Google+ has just turned two, and to celebrate the occasion has launched a redesign of its plugins for websites and badges.

Mature design

Google+ plugins for websites, which include the Follow, +1 and share buttons, have been rebranded to reflect the platform's new, more minimalist look.

Google explains the new compact plugins fit more easily with plugins from other platforms.

Badge of honour?

Page and Profile badges, which link a Google+ page to a website, have also got a new look and are more customisable.

Users can now apply a light or dark theme to badges and display them in landscape or portrait mode. 

In an effort to boost engagement on the site, badges are now available to Google+ communities. This means when a user joins a Google+ community they can display a bespoke badge, which is customisable, on their website.

Birthday wish

In the two years since launch it would be fair to say that Google+ has not set the world on fire and lacks the lustre of platforms like Instagram and Vine.

And while Google won't release figures on G+, it's steadily been improving and tweaking the service, and features like Hangouts on Air are clearly popular with users.

This all means Google+ isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Where Google+ will be in a year's time is anyone's guess, but remember that story about the tortoise and the rabbit?

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