Google Plus is Gone

The News on Google Plus

Digital marketers devote countless hours towards building an online presence. Many marketers have wondered if building a Google Plus profile is even worth the investment. Having a Google+ profile allows users to connect with others and view personalized search results based on suggestions from social connections. For instance, searching for “Halloween Party” might get results like costumes or decor – right alongside events where your connections checked-in or your sister’s halloween blog. Therefore, a user with a large audience on Google Plus has an SEO advantage that can lead to top-ranked results, even with the broadest queries.

Why Didn’t It Work?

In theory, Google+ sounds like the perfect place to host your backlinks and generate more traffic to your site. However, there has been hesitation for marketers to join the Google+ due to the platform’s low usage. On October 8, 2018, Google announced that the developer API was shutting down. Google chalked it up to an evaluation of the social platform that concluded it does not meet users’ expectations. The full site was scheduled for termination in August of 2019, but Google recently released another statement saying that the Google+ platform would be shut down effective April 2019 due to a software update containing a data breech that impacted 52.5 million users.

This is not Google’s first attempt at creating a social media platform. Some of their previous attempts include Google Buzz (2010-2011), Google Friend Connect (2008-2012), and Orkut (2004-2014). They now all live in the graveyard of failed Google apps. It is important to note that Google will continue to support G+ Enterprise suite. This is your Google Mail, Calendar, Sheets, Slides etc. Those apps will stick around.

In conclusion, it would not come as a shock to hear that Google is working on a newer, better social platform that users will enjoy.