Google+ is continuing to generate brand presence momentum and climbing closer to Facebook and Twitter brand page volumes, new research has shown.

According to BritghtEdge’s latest SocialShare report, which examines and analyses the homepages of the world’s top brand sites, the number of people following the top 100 brands rose 54% to 12.2m in the past two months, up from 7.9m.

The research revealed three quarters of top brands now have a presence on the site, including new arrivals Visa, Wells Fargo and fashion design giant Hermes. H&M and Toyota broke the 1m followers mark on the platform just ahead of Google’s own G+ page.

However, the network still struggles to reach the same user engagement levels posted by Facebook and Twitter, said the study.

Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge, said: “The exponential increase in Google+ pages showing up in search results means consumers are starting to engage with brands more regularly on the platform and vice versa.

“However there is still much higher adoption on Facebook and Twitter, whose offerings some feel include deeper engagement models which they have built and matured over time, thanks to their earlier start and sustained investment. Brands need to continue to assess and adjust how they leverage all of the social signals to capture the digital engagement and sales they’re looking for.”