Google released its Knowledge Graph on the public last week. It is the box that appears in the right hand column displaying data about a search request, offering more information than just a list of links relevant to the search term. People and Pages on Google+ had previously occupied the real estate on the right hand side of the screen. If a user conducted a search for a brand or a person, then data about that and similar brands/people would appear with the latest content from them on Google+.
That space is now completely owned by the Knowledge Graph. The Knowledge Graph will now display information about the person similar to how Wikipedia does. There will still be a space for the latest content from that person/brand on Google+ but it will not be the central focus of the Knowledge Graph. This change is all part of Google’s effort to stop being a search company and instead become a knowledge company.
This particular update will probably not have a large impact on the social media agency, if anything there will be a drop in traffic on Google+ as people are referred to it less often for answers to their questions. In the long run, however, this is part of a turn that does not end well for Google+. The social network is not part of a mission to be a knowledge company. Of course a social network can help to accumulate knowledge into a single database, but there are more efficient methods than running a social network that seems unable and unlikely to catch a foothold in FaceBook’s dominance.
The social media agency that was counting on Google+ to supplant FaceBook should reevaluate its long-term strategy.