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Is Google Plus DEAD? not according to Google

posted in: NEWS, Social Media 8

is Google Plus dead?

Google Plus launched in 2011 was Google’s attempt to combat the rise of Facebook and Twitter. The platform was very clever in its design in that it let you create Circles to share your content to. It was and still is a very flexible way of sharing.

You could share to everyone or drill down to a specific niche or to even just a single follower. But it wasn’t the approach that the Facebook and Twitter generation was used to. There was a learning curve to embrace. Consequently, Google Plus is seen as a failure by just about anyone that you talk to. If you do talk to someone who is a member they will say something along the lines of “Google Plus was good but?” they may even try to tell you that Google Plus is dead.

So is Google Plus dead and buried?

It would appear not because G+ is now looking for beta testers to test drive new features.

Google+ is still alive, and looking for beta testers to try out new features

Google Plus Recruits Beta Testers

While Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and other major social platforms regularly hit the headlines, Google+ tends to keep rather a low profile these days. Indeed, you’d be forgiven for wondering if Google’s social network was still going.

G+ made their announcement on Google Plus, no surprises there and then across their social channels.

 

Google by numbers

Total number of Google+ active members 375,000,000
Total number of unique Google+ monthly visits 27,000,000
Average time spent on Google+ per visit 3:46
Percent of online adults that visit Google+ at least once a month 22 %
Percent of smartphone users that use the Google+ app at least once a month 30 %
Average sales order for a visitor referred from Google+ $40
Google’s cost to build Google+ $585,000,000
Number of employees that worked to build Google+ 500
Top Google+ followed profile: Lady Gaga 9,261,490

 

In addition, the audience on Google Plus is,

  • Nearly 74% male
  • 72% 35 or older
  • Used by just 40% of marketers as a social platform
  • Dominated by U.S. users, who make up 55% of its audience
  • Visited by just 22% of online adults per month

Google Plus Demographics & Statistics from StatisticBrain:

So is Google Plus still a credible social site?

Well if you go by the numbers above there are still big issues. 27 million unique views per month from 375 million actives is not very good.

Google itself still clearly thinks Google Plus has value. Whether that is within the member base or the data collection metrics or perhaps they just don’t like to fail who knows.

Where Google Plus has found some success is within groups looking to make community pages. It is the groups where you find the activity. And if you do spend time on G+ communities you can see why. Once you understand how it all works you find that it has a lot of really good features that are missing from other social sites. All of this has resulted in a very mainstream site having very popular niche pockets within the platform which may be another reason for its survival. The direction for Facebook with 2 billion plus users may not be very clear where as with a niche site you know exactly why people are there and what they want and where you should go. We are now seeing some great niche blockchain socials being developed. Niche is good.

The benefits of being on Google Plus

There are huge benefits to being on Google+. Any shares you make get indexed pretty much instantly. If you are blogging then this really helps get your articles crawled and indexed quickly on Google. You are also shown in the search results on page one to any of your followers who search for terms you may have optimized for. There is still a hell of a lot of value to Google+ you just need to find it and have a strategy to make it work for you.

Conclusion

So is Google Plus dead? No far from it. Infobunny has always been a strong supporter of G Plus. We still find huge value from having a presence on the platform.

Related Posts

Follow Dexter Roona:
Social Media Expert and Blogger. I love all elements of social media and my InfoBunny Blog is now really just about providing help for those looking to build their Social Media Authority.

8 Responses

  1. Bogdan
    | Reply

    The blog post indexing is indeed the “+” of Google+, but its odds to ever beat Facebook are quite low. Though, it’s not a resource to be ignored.
    Bogdan recently posted…The Origin of ChainsMy Profile

    • Dexter Roona
      |

      Yes it won’t ever take over Facebook, it would need a complete re brand and even that wouldn’t work

    • empowee
      |

      Hi Bogdan,

      I personally think Google+ is dead.

      It has never really taken off.

      The engagement is way too low in comparison to Fb, Twitter and Pinterest.
      empowee recently posted…36 experts share their most effective blog growth techniqueMy Profile

    • Dexter Roona
      |

      the ability to make niche circles and then share to them remains genius in my book, only Twitter lists come close

  2. Janice Wald
    | Reply

    Hi,
    I actually agree with Empowee. I used to spend a great deal of time going to each of the Google+ Communities but did not get enough traction to make it worth my while. Then, I started hearing rumors of its demise. I can see why in contrast to Facebook where there is so much traction.
    Janice

  3. Edward Thorpe
    | Reply

    Hi Dexter,

    I use Google Plus and like it’s general layout. Haven’t really developed a marketing/traffic strategy for it. This post make me think going nicheier(sic) might be an excellent place to test. Thanks for the insights.
    Edward
    Edward Thorpe recently posted…How To Reverse Your Normal Aging Process And Out Live Your EnemiesMy Profile

  4. Neo Leord
    | Reply

    Google plus is the best I can now generate traffic

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