Google has recently removed Google+ accounts from the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and other prominent areas it once existed in.
Since its launch back in 2011, Google+ has been a prominent part of the Google ecosystem. If your organic search did not get your business on the first page of results, Google+ had been known to rank high on the SERP. This was always a reason to have a Google+ page and keep updating it regularly. Despite being a major part of the Google ecosystem, the social media platform was never able to obtain as much momentum and popularity as other platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It seems as though Google has finally noticed this because as of this week it appears like Google+ is slowly being phased out of the Google ecosystem and being dismantled to use the pieces that they feel are most beneficial to the brand.
This week, Google decided to remove the links to Google+ accounts for companies on top of the SERP. Also, it looks as though Google has removed Google+ from the Google homepage and as well as from Gmail, Google’s email brand. Here at Kraus Marketing, we believe that this change suggests what everyone has been saying for years; Google+ is being phased out altogether.
On the Google homepage, the link to Google+ has been removed as a destination icon and can no longer be found on the homepage. To access the Google+ icon, you must click on the grid icon located on top, which opens a dropdown menu of Google applications. Included in the grid are apps such as YouTube, Google Maps, Google Drive and others.
Over the past few months, Google has been taking the necessary actions needed to optimize Google+ to the fullest extent. First, Google removed the Shared Collections feature on Google+ and then announced a new Collections feature. This ultimately split up Google+ and created different products. Next, in one of the latest updates, Google announced a new product; Google Photos, which was a photo component based off of Google+.
Google Photos is being marketed as a standalone product with no ties to Google+. This is an attempt by Google to rebrand the product as a new service provided by Google and separate any ties to Google+.
At the moment, the future of Google+ is unknown and here at Kraus Marketing, we can be pretty confident that it’s only a matter of months before Google+ is phased out all together. Here at Kraus Marketing, we are leaders when it comes to social media marketing and strategy, and are vigilant about remaining knowledgeable in the newest social media trends. If your company is looking for social media marketing, contact us today and we can help create and implement a strategy for your business that fits your brand’s voice. Kraus Marketing is also leading the way in website design, SEO, PPC and branding. To learn more about the work Kraus Marketing has done, contact us today at (973) 998-5742 or online at www.KrausMarketing.com.