Back in 2017, one of the most common questions in digital marketing forums was whether Google Plus helped SEO. Since Google Plus was Google's own social network, many marketers assumed that activity on the platform must carry special weight in search rankings. Businesses created pages, joined communities, and posted regularly in the hope of earning an algorithmic advantage. Looking back, the reality was more complex. Google Plus did offer some SEO-related benefits, but most were indirect and short-lived. The platform was eventually shut down for consumers in 2019. In this article, we examine what Google Plus actually did for SEO in 2017, why the hype faded, and which lessons still apply to search strategy today.
How AAMAX.CO Applies Lasting SEO Lessons Today
Platforms come and go, but the principles behind effective search visibility endure. AAMAX.CO is a full-service digital marketing company offering Web Development, Digital Marketing, and SEO services worldwide. They focus on strategies that stand the test of time, including authoritative content, strong local profiles, technical excellence, and genuine brand building. Their search engine optimization approach helps businesses avoid chasing short-term trends and instead invest in tactics that continue delivering results as search evolves.
What Google Plus Was
Google Plus launched in 2011 as Google's attempt to compete with Facebook and other social networks. It introduced features like Circles for organizing contacts, Communities for group discussions, and Hangouts for video chats. Google integrated Plus deeply across its products, requiring accounts for services like YouTube comments for a period. Because of this integration, marketers believed that Google would use Plus data to influence search results.
The Era of Personalized Search Results
In the early years, Google Plus did influence search results for logged-in users through a feature known as Search Plus Your World. When users searched while signed in, Google sometimes displayed content shared or +1'd by people in their Circles. This created personalized visibility, meaning brands with engaged Google Plus followers could appear more prominently for those specific users. However, this personalization was scaled back significantly before 2017, reducing its impact.
The +1 Button and Rankings
Many marketers believed that +1s functioned like votes that directly improved rankings. Studies showed a correlation between high numbers of +1s and strong rankings, which fueled this belief. However, Google representatives clarified that +1s were not a direct ranking factor. The correlation existed largely because high-quality content naturally attracted both +1s and backlinks. By 2017, the consensus among experienced SEO professionals was that +1s did not provide a meaningful direct ranking boost.
Google Authorship and Its Removal
Another reason Google Plus was associated with SEO was Google Authorship. This program allowed writers to link their content to their Google Plus profiles, which displayed author photos in search results and potentially improved click-through rates. Many believed Authorship would evolve into a ranking factor based on author reputation. However, Google discontinued Authorship in 2014, well before 2017, citing low adoption and limited value to users. Its removal signaled that Google Plus was becoming less central to search.
Indirect SEO Benefits in 2017
By 2017, the benefits of Google Plus for SEO were mostly indirect. Posts on Google Plus were indexed quickly, which could help new content get discovered faster. Links from Google Plus posts could drive referral traffic, although most were nofollow and did not pass significant ranking authority. Branded Google Plus pages sometimes appeared in search results for company names, helping businesses control more of their branded search presence. Active communities also offered opportunities to share expertise and attract attention from people who might later link to content.
Local SEO and the Split From Google Plus
One of the most confusing aspects for businesses was the connection between Google Plus and local listings. For a time, Google business pages were tied to Google Plus. However, Google separated local business listings from Google Plus by launching Google My Business, now known as Google Business Profile. By 2017, local SEO success depended on Google My Business optimization rather than Google Plus activity. Businesses that focused on reviews, accurate information, and categories saw far better local results than those posting on Google Plus.
Why Google Plus Declined
Despite Google's efforts, Google Plus never achieved the engagement levels of competing platforms. Users spent little time on it, and many accounts were created only because they were required for other Google services. In 2018, Google announced the shutdown of Google Plus for consumers following low usage and a security issue. The consumer version officially closed in April 2019. Any remaining SEO value disappeared with it.
Lessons for Modern SEO
The Google Plus story offers valuable lessons. First, avoid relying on platform-specific shortcuts. Tactics tied to a single feature or network can disappear quickly. Second, focus on fundamentals. High-quality content, authoritative backlinks, strong technical performance, and a helpful user experience consistently drive results. Third, correlation is not causation. Just because a signal appears alongside strong rankings does not mean it causes them.
Finally, invest in channels where your audience genuinely engages. Social media remains useful for amplifying content and building brand awareness, which indirectly support SEO. Integrating these efforts into a broader digital marketing strategy ensures resilience when platforms change.
Applying These Insights Today
Modern search is shaped by AI-generated answers, entity recognition, and user experience signals. Just as marketers once chased Google Plus, some now chase quick fixes for new technologies. The wiser approach is to build real authority, create content that serves users, maintain accurate brand information across platforms, and measure results carefully. These principles worked in 2017 and continue to work now.
Conclusion
So, did Google Plus help SEO in 2017? Only marginally and indirectly. It offered faster indexing, branded search visibility, and opportunities for content promotion, but it was never a direct ranking factor, and its influence had already declined significantly by that time. The platform's eventual shutdown reinforces an important truth: sustainable SEO success comes from fundamentals, not from shortcuts tied to a single platform.
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