Google+

What Was Google+?

Google+ (pronounced “Google Plus”) was a social networking platform launched by Google in June 2011. Its primary goal was to compete with other established social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. It offered unique features like Circles for grouping contacts, Hangouts for video chats, and integration with Google’s services, making it a significant part of the company’s ecosystem.

Despite its promising start, Google+ struggled to gain traction and was eventually shut down for consumer use in April 2019.

Key Features of Google+

1. Circles:

Users could organize contacts into distinct groups (e.g., friends, family, colleagues) and share content only with specific groups, enhancing privacy and personalization.

2. Hangouts:

A video chat feature for both casual conversations and business meetings.

3. Groups:

Users could join or create groups to discuss topics of common interest, facilitating community engagement.

4. Integration with Google Services:

Google+ was connected to other Google products like Gmail, YouTube, and Google Photos.

5. +1 Button:

Similar to Facebook’s “Like” button, the +1 button allowed users to endorse content. These +1s were believed to influence search rankings, though their exact effect was unclear.

Google+ and SEO Impact

During its existence, Google+ had a notable (though short-lived) influence on SEO, primarily through its integration with Google’s broader ecosystem. Here are some of the key ways Google+ interacted with search engine optimization:

1. AuthorRank and Authorship Markup

• AuthorRank: Google introduced the concept of AuthorRank, linking content to its authors through their Google+ profiles. This was aimed at associating content with credible authors.

• Authorship Markup: By using the rel=”author” tag, content creators could connect their articles to their Google+ profiles. This was believed to improve visibility and credibility in search results, making content from authoritative sources more likely to rank higher.

• Discontinued Authorship Markup: Google discontinued this feature in 2014, signaling a shift in how content authority was assessed.

2. Social Signals and SEO

• Though Google never officially confirmed the influence of social signals (e.g., +1s, shares) on rankings, many in the SEO community believed that content engagement through Google+ played a role in improving visibility and driving traffic to content.

• Content shared on Google+ could also appear in the search results of users connected to the sharer, providing a more personalized search experience.

The Decline of Google+

Despite its initial promise, Google+ struggled for several reasons, which ultimately led to its shutdown:

1. User Confusion and Redundancy: Many users found Google+ unnecessary, especially given the dominance of platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

2. Security Breach: A data breach in 2018 exposed millions of user profiles, causing significant damage to its reputation.

3. Lack of Unique Value: Google+ failed to offer distinctive features or incentives to attract users away from established social networks.

After the breach, Google announced the shutdown of Google+ for consumer use in October 2018, and it was officially closed in April 2019. A version for enterprise users (G Suite customers) continued until 2020, but it was ultimately discontinued.

Lessons Learned from Google+

• User Adoption is Key: No matter how innovative a platform is, its success heavily depends on user adoption. Without a compelling reason for people to leave their preferred platforms, Google+ couldn’t gain the needed traction.

• Clear Value Proposition: Platforms need a clear and consistent value proposition to differentiate themselves. Google+ was part of a broader strategy to consolidate Google’s products but didn’t offer enough unique appeal.

• SEO Integration: Even though Google+ failed to become a mainstream social platform, its influence on local SEO and content authorship continues to resonate in how content is linked to its creator.

Final Thoughts on Google+

Google+ may have been an ambitious failure, but its impact on SEO, especially through AuthorRank and social signals, was significant at the time. It demonstrated the potential for social media platforms to influence search results but also highlighted the importance of user adoption and platform differentiation. While Google+ itself is gone, the lessons from its rise and fall continue to shape how Google integrates social and search.