Google+, the recently announced social network from the search giant, may only be in a beta release be new, but it is proving to be tremendously popular. According to statistician Paul Allen, Google+ already has upwards of 7 million users and is expected to grow even more over the next week.
The social network, launched at the tail end of June, jumped 350 percent in six days, from 1.7 million registered members on July 4 to 7.3 million on July 10. Allen predicts the social network will be crossing the 10 million user mark as of press time, and he predicts it will double again before the end of the weekend to 20 million users if Google keeps the Invite button available.
For marketers, this means social content to fuel Google+ might become a competitive necessity. Although the network is currently available only for individuals' use, Pages for businesses are supposed to be launching in the near future. This could create a new social marketing space for brands – and it +1'd content may have an impact on SEO.
Online marketers have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Google's social network due to the company's strong position in the search engine landscape as well. Matt Cutts has suggested the +1 may soon become a ranking signal, which could help businesses with socially advocated content get ahead in Google search results. As Brafton has reported, comScore data shows that Google accounted for 65.5 percent of core searches in May.
