A few years ago, marketers everywhere were asking whether a Google Plus account could help their websites rank higher. Google's social network was tightly woven into search results, and many believed that plus-ones, author profiles, and business pages gave brands a hidden advantage. Today, the consumer version of Google Plus no longer exists, but the question still appears in searches and outdated SEO checklists. In this article, we look at what Google Plus actually did for SEO, why it was shut down, and what businesses should focus on instead.
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What Google Plus Was
Google Plus launched in 2011 as Google's answer to Facebook. It allowed users to share posts, organize contacts into circles, join communities, and give content a plus-one, which functioned like a like button. Businesses could create pages, and writers could link their profiles to their articles through a feature called Google Authorship.
Because Google owned the platform, many assumed that activity there would influence search rankings. For a period, Google Plus content did appear prominently in personalized search results, especially for users who were logged in and connected to the people or brands sharing that content.
Did Google Plus Ever Directly Help Rankings?
The honest answer is that the direct ranking impact was always smaller than the hype suggested. Google representatives stated that plus-ones were not a direct ranking factor. Studies that showed correlations between plus-ones and higher rankings were largely reflecting the fact that great content earns both social engagement and strong rankings, not that one caused the other.
However, Google Plus did offer some indirect benefits. Posts were indexed quickly, which could help new content get discovered. Personalized results sometimes favored content shared by a user's connections. Authorship photos in search results could increase click-through rates. And business pages were once connected to local listings, which mattered for map visibility.
Why Google Plus Was Shut Down
In 2018, Google announced it would close Google Plus for consumers, citing low engagement and a security issue that exposed some user data. The consumer platform was fully shut down in April 2019. A version for businesses using Google Workspace continued briefly before being transitioned to other tools. Google Authorship had already been discontinued years earlier, in 2014.
This means that today, creating a Google Plus account is not possible, and any SEO guide recommending it is out of date.
What Replaced Google Plus for Local Businesses
The most important successor for businesses is Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. This free tool controls how your company appears in Google Maps and the local pack of search results. A complete and active profile is one of the strongest local SEO signals available.
To make the most of it, ensure your business name, address, and phone number are accurate and consistent across the web. Choose the most relevant primary category, add services and products, upload real photos, publish updates, and respond to every review. Businesses that manage their profiles actively tend to earn more calls, direction requests, and website visits.
Social Signals and SEO Today
Although Google Plus is gone, the broader question of whether social media helps SEO remains relevant. Social shares are not a direct ranking factor, but social platforms can still support SEO indirectly. Sharing content increases its visibility, which can lead to natural backlinks, brand searches, and more engagement. A strong social presence also builds brand recognition, which can improve click-through rates when your site appears in search results.
The key is to treat social media as a distribution and brand-building channel that complements SEO rather than a shortcut to higher rankings.
Google Tools That Actually Help SEO
Instead of looking for a replacement social network, businesses should focus on the Google tools that provide real value. Google Search Console shows which queries bring traffic, alerts you to indexing problems, and helps you submit sitemaps. Google Analytics reveals how visitors behave once they arrive. Google Business Profile drives local visibility. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is the second largest search engine in the world, and optimized videos can rank in both YouTube and Google results.
The Lesson From Google Plus
The rise and fall of Google Plus offers a valuable lesson: sustainable SEO results come from fundamentals, not trends. Platforms and features come and go, but search engines consistently reward websites that load quickly, provide helpful content, demonstrate expertise, and earn trust from other reputable sites. Businesses that built their strategies entirely around Google Plus had to start over, while those focused on quality content and technical excellence continued to grow.
This lesson applies to today's changes as well, including AI-generated search answers. Rather than chasing every new feature, the best approach is to create genuinely useful content and make it easy for search engines to understand.
Conclusion
Does having a Google Plus account help SEO? Not anymore, because the platform no longer exists for consumers or businesses. Even when it was active, its influence on rankings was mostly indirect. Today, the smarter investment is in a fully optimized Google Business Profile, a technically sound website, valuable content, and a thoughtful link-building strategy. By focusing on these proven elements, businesses can build search visibility that lasts regardless of which platforms rise or fall.
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