Google Shutting Down Unused Google+ Pages

Is Google+ Shutting Down in 2018?

Have You Received an “Unused Google+ Page” Email?

I’ve come across one of these emails (see below) and I’m pretty sure if you are a business owner you may have too. And no doubt a little bit of panic may have crept in? Google is slowly sending this email out to those businesses that don’t use their Google+ branded pages. Just to be clear, this is a genuine email from Google and NOT spam.

Here’s the email:

Should you be panicking? Probably not, but you need to understand a number of things:

• Your Google My Business (GMB),also refereed to as Google Maps listings, and a Google+ page (Branded Page) are different and separate entities. Should you be unfortunate enough to have your Google+ Page deleted, this will NOT affect your Google My Business account.
• All your Google reviews, whether good or bad, that your customers and clients have added to your business are associated with your GMB account and NOT your Google+ page. So, if your Google branded page is removed, you will NOT loose those hard earned reviews. “Phew” I hear a lot of you say and  “damn” some of you may also be thinking!
• Why has Google sent out these emails? Basically, Google was sent these emails to users who are not regularly using their Google+ pages.
• Google+ is a Social Media platform, like Facebook and Twitter, but unfortunately for Google, unlike Facebook and Twitter, not as many people use it! Google were late to the social media party and seriously dropped the ball! However, there are still many people who use and engage with Google+.
• “Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!” as Lance Corporal Jones used to say in Dad’s Army. Only you of a “certain age” will understand where I’m coming from!

  There is still time to hang on to your Google+ page providing you use it. All you need to do is post or comment on another G+ page within 30 days.

Is this the End of Google Plus?

Very possibly. As mentioned before, it isn’t a well used social media platform but there are people out there that genuinely like it and use it. Will Google+ be around in 2019, only time will tell.