When it comes to using social media as an entrepreneur, should you invest your time in growing your presence on Google+?
There are different purposes behind using different social networking websites. But, does Google+ deserve an investment of your time?
I like Google+ as a networking website with no ads, no distractions and very active user community (the last one is subjective.) In fact, Snigdha has about 27,000 followers and she gets a couple of hundred followers every new day.
Google+ works great for some people. As content marketers and bloggers, probably, it is important for us to set up Google Authorship and pay some attention to the SEO benefits of using Google+.
However, is Google+ going to pass the test of time? Is Google+ going to stay around or is it going to just be another failed product of Google and die like Orkut?
First, The Good News
Probably, our time invested on building a strong Google+ presence will not go in vain. Google seems to be connecting Google+ with other services. Also, there is no news or any confirmation that Google+ is going down anytime soon.
In a recent article, Neil Patel shared that whether we like it, they must pay attention to Google+. Now, as far as Neil is concerned, he knows what he’s doing and he has a team to do the research for him before he makes such a claim.
Many other top bloggers and SEO experts seem to recommend using Google + for SEO benefits. This is a good news because those who already have invested a lot of time and energy, are not going to be disappointed anytime soon.
What About The Bad News?
However, that doesn’t mean that Google+ is going to be ever a replacement for Facebook or Twitter. I needed to talk about Twitter especially because I had many friends who said, “Twitter is going to die once Google+ picks up.”
Well, Twitter did not die fortunately and Facebook still remains the biggest and the most popular social networking site on the planet.
In fact, it seems that even Google has quit trying to become a replacement for Facebook or even compete with it.
Here is an interesting article at Business Insider published in April 2014 indicating that Google is reducing its focus on Google+ and changing its long-term strategy:
According to the article, Google has been slowly shifting members from its Google+ team into its Android department.
Reduction in the workforce is a clear indication that Google + is no more something that Google wants to invest in going forward.
I am not sure, and nobody knows, what is going to happen to Google+. However, this is one more reason why putting all your eggs in one basket is as risky today as it was centuries ago.
Even Facebook is getting away from the concept of keeping everybody on Facebook.com and that is why it keeps buying companies like in Instagram and WhatsApp.
Google+ on the other hand doesn’t seem to have a direction apart from Google Authorship for bloggers and some forced integration with Google’s other products.
Conclusion – Leverage Google+ While It Lasts
In conclusion, my strategy is going to be based on the fact that Google+ does generate engagement better than Facebook whether or not it’s going to live long.
I think that Facebook still remains my favorite place for building relationships and for being social online. Twitter is awesome and ignoring Twitter is not even a remote possibility.
Google+, at the moment, is not an optional social networking website. It has distinct benefits relating to SEO. Somehow, Google+ does generate higher engagement and more traffic and compared with Facebook or Twitter.
Therefore, I will recommend not ignoring Google+. It will not be a healthy decision, especially for bloggers. You must leverage it for as long as it remains connected to SEO and generates engagement.
However, do not put all your eggs into one basket and build a strong presence on at least a couple of more social media websites. To me, outside happens to be Facebook and Twitter.
Have Your Say – Share Your Thoughts
What do you think about Google+? Do you think it is something that is going to stay around or is it going to be another failed product from Google?
Are you investing your time into building your brand on Google+? What is your strategy?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section and add value to this discussion. I will be curious to know your thoughts. Thank you kindly!
Hi Kumar,
Like always you have provided us an important about Google+.
I have encountered my some bloggers who don’t like to use Google+. Instead of it they prefer to use Twitter, Facebook. As you have mentioned that Google+ can’t replace Facebook but there is a good place for Google+ in the social marketing, business field.
It tends to increase in SEO as it is the platform provided by Google so it’s obvious to be helpful in SEO. I have gone through a post in which the blogger said that more the Google+ shares, more the SEO of that particular post. It is really that so? I mean is that the way Google+ help in SEO?
Thanks for sharing this post.
Enjoy your day.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
In a recent clarification, Google did clarify that social shares are not a signal they use for ranking purposes. So, I don’t think that +1s will make that difference and especially when Google+ isn’t in competition with Facebook anymore. However, having a good size following and engagement on Google+ can help you with more social traffic.
I hope this helps?
Cheers!
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
Who knows, Google+ may end up like 300 baud modems of the late 1970’s.
I agree with you on expanding your circles on Google+. For me that’s a slow, organic process. Sure, yo can have lots of acquaintances or people with similar interests who you don’t know at all in your number count. Personally, I think it is important to build meaningful relationships with people and you can’t do that by the thousands.
