Having a claimed, up-to-date, and active Google Business Profile for any business is essential. Why? Because this profile is one of the first places that customers look for information such as reviews, business hours, phone numbers, website links, and quite possibly, a first impression. Plus, it can help to improve the local SEO ranking for a business, in addition to other benefits.
Knowing the importance of this Google presence is one thing but keeping up with it is another. Our experience with this important marketing tool is extensive, and we welcome you to reach out to us so we can help you manage yours. Whether you are trying to manage your business profile yourself or not, it is still important to stay up to date on the current changes. To help, we outlined the latest updates below:
Name Change
Google has recently changed the name of their business tool from Google My Business to Google Business Profile. This isn’t too surprising as many of Google’s tools have gone through multiple name changes over the years.
Managing Your Business Profile
In addition to managing your Business Profile via the Google Business Profile app, you can now do this directly on Google Search or the Google Maps app. This means you can claim and verify a business or make updates to a business profile, such as editing the hours and uploading photos, on Search or Maps. Most importantly, this year, they plan to retire the Google My Business app for merchants so knowing how to manage your Business Profile via Search or Maps is key.
Google also shared the following, “The existing Google My Business web experience will transition to primarily support larger businesses with multiple locations, and will be renamed Business Profile Manager. We’ll share more details on these changes in the months ahead.”
Engaging with Customers
Google has introduced a new way for businesses to engage with their customers, or potential customers, via their new chat tool, Google Business Messages. With this tool, a business can chat with someone from any of the following channels: Google Business Profile, Google Search, Google Maps, and your website. There are multiple ways that a business can implement this chat tool; one way is directly via Google Search for businesses who have one location while another way is through the Google Business Profile for businesses who have multiple locations. We will be sharing even more details about this feature via our blog in the coming month, so stay tuned!
While it can sometimes be a challenge for a business to wrap their head around all that Google has to offer, one thing is certain—Google is a necessary tool in anyone’s marketing toolset.
If you have questions about what we shared above, or if you would like to learn more about how we can help you with your digital marketing needs, reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you.
Sources:
https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/connect-local-holiday-shoppers/
