Google+ SEO: Looking Back at What Once Was (And What We Learned)
Google+. The mere mention of it evokes a mix of nostalgia, confusion, and perhaps a sigh from veteran SEOs. While its bustling social network days are long behind us, its brief but impactful journey left lasting ripples in the SEO world. Understanding the tactics employed then, why they worked (for a while), and ultimately why they failed offers crucial lessons for navigating today’s complex search landscape with a focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
The Allure: Why Google+ Briefly Ruled the SEO Conversation
Launched in 2011, Google+ arrived with significant fanfare. Crucially, it was deeply integrated with Google’s search ecosystem – a fact marketers quickly latched onto. The promise? That activity on Google+ could directly influence search rankings, creating fertile ground for SEO experimentation. Key tactics emerged:
- AuthorRank & Direct Content Influence: The “+1” button became ubiquitous. The belief: shares and +1s functioned like votes, signaling content popularity and author authority to Google. Embedding posts on websites via the +Snippet tag aimed for immediate indexing and SERP feature opportunities (like author photos appearing next to listings). Propping up “Author Rank” became a major focus.
- Hyper-Optimized Profiles: Profiles weren’t just identities; they were SEO landing pages. Keyword-stuffed headlines and “About” sections were common. Strategically linking websites, content pieces, and even deeply embedding keywords in job titles aimed to rank profiles for niche queries and link equity back to main sites.
- Content Share Velocity: Dedicated tools tracked the “velocity” of shares on Google+. The theory: a rapid burst of +1szym and shares shortly after publishing could artificially boost a post’s perceived freshness and relevance, giving it a temporary rankings spike.
- Building Massive Circles & Forced Engagement: The appeal of “follow backs” took hold. Joining massive circles seeking to inflate follower counts was a common tactic, aiming for social proof and wider content dissemination. Aggressive “tagging” unrelated users in public posts became a spam magnet.
- “Rel=Author” & “Rel=Publisher”: Connecting individual authors to content via
rel="author"and websites/brands viarel="publisher"was heavily promoted. The goal was clearer author attribution and richer search snippets. Many rushed to implement this markup site-wide, hoping for rank boosts. - Local SEO Leverage: Integration with Google My Business (then Google Places) was tighter through Google+. Optimizing local pages and encouraging reviews within the Google ecosystem was considered advantageous for local pack rankings.
The Downfall: Why These Tactics Became Obsolete
Google+’s demise wasn’t sudden; it was a slow decline hampered by low user engagement compared to Facebook and Twitter, complex UI changes, privacy concerns, and eventual API shutdowns. Crucially, Google itself systematically dismantled the direct ranking signals tied to Google+:
- Author Rank Never Fully Materialized: While authorship snippets appeared briefly, conclusive evidence of Author Rank significantly impacting general web rankings remained elusive. Google officially deprecated
rel="author"andrel="publisher” markup support in 2014. - The E-A-T Shift: Google shifted focus away from explicit, manipulable social signals like Google+ shares towards assessing broad Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This E-A-T assessment relies on content quality, site reputation, backlink profiles, real-world recognition, and consistent demonstrated expertise – factors far harder to fake than social shares.
- The Social Signal Myth Debunked: Google explicitly stated that direct ranking boosts from specific social shares (like +1s or Facebook Likes) were minimal or nonexistent. The value of shares lies in potential amplification and earning natural links/exposure, not as a direct ranking factor itself.
- Profile Optimization Futility: As Google+’s user base dwindled and its integration lessened, optimized profiles became ghost towns with no impact on website rankings. Links from inactive profiles held diminishing value.
- Indexing Changes: Google phased out direct preferential indexing based on Google+ posts. Content indexing returned solely to core crawler mechanisms.
- Shutdown: Google officially shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019, sealing its fate.
Enduring Lessons: What Google+ Taught Us About Future-Proof SEO
While Google+ tactics died, the underlying principles clarified what does matter for sustainable SEO success:
- Focus on People, Not Platforms: The scramble for Google+ engagement revealed the folly of chasing algorithms through specific platforms. True authority is built through valuable content authored by recognized experts, for a genuine audience, across relevant platforms naturally. Build your own audience hub (your website).
- E-A-T is Paramount: Google+ was an early, flawed attempt at assessing author authority. Today, E-A-T is ingrained in core ranking systems. Invest continuously in:
- Expertise: Demonstrate deep knowledge through detailed, accurate, unique content.
- Authoritativeness: Earn high-quality backlinks, citations, mentions, and industry recognition.
- Trustworthiness: Ensure site security (HTTPS), transparency (clear About/Contact pages), factual accuracy, citations/sourcing.