Recently, Google+ has undergone a lot of changes as its parent company makes the teased move towards being better known as Alphabet. And although it seems like many of those changes are pushing Google+ out of the picture, it’s still not quite time to say goodbye just yet – here’s why.
It Still Has Roots in Social Media
Even if we didn’t fully embrace Google+ over here in the UK, the platform still has success elsewhere around the world, with a dedicated user base that comes across as a mixture of LinkedIn’s professionalism and Facebook’s visuals. Although Google’s original plan to design a platform to rival even Zuckerberg’s creation, it didn’t quite go to plan and as such many businesses are reluctant to include it in their social media strategies. This reaction may surprise you: but more the fool them.
Google+’s user culture is very different to other platforms, and you’re more likely to see higher clicks through to content than users giving a +1, but this can be used to your advantage. By creating more custom content on your website and driving traffic in that direction via Google+, you’ll be helping your social authority rise, as well as your SEO ranking. You can also make the most of the platform’s ability to link nicely with YouTube (as opposed to Facebook’s less than visually appealing video previews) in order to offer site visitors some more dynamic content and a different experience to what the likes of Twitter and Facebook are offering. When all is said and done, Google+ still has a place in your social media strategy, and gives brands a chance to be flexible in their approach – not to mention the edge you can have over your competitors.
Help Customers Find You
Although Google+ links and reviews are seemingly being dropped from Google’s own search results – which is either to slowly put the platform to sleep, or to appease critics accusing the company of favouritism – the platform can and will still play a large role in helping individuals find your company and providing reviews to entice them. By linking up to Google Maps and having up to date contact information, companies can still provide ideal customers the information they need to get in touch. It seems this change either hasn’t completely come into effect yet or isn’t quite as severe as first reported either, as information from Google+ is still appearing in searches, raising the theory that Google was simply running a test. This is an area we’ll be keeping a close eye on!
There Could be More to Come
Google is going through a period of testing and change, but just because Google+ is seemingly being picked apart from its other services – such as Google Hangouts being given a separate site all to itself – that doesn’t necessarily mean that the company has no future plans in store for the platform. One change already teased by Google is the Collections feature, allowing users to bring together content that interests them into one place – which could add a revolutionary new dimension to curating your online audience’s favourite content; think Pinterest with more depth.
Although it may seem like dark days for Google+, it’s not entirely being put out of its misery just yet – rather Google are tightening up the platform with a new focus and lots of new features. So whether or not you were counting down to Google+’s passing or are a dedicated user, don’t get ready to say goodbye just yet – the horse they’re flogging is still far from dead!
Interested in finding out more about how Google+ can help your social presence? Get in touch with the Christian Michaels Agency and let’s talk Google!