Google+ has seen a 60 per cent loss in web traffic since it opened its gates to the general public on 20 September. The big G's attempt at social networking has, despite initial spikes of interest, seen a gradual decline in traffic.

Google+ remained, until 20 September, an invite only affair, the idea being that it would help drum up anticipation and interest in the site. Once the website did open its doors to the public it saw a 1200 per cent traffic spike in just a single day, but since then it has dropped 60 per cent. 

To put that in perspective, say for example you had 100 people using your website initially and you saw a 1200 per cent increase, then you would have 1300 people make use of your site. A 60 per cent loss in traffic would result in that dropping back down to just 520. Still more than you started with but by no means Facebook levels of growth and much more worryingly, plentiful people gone from the site. 

Facebook now has over 800 million active users of the site and is gradually rolling out new look profile pages and better application integration. In contrast, Google+ has only just celebrated the 50 million mark with the addition of Zynga's super addictive CityVille game. 

Chitika, a web analytics firm, has released a report which gives some pointers as to why Google+ is flagging so badly in the traffic stakes. 

"Perhaps if Google can accelerate their current pace of innovation on their social network offering, Google+ could become a competitive alternative to its arch-rival, Facebook," explains the Chitika report. 

"Otherwise, given Facebook's clout and reputation of rapid innovation, Google+ might just be left in the dust."

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