Larry Page talks up Google+ alongside strong quarterly numbers

Google chief Larry Page has emphasised the early success of the company's social networking efforts in helping to drive strong growth in quarterly revenue.

The Google chief executive said the company logged $9.72bn (£6.16bn) over the quarter, up 33 per cent from the same period in 2010.

The company's own sites accounted for $6.74bn of those revenues, while AdSense revenues brought Google $2.6bn on the quarter.

"When I look back on the last quarter, the word that springs to mind is gangbusters," Page told analysts during the company's earnings call.

While the Google chief noted strong financial performance across the board for Google, he paid particular attention to the company's newly launched Google+ social network. Page noted that since its launch earlier this year, Google+ has amassed some 40 million users.

"People are flocking to Google+ at an incredible rate and we are just getting started," Page said. "The user engagement has been phenomenal too."

Page said the company will look to tie the platform in with its other offerings. The Google CEO said the company will, in the coming months, integrate the social network with additional web services.

"Last quarter we shipped the Plus," Page said. "Now we are going to ship the Google part."

That sort of commitment to Google+ will be critical for the company, say industry analysts.

Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Whit Andrews told V3 that being able to expand and integrate the platform will be necessary for Google to ward off rival Facebook.

"It is certainly a key stratagem; there is no question that Google+ is important to them," Andrews said. "Google+ has the potential to have an enormous impact for them and it is imperative that it be successful vis-a-vis Facebook."