Google Decides to Sunset Google+
You may have heard the big news in the social media world: Google+ will be shutting down as of August 31, 2019. Google+ originally launched in 2011 as Google’s social networking answer to Facebook.
At first, “[t]he network showed tremendous promise for being able to connect like-minded individuals from all over the world, and create a platform where meaningful, uncluttered conversations and discussions could take place” (from The Social Media Hat).
Facebook saw the move as serious competition and devoted time and resources to keeping up with Google+ (from Wikipedia). Hangouts and SEO advice and insights were two major features that made Google+ stand out (from BrightLocal). But the platform failed to be profitable for Google, and soon Google+ undertook changes that made things worse: “It was scaled back, features were removed or migrated, and the user base declined dramatically” (from The Social Media Hat).
Still, there are remaining diehard fans who feel that Google+ (in its best years) filled a unique niche and won’t be so easily be replaced. They credit Google with fostering important business relationships and allowing them space and connectivity to develop meaningful, impactful content.
As one fan puts it, “[One] hope[s] that Google doesn’t give up on social–they had something truly special for a little while, and if they learn from this, they will do better next time” (from The Social Media Hat).
Until that happens, such users will now likely need to turn to Facebook and possibly LinkedIn for similar groups and services. Others have felt for a while that Google+ was a “ghost town” and invested their energies in Facebook, Twitter, and the like.
This development will only impact the consumer version of Google+, while the enterprise/ business component will continue to run, reportedly with continued development and features. The consumer version is shutting down due to a security breach, maintenance issues, and underutilization. If you have been using Google+ for your company, this news might impact your business some of you adversely and you need to be ready to adjust accordingly.
Pink Dog Digital is here to provide guidance and help with a smooth transition for your company’s online presence. Some of the things we can assist with include:
- Migrating any content from Google+ to your company’s website
- Posting content to alternate social channels
- Starting use of Google My Business Posts, which can be a particularly helpful alternative for similar search engine result pages
- Using Google Takeout to download or save your personal or business profile if you had one on Google+
Additionally, we recommend that you assess all of the less-obvious places Google+ may be embedded in your site and other material, such as:
- Social sharing buttons
- Icon links to social networks in website header/footer
- Personal and company email signatures
- In-store signs
- ‘Write a G+ review’ links
- Printed marketing literature
(from BrightLocal)
If you need help migrating data to your website, posting to other social media outlets, or and other digital marketing services please contact Pink Dog Digital at +1 (410) 696-3305, email us at info@pinkdogdigital.com, or visit us on the web at www.pinkdogdigital.com.