Google made the announcement yesterday on Google+.
There is a short turnaround for applications. Google is only accepting applications through January 3, 2016.
They are looking for advisors in a wide range of topic areas, including SEOs. I just hope they choose those SEOs very, very carefully, because it would be a shame for a bad SEO, especially one who is a spammer, to be able to show off that badge to get new clients.
Here are the areas they are looking for experts in:
HR / PeopleOps
Graphic / Web Design
Publicity / PR
Email Marketing
Motivational / Coaching
Digital Advertising
Accounting
Social Media Marketing
Green Biz
SEO / SEM
Video
Legal
It is worth noting that advisors are not paid, but they do get a badge they can use that shows they are a Google Small Business Advisor, along with unnamed perks.
This is a volunteer position, with no promises of compensation. There may be opportunities for the Google Small Business Community to offer other (non-monetary) benefits to the Advisor, but none are promised.
The Advisor is allowed to publicize that they are a Google Small Business Community Advisor, and a badge (or logo) will be provided for use on websites, social profiles, and other collateral. Advisor agrees to use said badge only in outlined instances and in accordance with outlined rules; please contact the team for specific concerns.
There are some significant participation rules for those who are chosen, so be aware that for some people, it could become a time issue. But the perks would probably outweigh the time commitment to become one of their Small Business Advisors.
The Advisor is expected to participate in the community a minimum of two times per week; participation in the community includes creating a new post, or contributing comments to existing posts by other members.
Emails and tags on G+ will be responded to within a reasonable time frame (generally one business day)
The Advisor will maintain a professional and friendly tone when communicating with community members.
There may be up to one additional request per 2 quarters for additional content; it may be an op-ed article, a Hangout on Air, online Q+A, Twitter chat panel participation, or other activity as requested by the community.
This Advisor term is set to run through Dec. 31, 2016
If you are interested in applying, don’t delay, as the deadline is this weekend. You can find the full application here.
Jennifer Slegg
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