Google+ Traffic Falls 60% After Launch

It’s not everyday that I get to do a “I told you”, but today is it and I’m going to enjoy my moment. Way back in August I had predicted that Google+ was going to fail. Two months after sticking my neck out, data is trickling in on G+ usage patterns and yeah, I was right. Google+ Traffic Falls 60% After Spike at Public Launch.

Basically users are happy with FB and G+ for all its features is faced with the chicken of egg situation: I will not move to G+ unless my friends migrate there, but friends will not go, unless I do…so we’re all doing what we’ve been doing on FB.

The big question however is where does this leave G+? Is there a future for it at all? Or is Google doomed to follower status in social media stakes? Actually I do believe G+ has a future, but not as an FB clone. As long as Google looks to build a better FB, they are going to fail. They however, have a great opportunity to integrate the G+ platform into third party websites. This is not a new idea for Google. They have done it with search and email. Users can also incorporate various features of Google Docs into their websites…therefore it would be a natural for them to allow G+ to be integrated into other websites.

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What this would basically mean is that websites that are looking to integrate elements of social media could actually just plug in G+. Media sites would be a natural start, but most brand and corporates would also be interested in incorporating social media components into their websites could look at a robust platform like G+ to do so. Both Google and webmasters benefit from this move:

a) If the users are not coming to G+, G+ goes where the users are…that is basically other websites.

b) Social conversations from these websites could be posted back on G+ and as a part of Google search, thereby increasing the quality of content and volume of conversation on G+

c) For third-party websites it is a great way to publicise the social exchange and engage their communities on their platform, rather than try and maintain a million business pages on FB and every other clone.

d) Webmasters will have the ability to monitor, control and moderate conversations…thereby increasing their ability to put out the inconvenient fires.

e) By integrating Google analytics into the tool, Google will be able to offer an excellent tool to monitor, analyse and interpret social media data.

I’m pretty certain G+’s integration with third-party websites is on its development road map. I just think it’s time they pushed that up and focus on getting sites to integrate G+, rather than worry about adding more bells and whistles to the current avatar.

For more on social media marketing check out Surajit Agarwal’s blog: marketingshylock.blogspot.