The Google Plus social media platform is not going away but it is undergoing some major changes that will essentially make it not too similar to the platform we were introduced to by Google four years ago.
Google Plus was introduced into the social media arena with the intention of becoming a serious competitor to Facebook but this goal was never reached as it was never able to reach expectations. Google Plus has been and still is most notable for its excellent advantage for SEO but as a social platform, it hasn’t been able to encourage the type of interaction one sees on a platform such as Facebook. Many Google and YouTube users were outraged at its launch due to the fact that it became mandatory overnight to need a Google Plus account in order to perform activities on YouTube (including comment and upload content) as well as to use Google services and features. It was a bold move on Google’s part to try to gain significant users from the onset but it did backfire.
So What Is New at Google Plus?
Google Plus’ features are being broken down so that they may continue on as Google features as separate entities from the platform. Most notably, streams and photos will go on their own including as the new Google Photos. Google Photos is an image and video sharing and storage service that does not require Google Plus for use. Location sharing is now being moved to Google Hangouts and users may shared and read posts arranged by categories in the new Google Plus Collections. It is also no longer going to be necessary to have a Google Plus account in order to use YouTube or the remainder of Google’s services.
What Does This Mean for Marketers?
According to Stone Temple Consulting, Google Plus claimed 300 million active users in 2013 but as of April 2015 only 111 million active users. The drastic plunge in activity called for drastic changes to the social platform. Marketers can still look to Google Plus as an important venue for content sharing and a place to help improve SEO. With the admission from Google that Google Plus is not as social as they intended, this may signal a move from marketers to expect less engagement from the platform but to have it serve as a sort of library of information online. Of course there are still active users in the platform so it is important to actively engage with those who are responding via comments and shares but this new information and overhaul for Google Plus does mean it’s time to modify strategies for the social media site.