Kind Regards,
Bill
Hi Bill,
Just like Twitter, you have no control on who can follow you although you can only control who you will follow. Therefore, how big of a follower base you can have depends on how many people want to follow you.
The larger your follower base, the larger your influence on Google+, just like Twitter.
Yeah, I assume that by ‘expanding circles’, you mean who you add in your circles and yes, that makes sense. Not just on Google+ but everywhere.
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I use Google Plus for sure, but it’s not a place I see all my family and friends. Yes, I have friends on Google+ but I admit to starting my account with business relationships in mind. Big Difference over Facebook!
I did not know Facebook bought Instagram, so must have been too busy to keep up with the news lately, that’s for sure.
I did know about them shifting employees away from Google Plus, but didn’t really know the implications of that, so thanks so much for sharing!
When someone comments on one of my videos on YouTube, it shows up in my Google Plus feed, and that confused me for a while because I don’t embed videos on Google+ because I always link back to MY site, which was frustrating until I figured out what was happening. LOL
Have a great week!
– Carol
Hi Carol,
Glad to hear from you. Yes, Facebook has been acquiring some awesome services lately and they are really adding more and more power to their already powerful platform.
Google Plus is a bit more business like platform and I don’t find friends and family there either.
However, it seems to have more activity by those in online marketing for sure.
A good place to be for now. However, I will keep Facebook and Twitter in
My top networks and Google+ only as a need for SEO for Google changing focus.
Regards,
Kumar
Hey Kumar,
The jury is still out for me with Google+. It’s hard to have conversations over there I think because of the way it’s set up and not everyone is on Google+ either. I don’t like the fact that they have to have a gmail account but I guess that’s just Google’s way of getting people to use their services.
I’ve heard things back and forth too about will they last or not. Who knows but it can’t hurt us to be on there and have our content being shared by others and landing in the search engines as well.
I don’t like how they integrated YouTube. I don’t like that someone will comment on my video yet it shows up on Google+ and some of the comments I can’t even respond to because we’re not connected. I’m not connected for a reason so I don’t like that at all. What else is new right!
But like you said, don’t just rely on Google or else like everything else you’ll eventually be sadly disappointed.
Great share though and it will be interesting to see what ends up happening.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
Those discomforts are there. People have complaints about Facebook on different things as well. I think we will always have things about every network that we like and then some that we don’t like that much.
I am okay with the complaints.
But, things that concern me is the future of the network itself. What happens to our time and efforts if we put all that in building a strong presence and then one day we found out that Google is shutting down the site because it is excited about something else like it did to Orkut and Buzz…
That is the part which I am concerned about…
Have a great week ahead!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I’m a great believer in not putting my eggs in one basket! Therefore, I post on Google+ as much as I do on Facebook. These two platforms has gained much engagement for me.
Google+ is most responsive when I use images. So a few times per day I will post an image and follow the same rules as I do on Facebook for engagement. Ask a question, get a little personal by sharing a picture of my dog or something like that. And of course, engaging with others is very important to do.
I don’t think Google+ will fizzle out, nor Facebook. Twitter has stood through the test of time. So, being on these three particular platforms, I believe is the way to go. Of course there are many others, but for me, I find more engagement on Facebook and G+.
-Donna
Hi Donna,
You are right. Images do seem to get engagement on Google+ and, if you have some engaging text to accompany, it definitely drives more comments and better engagement than Facebook or Twitter.
Thank you for sharing your Google+ strategy.
I also hope that Google+ doesn’t fizzle out like Orkut and Buzz 🙂
Have a successful new week!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
Wanna hear yet another paradox? While Google+ is my favored social network and I got the best results very easy, recently I focused more on Twitter. 20-30% of my decision is caused by the fact that I’m testing something. The rest of 70-80%… I don’t know exactly… No, I definitely don’t think that G+ will be another G failure. Maybe I’m also testing the attitude “What if being dumb actually works?” 🙂
[The last phrase doesn’t refer to any other Twitter user, but to me only.]
Hmmm….
Being dumb actually works and it works for sure 🙂
Well, if you think Google+ isn’t going to go away anytime soon, I believe you 🙂
Cheers!
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I kind of like Google+ and Google communities give me so many opportunities to post my blog posts all over the place and meet other bloggers as I join new groups. And that works for ALL my 3 blogs.
For some reason I’ve found it so difficult to do this so far on Facebook. I’ve been looking for 2 years now for some travel and food blog groups on Facebook to no avail. Or maybe I’m just dumb and not doing it right, you tell me 🙂
In any case, sure it’s never good to put all your eggs in the same basket, and I wouldn’t use just one social media platform just because I like it more than others. I think that using as many as we can handle is a good thing to do to spread our wings.
Thanks for another great topic!
