Google My Business is being rebranded just in time for the holidays. On November 4, 2021, Google announced that it will be renaming Google My Business. GMB is now known as Google Business Profile.
Google understands that people want to communicate with businesses to help them make more informed decisions. Therefore, they are introducing new features that will help business owners make the most of their interactions with customers on Google Search and Google Maps.
Along with the name change, Google is rolling out new features to help businesses foster meaningful relationships with customers on Google.
SEO Design Chicago is here to help you understand these changes to Google My Business and to learn more about the new features that Business Profile from Google offers.
Table of Contents
What Is Google Business Profile?
With a Google Business Profile, you can turn people who find you on Google Search and Google Maps into new customers for your storefront or service area. You can personalize your business profile with photos, offers, posts, and more.
Google Business Profile includes tools, tips, and resources designed to make it easier to connect with new customers on Google. If your business has been affected by COVID-19, you can use your Google Business Profile to update customers on important information such as new operating hours, health and safety measures, temporary closures, and more.
You can use Google Business Profile to share the latest updates and highlights about your business. Additionally, Google Business Profile offers a free marketing kit to help your business stand out from the competition. Use the marketing kit to help customers stay informed about your business. With the marketing kit, you can create custom posters, social posts, personalized videos, reviews, and updates about your business.
Through the Google Business Profile, you can interact with your customers online, track traffic, create campaigns, and develop better connections with your customers. In fact, the main goal of rebranding Google My Business to Google Business Profile is to foster even more meaningful interactions and give merchants more tools to succeed.
What Are the New Features of Google Business Profile?
In an effort to foster meaningful conversations and enhance the success of small businesses, Google added a few new features to the Business Profile.
Small businesses can manage their profiles directly on Search or Maps.
Instead of using the dedicated My Business app, small businesses will be able to manage their profiles directly on Search or Maps, which small business owners undoubtedly already have installed and are utilizing. On the other hand, the current Google My Business web experience will cater to larger businesses with multiple locations and will be renamed Business Profile Manager.
Small businesses can claim and verify their profile through Search or Maps.
It’s now even easier to claim and verify your small business. Eligible businesses can search for their business by name. Then they can claim and verify the associated business profile. Once you have verified your business, you can edit the information, including the address, store hours, photos, and more.
Small businesses can now message customers in Google Search.
More and more people are turning to chat conversations with merchants of all sizes, ranging from small businesses to global merchants. Google designed the new chat feature in Google Business Profile to help merchants improve their interactions with customers.
Last year, Google added functionality so you can chat with customers directly on Google Maps. Now, you can also see and respond to messages right from your Business Profile on Google Search.
Read receipts for chat messages are now available. Read receipts let you see if the other party has received and read your message. This feature is launching for all Business Profile merchants this month. This feature further enriches the chat experience for customers and businesses.
Small businesses can learn more about the calls they receive from Google.
People often value the immediacy and personal connection of a phone call. Google knows that this directly impacts merchants’ businesses. Therefore, to help build connections between customers and merchants, Google is launching call history for all U.S. and Canadian merchants with verified Business Profiles. With call history, you can easily see which inbound customer calls came from your Business Profile and review helpful analytics on inbound call performance.
Improve Your Google Business Profile With SEO Design Chicago
SEO Design Chicago can help you navigate the new features of Google Business Profile. This will help your business attract new customers. Having an accurate business profile listing is the best way to get your business to appear in search results. Contact us to get started on your Google Business Profile or take advantage of our various digital marketing services today!
FAQ:
- What is Google Business Profile?
- How can small businesses benefit from the new Business Profile from Google?
- What new features does Google Business Profile have?
- How can a Google marketing kit help my small business?
- How can Google’s call history improve my business?
Contact Us Today!