself with a broad network whom could become friends, business contacts or blog readers.

#5. Find Groups and Interact.

Locating and joining groups or clicks on Google + can help you to expand your online network. These groups form because they have similar interests, and you will be able to recognize which of these groups would interest and welcome you the most.

For example, if you have a green business and are seeking new readers, you can almost certainly find multiple groups on Google + with similar interests such as environmentalists and make friends who can turn into regular visitors to your site. The same goes for almost any business, and of course, it’s always true of just making new friends.

Google+ is much more than just another social network. The company with about 80% of the U.S. search engine market backs it. If you generate sales through search traffic, the time to get on Google+ is now.