Google just announced a rebrand for the Google My Business platform. Now it will be called Google Business Profile. It will also be seeing some changes to the listing tool with this rebrand.
What Updates are Happening?
Besides the name change, the biggest difference is that single location businesses will be managed within Google Maps and Google Search directly. To change or manage a listing, the business owner can type their business name into Google Search, and they’ll be given a dashboard of options. There will no longer be a need to go to a separate application or website to manage your listing!
They have slowly rolled out this feature and are now planning to retire the old Google My Business platform completely by 2022. It will be important for businesses with one profile/location to know how to utilize this feature.
To understand more in-depth these changes, Google has released a series of helpful videos that will show up in your Google My Business app. They’re quick and do a phenomenal job showing you how to use their new features.
What About Businesses with Multiple Locations?
While single listing/location companies will need to adjust to the updates, multi-location businesses will continue to use the existing tools. Google is looking to transition the old GMB application to primarily support larger companies. They’ll be able to continue to manage their listings through their Google Business Profile.
More Powerful Google Search & Google Maps
One goal Google has for these updates is to provide suggestions for businesses to help boost their listing and SEO. They’ll be providing unique insights and suggestions when you type in your business name. Examples of this they’ve shared are:
- Adding photos to your listing
- Responding to reviews
- Post an update
- Share promotions
Until Google Business Profile is fully rolled out, Google has added the ability to do more things directly from Google Maps and Search, including:
- Claim a business listing
- Verify the listing
- Send and receive messages to/from customers
- Manage reviews and Q&As
Takeaways
While this rebrand to Google Business Profile isn’t earth-shattering, it’s important to know it’s coming. Especially for small businesses who really need to understand how to utilize local listings like this. We highly recommend that businesses head to their Google My Business app and watch the videos on these updates to see how they can expect their experience and listing to change in the near future.