Google+ Faces Precarious Future as Google Plans Major Changes
“Google+ is not dead” insists Bradley Horowitz, the man behind Google’s campaign to turn their ailing social media format around. Whilst it’s alive for the moment, G+ remains an anomaly for an enormously successful company. For now, Google’s foray into social media is considered a dismal failure, and whatever they throw at the format doesn’t seem to drum up online interest.
Arguably, the main issue has been shifting users away from the highly accessible Facebook. Many industry insiders, however, would likely suggest Google+ simply doesn’t have enough mainstream appeal. What is clear is Google will be developing a wave of updates to kick-start the format into what they hope will be a resurgent 2015.
Ongoing Problems
One brief scan of Google, ironically, displays what the online community makes of the G+ dilemma. Headlines such as “Google+ is slowly being killed,” “It’s the beginning of the end for Google+,” “Google Erases Google+ Links From Search,” and “Demise of Google+ begins” adorn search result pages.
Ever since its inception, the service simple hasn’t sparked widespread praise or interest. Despite regular efforts to alter this state of affairs (including making G+ part of YouTube, an update which simply outraged a lot of YouTube users), interest has never been particularly high. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, and even Pinterest have dominated social media news, with G+ appearing sporadically as journalists reminded the World Wide Web how it wasn’t doing as well as it should be.
Despite regular updates (and a widely praised photo feature) most social media users have stayed with Facebook et al, whilst G+ is considered something of ghost town where few browsers communicate.
It would be unfair to place all blame on Google for this, as tearing users away from the phenomenal success of Facebook is an almost impossible challenge. Google’s assault on the market, however, has been fraught with disinterest and criticisms.
Rumours have abounded this year Google could be set to buy Twitter (although nothing has emerged from this story, yet), indicating the dissatisfaction the search giant has with Google+. This has led to suggestions Google could call time on the service, but with Bradley Horowitz now in charge, there are a new set of ambitious plans on the way.
Splitting the Service
Google has always been supportive of the format which has, at the very least, found a cult audience. Their refusal to close it down has led to a string of new updates over the years, with Bradley Horowitz spearheading the latest batch. He has stated major changes are coming soon in an interview with BackChannel, where he said of Google+: “It’s got more signs of life than it’s had in some time.”
According to Horowitz, “It’s fair to say you’re about to see a huge shift in what Plus is becoming.” He added, “It’s a shift in response to what users are telling us. That’s a very healthy and natural thing. As opposed to sticking to strategies of years ago, we’re actually adapting to how the product is successful in market and doubling-down on that.”
The first change has already occurred—it separated the pictures element of G+ into a new service. Google Photos is a standalone images app the equivalent of Instagram or Pinterest (it allows an unlimited memory database for users). Horowitz has stated it’s effectively Gmail for a person’s images and videos.
G+ received an update this week with a few tweaks to the service, visibly so for Android users. However, there have been some changes which have made G+ less prominent to the rest of the internet. Most notably, Google has kicked the + icon off its homepage, which was at first considered a fairly ominous sign for the much beleaguered service. Google explained it was about “simplifying the user interface.”
It's all change, but what has to be remembered, irrespective of the problems Google+ has faced, is how effective it can be in promoting your business, and keeping it in a positive light when search by Google's algorithms.
Benefits for Businesses
Despite its reputation as something of a failure, G+ does have a lively community which any business can tap into. It’s worth reminding companies of this because it offers excellent traffic-building opportunities.
On an SEO front, the format provides numerous advantages. As well as being recognised by Google’s algorithms simply by having a company account, everything a business posts is indexed by Google, which directly influences search results—search and develop your keywords to take full advantage.
For many businesses, testimonials are a vital part of developing a strong reputation to push forward sales and business objectives. Google Local offers this service, and you need to be on Google+ to access it. Receiving strong reviews has obvious benefits, but in SERPs (through these positive reviews) Google will place businesses favourably based on scores.
The social element to G+ provides link building and social sharing opportunities aplenty. Join relevant Communities, contribute, be active, and the results can be tremendous. Through features such as Hangouts On Air (HOA) allow you to connect with your audience, and again Google Local puts you quite literally on the your local map.
Whilst it's not as effective as the likes of Facebook and Twitter, it's a social media tool which absolutely must be used, even if this is only in a simplistic way. Based on Google's assertion they're not done with Google+, it would be wise to keep your account up-to-date, active, and continue taking full advantage of its benefits.
