I am starting to wonder if Google+ is a waste of time as a marketing platform for bloggers and brands.
Google+ launched with a bang last year and has now reached over 170 million registered users and 100 million active users.
The demographic is mainly male at 67%, the average age is 28 years old with a technical bent.
I do like the Google+ interface and I am sure it had a significant impact on keeping Facebook fresh with its new “Timeline” design rollout and evolution.
But their is a problem. Google+’s engagement levels are so low they are below MySpace and almost any other significant social network you want to mention.
Google+ Engagement is Poor
Research from RJ Metrics shows that that despite the large user base they are hardly spending any time on the site whether vthat is publishing, reading or engaging.
Here are some of the findings:
- The average post has less than one +1, less than one reply, and less than one re-share.
- 30% of users who make a public post never make a second one.
- After making five public posts, there is a 15% chance that a user will not post publicly again.
- Among users who make publicly-viewable posts, there is an average of 12 days between each post
Other research reveals that Google+ users spend on average only 3 minutes per month versus Facebook at over 400 minutes.
What about Traffic Referral?
I am finding that it is hardly referring any traffic to my blog (despite having over 7,000 followers on Google+)
In speaking to other bloggers at the “Social Media Down Under” conference recently they agreed that they were only posting there because it was Google.
What I am finding also is that Pinterest drives more traffic than Google+ for my blog.
A lot of users are posting but only because it is Google property!
Here is some more information via an Infographic regarding Google + vs Facebook
Infographic by Pardot.com
What About You?
How are you finding Google+…is it a ghost town? Is it driving traffic for your website or blog?
Look forward to hearing your feedback and stories.
Wow. This is not really good news. I will try the suggestions to get better traffic to my site. Thank you for your info.
Great article. But you may want to proof it. Got some glaring typos in there. No worries though, happens to the best of us. Also, the integration with Google, particularly the merging of G+ profiles with the new “Local” feature, has more of an impact on search than it does as a social media platform. I think all of it will continue to develop over time. Of note, I am the median demographic of G+. Interesting.