Google Plus Success or Failure?
Article Review: Plus One This: Proof That Google Plus Will Prevail
What’s your Google Plus opinion?
If you start some searches for Google Plus in Google the autocomplete function will bring up some interesting results such as:
Google Plus Dead
Google Plus Failure
Google Plus Quit
Google Plus sucks
After reading the Plus One This article published by Fast Company on January 7, 2013 and despite all the negative autocomplete phrases, if Google Plus was such a disaster like it seems 99% of people believe then:
- Why didn’t Google shut down Google Plus (which they haven’t been afraid to do with other failing products)?
- Why is there still such a big Google team working on the project?
- Why is Google Plus being integrated with more and more Google products?
Key Takeaway About Google Plus
The key takeaway from the article is this:
“Google Plus never was, and will never be, only about competing directly with Facebook.”
The key to understanding this statement, as the article states, is that we need to realize Google Plus wasn’t intended to be solely about competing head on with Facebook. Google Plus isn’t “just another social networking service where our friends join to share photos, status updates and messages.”
As the author of this article puts it, “Google Plus is Google’s version of Google.”
Google Plus Pros and Cons
Google Plus is all about building better search results.
If you thought Google already knew enough about you then Google Plus will go even further to provide highly customized and highly personalized results. It’s why Google is connecting Plus with YouTube, Maps, Images, Offers, Books and so on.
Consider this: There is no way Facebook will be able to compete with Google in search. If you need to look for something or find an answer you will use Google. Sometimes you will search for a person, band or company on Facebook but if you are looking for deeper information, you head over to Google.com or you use your browser’s Google search bar.
Now that Google Plus can capture more of your information (a lot of the same information you share on Facebook) Google will further dominate the search scene. As the writer puts it (and as we all understand in business) the best time to strengthen your lead is when you are already in first place and dominating your marketplace.
Google Plus Users Count –
Attracting New Accounts
So what about attracting new users to Google Plus?
Are you one of the people or businesses who think your Facebook page is already enough work to keep updated? That Facebook is the only place you need to be?
Google’s method of attracting new users is all about enticing or rewardingly forcing users to use Google Plus. The author highlights several areas we have been helping our clients integrate and use:
- Google Plus Authorship. All good bloggers out there know the benefits of Google Authorship. Authorship is all about getting your profile picture to show in Search Results beside your article. It’s about getting credit for what you write. How do you set up authorship? Create a Google Plus account.
- Google Places Listings. Recently we have been helping our clients integrate their traditional Google Places (Google Local/ Google Maps) listing into their Google Plus account. The new Google Plus account is much more user friendly and allows you to respond to reviews along with all the other capabilities of Google Plus. Are you a new local business and need a listing? You’ll need to create a Google Plus Business account.
- Reviews. Did you recently eat at a local restaurant with terrible service or do you want to recommend your company’s accountant because he helped you save thousands on taxes last year? To write a review on Google you will need a Google Plus account.
The common theme here is that you need a Google Plus account. Whether you like it or not, Google Plus is still growing in momentum and Google has greater plans for the little + sign you are starting to see. In a nutshell, the article’s author sums up the Google strategy with a pinch of comedic relief:
Your buddy, “Hey have you heard about this one little thing?”
You: “Oh. My. God. That’s Awesome. That’s so Awesome. How do I get that?”
Your buddy: “Oh, you need to have a Google Plus Profile or it doesn’t work.”
So are you using Google Plus for personal or professional purposes?
In our last staff meeting we discussed this article and all agreed that Google has big plans for Plus and we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. It made us recall a certain time (and not so many years ago) when we tried to tell our clients that Google was becoming more and more important. Many didn’t listen and were more concerned with Alta Vista and AOL. Really!
Begs us to ask the question: Who can stop the determination and innovation of Google?