Hi Sylviane,
Everybody I talk to, seems to like Google+ and most people say they have found it to be better in experience. I agree to the idea.
However, my concern is about Google seemingly moving away from being focused on the site.
I hope they keep on keeping on and keep integrating it with their other important services to keep it afloat..
Regards,
Kumar
Hello Kumar,
I’ve argued this out before somewhere: Twitter, FB and the Big G should be leveraged if you mean success – or business. The reason isn’t far fetched: both have come to stay and have their distinctive uses (and advantages which any serious blogger cannot afford to ignore).
This is where I stand.
Make the day a great one.
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Akaahan,
Yeah, that’s true. However, the idea is, is the Big G going to keep the sure alive? If yes, for how long is it going to stay afloat because they seem to be moving teams away from Google+ into other divisions…
That’s one piece of info I’m getting from you. Moving teams away may however connote things much more complex than quitting…could be simply ‘house cleaning’.
G+ is the only social outlet the big G has to compete on that front – why would it chicken out when it’s recent involvement in the domain business indicate it’s interested in expanding?
These are my opinions Kumar. Please, understand them as such.
A great day!
Always,
Terungwa
Kumar, I really like Google plus but I use Twitter the most and Google+ is about my 3rd-4th most used network. I love that I learn a lot from others on that network. Many tech and savy marketers are on that network.
I’m not sure it will survive and I didn’t realize they moved people over to their Android dept from Google+ – that’s a little scary! If they are not providing enough support for it what does that tell us, right?
I hope it does survive because I do find it a useful network to connect with others on. It’s easy to connect with those you don’t know yet on Google+ vs. Facebook.
Thanks for the info Kumar and I’ll have to keep my eyes more open with Google+ now.
Hi Lisa,
I love Google+ and for the reasons obvious to every content marketer. Plus, we have quality people putting quality time there.
However, the developments at Google with regard to Google+ are not very encouraging. Ultimately our time is important as well. Do we want to keep putting our time and energy into something that will probably fizzle out someday soon?
I am also wondering if I should ramp up my efforts on Google+ or just chill.
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Gauraw,
It’s not really a wise thing for any online entrepreneur to kick out Google+ from his list of social media platforms. While Google is gradually shifting staffs to other projects, that’s no clear indication that Google+’s death is foreseen. It’s still remains a strong source of engagement, especially for bloggers.
However, if Google decides to drop it, it will not hurt me in any way. 😉
True Enstine! It is no indication that Google+ is going to die soon. But, it is definitely the writing on the wall. It definitely gives an indication that Google+ may not go very far from where it is at this time….
I am not kicking it out for sure. But I do want to rethink before deciding to go ALL IN for Google+ 🙂
Hi Kumar, I think we need to look at platforms as having a useful life cycle, just as we look at products. By the same token picking the winners and knowing when to get on or off a winning horse is very important. As always you present a well-balanced perspective and have caused me to think more deeply on the subject
Hi Paul,
Glad to hear from you 🙂
You are right about the life cycle paradigm. The only thing that concerns me is, people are so fired up about Google+ and I am afraid if Google is really planning for a sunset while others are planning to go big on this thing 🙂
I hope it doesn’t disappoint us all…
Regards,
Kumar
Hey Kumar,
I do agree that no one should put all of their eggs in one basket. I’ve actually started using Google+ more this year compared to last year, and just from being more social on there, I started to get more traffic. But I do have to say that I prefer facebook more, not because it’s better, but I’m just more comfortable with it since this was really the first social media site I signed up with. But I won’t leave other these two sites as well as other sites.
The future of Google+? Well only the Google gods know, but until then I will make my rounds to Google+, taking advantage of the social atmosphere and posting my new blog posts there. Thanks for the heads up on what’s going on with Google+!
You are welcome Sherman! I have been doing the same thing as well this year. Google+ does seem to provide. A good source of steady traffic. Why not use it while it lasts, right?
It’s just that we need to know that it’s not Facebook and we shouldn’t think that Google+ can ever be a replacement for Facebook or Twitter.
Cheers!
Kumar
I also think that google plus is good for seo of our blog. This makes effect on seo. So using it effectively can be beneficial.
Hi Kumar,
You have posted informative article about Google+. I am also used twitter and Google+ both social networking and on this social networking site am post my sites information and so many other things. You have explain about Google plus in very deep and clear. Am got it some new things from your this article.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Keep it up 🙂
Hi Kumar
There is no denying the fact that Google + plays a important role to boost up any business.
Great Article.
Hi Kumar,
Here you again come up with an awesome article!!! 🙂
Here i would like to go with sherman smith thoughts as he said that no one should put all of their eggs in one basket. I think along with Fb, Twitter there is a huge crowed in google plus and we should post our blog there.
