Google+ Traffic Plunges 60 Percent: Running Out of Breath Already?

Google+ traffic has plunged more than 60 percent after it went public on September 20, which makes everyone wonder whether the new-born social network has run out of breath already.

Initially, Google+ only invited limited number people to join and during the "invite-only" phase, it generated considerable traffic. At that time, many people were interested in Google+, which was believed as the next social networking craze, and those invited thought themselves as privileged. The popularity continued especially when the Internet search giant opened the doors to its social network to the public on Sept. 20. The massive inflow of new members continued, resulting in a traffic jump of 1,200 percent within a few days.

However, the dream run didn't seem to last long. According to a Chitika Insights' recent report, since Sept. 22, the traffic plummeted by 60 percent, back to pretty much the same level it was before it opened to the public.

Without a doubt, the soaring traffic at the beginning has proven that Google+ can attract users. But it doesn't mean the users will continue actively to use this service. Chitika believes that one of the reasons traffic dropped so drastically is that Google+ doesn't offer any service, which other social media doesn't. As a new emerging social network, if Google+ loses exclusive advantages, it will be difficult to drive the users to be loyal to the new platform.

Google+ provides some features such as Circle, Hangouts, Huddle, Sparks, Instant Upload etc, which has helped it become a competitive alternative to Facebook. But Facebook isn't willing to lag behind and has added some features inspired by Google+, particularly in terms of improving the transparency of its privacy options. The improvement by Facebook made Google+ gradually lost its own advantages.

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