Brands will be able to use the functionality of Google+ Pages, allowing people to recommend pages with +1, add brands into circles to keep up to date with news and updates and use Google+ Hangouts, allowing a brands staff to have one-on-one or group conversations with customers online.

The launch brands include Burberry, O2, Angry Birds, Chelsea Football Club, Barcelona Football Club, Save The Children, Mail Online, Mumsnet and The Muppets, but the functionality is now open for all brands to set up a page.

Alex Pearmain, O2 UK head of social media, said, “We’re always looking to get closer to our customers, and share more with them. Google + has kicked off with a nice looking user experience, and it’ll be interesting to see if it becomes a mainstream route for customer engagement.”

One of the key attractions for businesses is the link with search. Google has announced two ways in which the pages will be linked to its search functionality, first by including Google+ pages in search results, and second, the launch of Direct Connect, which enables people to follow a brand instantly.

Direct Connect allows people to automatically follow a brand by typing a + before the brand name into search results. It is currently only on a small number of pages, including Pepsi and Toyota.

Paul Armstrong, head of social media at Mindshare, said, “The unique search functionality of Direct Connect integrates with the dominating search engine (and an array of other Google products) which is a major differentiator for brands compared with other platforms out there. It’s been an incredible start for a platform that is 100 days old. Mindshare client Ford has been using Google+ since launch and has been using it to talk to a variety of fans across the world.”