The Enigma of Google Plus: SEO Lessons and Modern Adaptations
Remember Google+? Launched in 2011 with grand ambitions to challenge Facebook, its consumer journey ended almost a decade later. While the standalone platform closed its doors, its legacy – particularly concerning SEO and author authority within Google’s ecosystem – remains surprisingly relevant. At [Your Expert SEO Services Brand Name], we dissect the enduring principles gleaned from Google+ and guide you on applying them to today’s crucial Google platforms, primarily Google Business Profile (GBP). Let’s dive deep.
Why Google Plus Matters for SEO, Even Now
Google+ wasn’t your average social network. Integrated tightly with core Google services like Search, it championed concepts central to modern E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness):
- Author Identity & Authority: Google+ profiles linked to authors became signals of expertise, potentially influencing how content ranked.
- Social Proof & Communities: “Circles” facilitated niche community building and engagement, driving traffic signals.
- Fresh Content Signals: Regular posting demonstrated activity and updated knowledge.
- Entity Connection: It was an early push towards solidifying your brand/personal identity within Google’s Knowledge Graph.
Its closure taught us that while platforms evolve, the underlying principles Google values remain remarkably consistent. Ignoring them in today’s landscape is a missed opportunity.
Modern SEO Strategies: Adapting Google+ Principles
The core spirit of Google+ lives on, primarily within Google Business Profile (GBP). This is where your focus should lie:
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Master Your Google Business Profile (The New Command Center):
- Complete & Optimize Every Detail: Fill every field meticulously: business category, precise location, accurate hours, attributes, high-quality photos/videos. This establishes trust and local relevance.
- Leverage GBP Posts Relentlessly: Treat GBP “Posts” like Google+’s social heartbeat:
- Frequency & Consistency: Regular updates (offers, events, new content links, behind-the-scenes) signal vitality.
- Rich Media Priority: Use compelling images, short videos, and clear CTAs.
- Keyword Integration: Naturally weave relevant keywords into post descriptions.
- Link Strategically: Drive traffic directly to fresh blog posts, product pages, or special offers.
- Generate & Showcase Reviews: Authentic reviews are paramount social proof directly influencing local rankings and trust. Actively encourage and professionally respond to all – positive and negative.
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Re-Establish Authorship & Entity Authority (Post Google+):
- Strong “About Us” Pages: Detail team expertise, credentials, and company mission to reinforce E-A-T on your core website pages.
- Clear “Author” Markup: Implement
rel="author"markup (if feasible and relevant – its direct ranking impact is debated, but it clarifies content origin). - Credible Profiles: Ensure key personnel have robust professional profiles on established platforms like LinkedIn, consistently updated.
- Schema Markup: Use Organization, Person, and LocalBusiness Schema.org markup to solidify your entity structure for Google.
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Content Quality & Niche Engagement:
- Keyword-Driven User Intent: Go beyond vanity metrics. Conduct rigorous keyword research to understand real user questions and pain points (remember Google+ communities discussing specific needs?). Create content that definitively answers these.
- Deep Dives Over Fluff: Forget superficial 300-word posts. Develop comprehensive, data-backed, well-researched content demonstrating unique expertise. In-depth guides, original studies, and authoritative resource hubs attract links and authority signals.
- Engage in Relevant Digital Communities: Participate genuinely in niche forums (Reddit, industry-specific platforms, LinkedIn groups). Build trust by providing value before linking back to your highly relevant content.
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The Multi-Platform Verifications:
- Google Search Console: Essential for indexing health, keyword insights, and performance tracking. Verifies site ownership and provides crucial diagnostics.
- Google Analytics: Understand traffic sources and user behaviour.
- Google Merchant Center: Critical for e-commerce product feeds.
- Consistency: Maintain consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information everywhere – across GBP, your website, directories, and social platforms.
Conclusion: Shifting Legacy Value
Google+ was a bold experiment that crystallised fundamental SEO tenets Google continues to prioritize: verifiable expertise, author/entity reputation, authentic engagement, and localized relevance. Its lessons aren’t antiquated; they’ve simply migrated.
The key takeaway: Shift the energy once directed at Google+ towards dominating Google Business Profile and relentlessly building holistic E-A-T signals on your website. This means unwavering focus on comprehensive GBP optimisation (especially Posts and Reviews), world-class content creation aimed precisely at user intent, proactive local business management, and unambiguous establishment of online authority. By embodying these principles with scientific rigor, you build a sustainable SEO strategy resilient to platform changes – ready for whatever Google unveils next.
FAQs: Navigating the Post-Google+ SEO Landscape
Q1: Is Google Plus still active and worth investing SEO effort into?
A: No. The public Google+ platform shut down in April 2019. Any direct SEO efforts targeting the defunct platform are irrelevant. The focus must shift to Google Business Profile and broader E-A-T signals.
Q2: Where did Google+ features go? What replaced it for businesses?
A: The social aspects (profiles, circles, general posting) are gone. However, core business functionality vital for local marketing and SEO was integrated into Google Business Profile (GBP). GBP “Posts” function as the primary way to share timely updates directly within Google Search and Maps.
Q3: I heard about Google Currents. Is that the new Google+?
A: Google Currents (now part of Google Workspace) was an enterprise-only communication tool loosely resembling internal Google+. It is not a public social network and holds no significant value for public-facing SEO or consumer marketing.
Q4: How can I replicate the “author authority” benefits of Google Authorship today?
A: While the specific “Google Authorship”-style rich snippets are rare, establishing authority relies on:
- Clear author attribution on high-quality website content.
- Robust author bio pages mentioning expertise and credentials.
- Consistent use of your name/brand name across credible platforms (LinkedIn, reputable industry sites).
- Content that demonstrably showcases expertise (E-A-T).
- Possible use of
rel="author"connecting to a comprehensive Google profile (though its direct impact is minimal now). Overall brand reputation is paramount.
Q5: How important are Google Business Profile “Posts” for SEO?
A: Extremely important, especially for Local SEO. GBP Posts:
- Provide fresh content signals directly on Google Search & Maps (appearing prominently in your Knowledge Panel).
- Drive clicks and traffic directly to your site or specific offers.
- Enhance user engagement and showcase your relevance.
- Keep your local presence dynamic. Prioritize them.
Q6: My old Google+ posts are gone, but I have backlinks pointing to them. What now?
A: Set up proper 301 redirects on your server to reroute any inbound links from the defunct Google+ URLs to relevant pages on your current website (e.g., homepage, blog category, top content pages). This preserves some link equity and guides users to active resources. Use tools like Google Search Console to find relevant 404 errors.
Q7: How does E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) tie into this?
A: Google’s evaluation of E-A-T has become foundational to rankings, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. Google+ emphasized author identity which fed into E-A-T. Today, establishing E-A-T requires demonstrating deep subject matter expertise, building a trustworthy online reputation through reviews and accurate information, and ensuring your website presents itself authoritatively. This requires integrated efforts across GBP, website content, backlinks, and reviews.
