Four years ago, Google launched it's own social network to counter the threat from facebook. And while it claims huge numbers of users, those are users who tend to have a Google account for single sign-on purposes, rather than being active daily users of the social network Google+ itself.
Last year, the head of Google+, Vic Gundotra, stepped down. This open the doors for all sorts of speculation as to what would happen to the network, and for the past year, no-one has been sure if it would continue.
This weekend saw some closure to the rumours, and some others left still unanswered, when Google's Bradley Horowitz annouced via his own Google+ profile that he was to head up Google Streams and Google Photos.
So it appears as though Google+ is being split into it's component products, and each playing to it's stengths.
The Google photos product has proven very useful, for those that use it. It has a wide range of features including auto-awesomize which improves images with it's range of adjustment algorithms and filters, the ability to auto-backup from your phone and create auto albums, all very useful for the everyday user.
Google Streams on the other hand, was the element meant to replicate facebook functionality. It's the bit that has struggled with the peronsal users. It has however, long been of importance for SEO purposes. Having links back to your website from Google+ count quite highly toward your pageRank, so from that perspective it has been well used and received among the SEO community.
One thing wont change –
the need to have great quality content
It's not yet known what the plans are for Photos and Streams, but one thing wont change – the need to have great quality content geared toward your audience, whether that audience is friends & family or business and consumer and whether that content is images, text or linking to blog/web articles.
In order to continue getting the best for your business from the Google+ suite of products, you still need a solid content strategy, posting schedule and consistent tone of voice.
