The issues faced by Google+ catching up with Facebook highlighted here:

Raise Your Hand If You’re Still Using Google+

really underscore the difficulties of starting a web-based business.  Many people think that they can take on the big sites with superior technology – some killer app, feature, etc.  Over the years I’ve seen many job posts, and talked to people who wanted to build a “clone” of a big name site (like ebay.com, facebook.com, groupon.com).  They really thought that the “technology” (programming, website, etc.) was really the key driver for the business, and would determine their success.

However, time and again, we see that the technology is really just the starting point.  From there, you need marketing, advertising,  partnerships, etc. to get things off the ground and get traction.  This is the part most people overlook.

In the case of Google+, they spent untold millions on the platform, and have a tremendous user base to launch it to, yet, it’s floundering a bit.  They have a hard uphill climb in my opinion, because of Facebook’s established users.  The switching costs of social media are high, and Google must overcome that.

So, when planning your next killer app, keep in mind that the technology is really the easy part.  Once that’s in place, your real challenges will start.