Does Google+ have a fighting chance with Facebook? (credit redmondpie.com)

In July, CNN reported that Google+ gained 10 million users--a feeble one percent of Facebook’s 750 million global users. But Google’s services overall stands a mighty one billion users strong giving good reason for Facebook to stay competitive.

Google+ definitely has similar features to Facebook, so why haven’t more people made the switch and what can Google do about it?

1. Open the doors

Google may have had a good reason to limit the service before, but that reason is starting to lose its merit. Since Google+ is not drastically different from Facebook, where everyone has already set up camp, it’s hard to convince people they need yet another social media platform. Yes, everyone with a Plus account can invite 150 of their friends, but while the 10 million users on Google+ are still dwindling their thumbs until their friends join, there has to be a big selling point. People who haven’t joined Google+ yet are probably not joining because current users don’t seem convinced they need it themselves.

2. Make the switch easier

If Google could find a way for users to transfer uploaded photos and videos already on Facebook to Google+ in one quick sweep, it would be golden. Events, friends, groups and interests come and go, but memories don’t.

3. Be different from others, but have options

The battle between telecom companies should already prove that people value having choices. The more options, the better. Google+ has prided itself on a few significant differences between it and Facebook including its strict privacy controls, Hangouts and Circles features. It’s nice that Google has enough concern for user privacy to go as far as to provide an option to completely eradicate a profile and all information linked to it, but what if someone just wants to deactivate it temporarily? 

Google+ plus has also chosen not to use the facial recognition system that Facebook has, but it is simply something convenient and time-saving.

4. Appeal to the ladies and advertise, in general

According to Inside Facebook, 51.2 percent of users are male and 48.8 percent are female. However, Findpeopleonplus.com shows that the gender distribution is much more skewed on Google+, with 71 percent of the population being male and only 28 percent as being female.

Chances are, if you have a Google+ account, you are more up-to-date with technology, you are friends with someone who is, or you read the news. Not that women are not technologically advanced or worldly, but the appeal to social media in the first place is the social aspect of it.

The ability to easily import photos and contacts would help with the transition, but more importantly, Google simply needs to advertise its service to the rest of the population more. 

5. Add themes

Gmail and Google’s homepage already have themes, why can’t Google+? People love to customize what they can, and Google has always been able to maintain its clean and simple look, so they would have nothing to lose. If there was a Hello Kitty theme, it wouldn’t surprising if hundreds of girls flocked over to Google+ overnight.

Although Google+ is appropriately deemed a “project,” there is no doubt with its current user base that it still has a lot of room for growth. Whether Google means to obliterate Facebook or not, it’s definitely forcing Facebook to improve while giving every day people an alternative social media platform.

Reach reporter Rosa Trieu here. Follow her on Twitter.