What the latest Google My Business updates mean for you

There have been a number of updates made to the Google maps platform that allows businesses and brands to take more control of their digital presence and optimize their listings to improve foot traffic and drive sales in stores. Below we’re going to take a look at some new features that you should be using on your listings:

Google Business

The most recent and exciting news from Google is that they are rebranding their ‘Google My Business’(GMB) platform to ‘Google Business’ Profile. Along with the new name comes a different approach to managing Single and Multi-Location businesses on the platform.

Single listing Management

Single listings are now able to be edited and managed directly from within maps and search, users will no longer need to log into the Google My Business application. Managers can now simply search for their business on Google and will see the below panels:

This new panel makes it easier for listing managers to make changes to single listings without the need for an application to sign into. Google aims for this feature to be the way for all single listings to be managed as they will be transitioning the Google My Business application to primarily support multi-listing management.

Multi-listing management

For managers of multi-location businesses, the previous Google My Business application will be revamped and rebranded to the Business Profile Manager and will continue to be the place for multi-location managers.

See their official statement below as well as their full release on their coming updates:

“The Google My Business website will transition to support primarily larger businesses with multiple profiles and will be renamed “Business Profile Manager”. Larger businesses will still be able to manage individual profiles on Search and Maps if they choose to do so. Over time we expect smaller businesses to shift to managing individual profiles directly on Search and Maps.”

Full Release Here

Google Local Posts

Google local posts are becoming an easy way to drive interactions and traffic to your GMB listings. Through optimized listings and efficient use of Google Local posts your listing can easily be at the top of the search results. In the US currently Google Local Posts are coming up top of search results and are often the first thing you see when making a search query. When Google Local Posts and Offers are well designed and written with strategic keywords in mind, they can really make your brand stand out, see the below example of well put together Google Offer on an optimized listing:

Google provide some great resources on their Google posts which can be found below:

Here

Google Maps Updated with new Visual, AR & AI Capabilities

Google has recently released a host of new updates to their mapping platform to make the experience more intelligent and visual:

• Live View on maps is going indoors. Live View is a visual navigation feature which allows users to navigate urban areas by holding up their phone and having a 3D visual indicator lead them to their waypoint. This feature is intended to make the navigation of places such as airports and malls easier for users, while only available in select cities and regions at the moment it should roll out globally in the near future.
• Curbside Pickup is being made more prominent on maps, the app will now display curbside pickup availability on a listings GMB profile on maps as well as search.
• Weather layers are a new feature Google maps is integrating into the app to further integrate weather data. Rolling out globally in the coming months users will be able see current and forecasted temperatures for whatever area they are viewing within the app.

Keep an eye on our website for more tips and information to make the most of your digital presence.

Social Places Team