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There's still a lot of talk about whether Google+ is dead or not - but assuming it weren't dead yet, how about the Google+ button that allows the sharing of articles? Is it any good anymore?

A lot of sites have dropped it by now while plenty still keep it on, but it's hard to tell if it's of any use or was just forgotten there.

There is some data about the utility social sharing buttons (bar Facebook) like LinkedIn or Twitter but close to nothing about Google+.

I'm aware that it depends on audience, content etc., so the question is rather when is it useful to keep the button and when is should rather be dropped.

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  • As long as links are signals Google+ remains useful.
    – Evgeniy
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 22:29
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    It's useful if you want a Google employee to share your site
    – Lyall
    Commented Jul 25, 2016 at 9:08
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    You should ask yourself whether share buttons are still useful. Pretty much every smartphone and even desktop browser implements its own, so having a good permalink (even on single-page apps) is all you need.
    – André Borie
    Commented Jul 25, 2016 at 13:07

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There's no right or wrong answer to this.

From a marketing perspective, it really depends on if you have enough room on your website for the Google+ button and how many people use it.

For example, if 99% of people who click on your social buttons are just using Twitter and FaceBook, it may be better to just have those and make them more predominant - otherwise, you're just wasting space.

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    I started out with lots of share buttons on my site. After looking into which ones users were actually clicking I removed all but two. It was 90% Facebook and 10% Twitter. None of the others (including Google+) were used enough to warrant any real estate on my site at all.
    – Stephen Ostermiller ♦
    Commented Jul 28, 2016 at 10:17
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The answer is to keep it while you think it is useful and to drop it when you don't. Some people have stumbleupon links others don't. Most people have facebook links, others don't. It is a personal thing.

G+ still has a lot of users (including me) and I hope it isn't wound up.

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Check your analytics reports to view social media referrals to your site. I have visitors who use Google+ and it justifies keeping the button visible and handy.

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