Google Reader Still Drives Far More Traffic Than Google+
The beloved but doomed Google Reader is still a healthy source of traffic. Google+, on the other hand... According to data from the BuzzFeed Network, a set of tracked partner sites that collectively have over 300 million users …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google had said Reader was doing fine in 2010, while coverage in 2011 and 2012 tracked rising Google+ traffic and user counts. BuzzFeed Network referral data draws a sharper distinction: audience growth on Google+ has not translated into comparable outbound visits for publishers.
Reader's impending loss therefore matters beyond its user base. For a network of partner sites, it removes a distribution route that the available data shows is materially more productive than Google's social network.
First-order effects
- BuzzFeed Network publishers stand to lose a significant referral channel as Google Reader is wound down.
- Google+ cannot be treated as a like-for-like replacement for Reader traffic: the network's data shows it sends far fewer visits.
Second-order effects
- Google+ faces pressure to turn reported audience growth into outbound sharing and referral behavior if it is to become useful to publishers losing Reader.
- BuzzFeed Network partners will need to place greater value on distribution channels measured by actual referrals rather than by user or traffic growth alone.
Third-order effects
- If the gap persists, publisher distribution strategy will increasingly distinguish between platforms that retain attention and those that reliably route readers off-platform.
- Google's product decisions expose a broader measurement divide: platform reach is not the same as route share for content publishers.
The trend: Publisher platform strategy is shifting from headline audience metrics toward verified referral routes that deliver readers to publishers' own sites.