Very informative article indeed!!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
keep posting
Hi Kumar,
That’s indeed a very informative post about Google+!!
I share a lot of posts on Google+ as it is good for SEO purposes but engagement wise, I use Facebook the most. I also use Twitter and LinkedIn but not as much as Facebook.
Kumar, do you happen to have a link to a “how to” post so I can set up my Google Authorship?? You emphazied the importance of doing so in your guest post at Adrienne’s place as well as here.
Thanks Kumar for this informative post. Have yourself a great rest of the week.
Be Blessed,
Neamat
Hi Kumar, Well I would must say Google+ isn’t waste of Investment,Time And Energy ! Google+ is Social Networks like Facebook which helps in various ways same like Facebook ! Facebook has great option like Group chat & group discussion & on another side. Google+ has also these king of great option like Google+ Communities. Those always helps for a Better time.
Hi Kumar. I’m trying to make your blog part of my “blogs to comment on” as I noticed that you are also in my LI group. 😉
Here’s my opinion on Google+: I think it is good to use, to a point. It’s similar to Facebook, no doubt, but it allows you to connect with more people freely. It’s a step above Facebook in that respect. I think we have yet to see all Google+ is capable of; it will likely change, just as FB has changed in the past.
It seems like each time one thing changes or is improved (or what they think is “improved”!) then another must change or become “improved” too. Google wants to dominate so much that they won’t even allow links to Facebook on it. I think that is ridiculous! Talk about being insecure! Something should be done about that!
Have you ever tried to post a FB link on G+? Try it. You will see what I mean.
Hi Kumar
Very amazing info about Google+ you provided but recently Google added quite a new thing at its Business Page option where now instead of the option of Home there is another option of My Business. It shows they are working at improvement of quality.
Yes the doubt comes into mind after watching its commercial silence. There is no any paid campaign offer despite its several years promotional services and nor any plan is in offing to convert the service into commercial oriented social media service. It proves maybe they are not much interest in it and shirt to other services as you mentioned like Android or any other.
Thanks a lot for sharing a very debatable topic where everyone has kept his finger crossed to see what is going to happen in coming days. But one thing is obvious it is not going to replace Twitter or Facebook in any of the case.
For me, it’s worth to invest the Google+. I always use Google for my research because I am comfortable with it. It’s easy to use and all information you want are available. I guess mostly internet lover uses Google because it’s fantastic and amazing services. So any new feature of Google like Google+ can also give us good services, Thanks for sharing this article. I will share this post with my friends. They will certainly love to read this. I’ll definitely give these 5 stars.
Hi Kumar,
This is my first time here. I have often heard about you from other bloggers and I am glad to be here now. 🙂
Well, you raise a good topic for discussion.
If talking about Google+, I get a lot of benefit from Google+. Although in my country it’s not as famous as Facebook or Twitter, but I realize that Google+ has high popularity abroad. So, I began to create an account there and take the benefits. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this with us, Kumar.
Do have a wonderful weekend.
Nice share, indeed! 😀
Nanda
Hi Mr. Gaurav,
This is my first visit on your site and i am glad to read this article.
Really its so simple but very attractive blog.I read this completely and really google plus save our time and energy.A lot of information we can share with our friends at home without go anywhere.
Thanks for sharing….
Some times I think its really waste to apply and invest lot of time in google plus but I also think that its google product we’d surely get some outcome if we spent time promoting on it.
Thanks
Hi Kumar!
Absolutely.Personally, I think that twitter did not die fortunately and Facebook still remains the biggest and the most popular social networking site .Keep Such sharing ideas in the Future.
Thank you for your good information.
I sure don’t see G+ going anywhere soon. Just too many users and it’s growing to fast. I don’t know the stats on Orkut, but I’m guessing it’s already eclipsed that service as far as number of users and more importantly, the number of active users. Not to mention, how it helps with SEO traffic, of course people are going to keep using it. And as you mentioned it’s so integrated into so man of their services like Gmail.
Hi Ron,
Yes, neither do I see it going anywhere else. But, if it isn’t going to grow, then it is a problem.
My purpose was to balance the exciting among bloggers about this tool. I see that people are getting excited and promoting Google+ claiming that it is better than Facebook.
However, we don’t see Google’s behavior endorsing that view. So, we should be cognizant of that fact and we shouldn’t put all our energy on Google+ just because it is by Google.
Facebook is equally important if not more and so is Twitter 🙂
Regards,
Kumar
Well the presence in Google plus is important its getting popular and the communities are stronger and people are getting around it. Its cleaner and important not much spams and the privacy feels better.