From constant adjustments to search algorithms to sudden product shifts, anyone who factors Google into their inbound marketing strategy (by which we mean everyone) has come to expect the unexpected. But even against this backdrop, the departure of company SVP and Google Plus (G+) chief Vic Gundotra came as a surprise, causing speculation about the early demise of the search giant's social network to run wild around technology and marketing communities.

As soon as Google+ was launched in 2011 one of the most frequently asked questions was how quickly business pages would be made available. Marketing heads immediately recognized the value of performing well on a social platform backed by the world's most widely used search engine. The potential to combine search and social media has always been flagged as a growing trend in search engine optimization (SEO).

The reality is that much of the reporting following Gundotra's departure has been speculative. For business owners reconsidering how Google+ fits into their inbound marketing strategy, this makes all those articles about the platform's impending doom more hype than help.

Luckily, we're here to help you with facts, not fiction!

5 Reasons Your Google+ Page Still Has a Role to Play

There are plenty of reasons to continue using Google+ to market your services. These are the five most compelling, as we see it:

1. Social search is here to stay

For years, search engines have been trying to factor signals from social networks into their algorithms to improve results. At a time when data volume has become overwhelming and artificially calculated suggestions are everywhere, personal recommendations are incredibly valuable. They stand out. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are all working to cash in on this value, so Google is unlikely to put itself in a position wherein it relies on deals with other companies to integrate that data into its search results. 

2. Advertising opportunities abound

As recently as last December, Google has actively increased the integration of G+ with its main source of revenue: online advertising. What started with business pages on the social network has quickly developed into the ability to pay Google to expand advertising reach. The company is always looking for ways to expand its dominant position in the advertising space, especially as Facebook gains ground with its own unique access to more than one billion users. Although Google+ is unlikely to reach that enviable user base, the ability to tailor ads to certain groups based on knowledge of how they interact is a selling point that Google won't want to lose.

3. Adaptation doesn't mean extinction

There's a big difference between adjusting a product strategy and killing it entirely. Google is always fine-tuning its extensive product range, pulling some back as it expands or combines others, so none of the changes to date mean that time invested in G+ is wasted.

4. Authorship establishes trust

SEO experts across the web agree that connecting a G+ author profile to your business content helps search results and increases traffic to your site. These connections are built on top of the social network and it would damage Google's most prized asset, the quality of its search results, to do away with these profiles.

5. Google says so!

In a statement following Gundotra's departure, Google reassured users that the move would have "no impact on our Google+ strategy. We have an incredibly talented team that will continue to build great user experiences on Google+." While it's true that this could easily be just for PR purposes, the company has always had a commitment to providing helpful tools that people love to use.

Bottom Line

If Google+ were a person, it would be Mark Twain, famously reassuring fans that "reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." While there is every likelihood that Google will adjust the position that the social network plays in its wider web strategy, it simply holds too many valuable elements to scrap entirely. So stay on top of the news and adjust your tactics accordingly, but don't drop Google+ from your overall inbound marketing strategy any time soon!