How to Prepare For The End of Google+
Data Breach
While it’s possible Google+’s demise was in the cards for a while, many speculate it was their recent security breach that ended it all. During an internal security audit in March 2018, it was discovered that a bug in the Google+ People API allowed access to user profile information that was set to private — including name, email address, occupation, gender and age. Although Google cannot confirm which users were impacted, they estimate nearly 500,000 accounts were affected.
Aside from security, however, here are a few reasons why Google+ failed to maintain engagement from its users:
- Competition — Consumers are drawn to more popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
- Spam — As it lost popularity, Google+ became a hotbed for spam, making the platform undesirable.
- Lack of Consumer Input — Time and time again it seemed consumers were giving negative feedback about Google+, but Google refused to listen or make changes based on that feedback.
- No New Offerings — People preferred Facebook to Google+, because Google’s approach to social was never fun or new. Their needs were already being met by existing social media platforms in more engaging ways. Although the initial offering promised a revolution in the way we shared information with our friends online, the reality is that it never took off.
Lessons for Business Owners
Although Google+ did contribute slightly to online authority, the loss of your account will not affect SEO or your long-term digital marketing strategy. Google reports they will shut Google+ down over a ten-month period, so if you were one of the few who did have a large following, encourage them to add you on your alternate social media pages instead. This is a good reminder that the industry is ever-changing and to never rely on a single platform for your social media strategy, no matter how popular it may seem at the time.