Google Business Profile – What’s it All About?

If you have a Google business account, you may have noticed that it has changed from Google My Business to a Google Business Profile at some point over the past few months. We’re going to unpick why this has happened and what it means for your online profile. 

 

Google has changed the name of its local listing platform from Google My Business to Google Business Profile. The Google My Business app has also been retired and small businesses are now encouraged to manage their profiles directly from Search or Maps. If you’re signed in to your business account, you can quickly and easily update any information directly from a Google search of your business. Any businesses looking to create a Google Business Profile can do so directly from Search or Maps and you will have the ability to quickly see if your profile is publicly visible. 

 

As far as we can tell, it’s all about user experience. By making the Google My Business app redundant and allowing business owners to manage their profile directly from search results, it’s quicker and easier to keep on top of any changes that need to be shared with potential and existing customers. This means that you have more time to focus on running your business! 

 

You can now make lots of changes to your business information quickly and easily, directly from a Google search. After ensuring you’re logged in, you will be able to edit: 

 

About – Your business name, industry, description of your business, opening date 

Contact – Your address, website, phone number, social media accounts 

Location – Drop a pin on Maps and add photos so people know what to look for 

Hours – Add main operating hours and any different hours eg. Bank holidays 

Products – Share what you have to offer, including price or price range, photos and descriptions 

Services – What other services does your business offer 

 

And if that’s not enough, from the ‘Customers’ tab, you can also: 

• Add an exterior photo so customers can recognise your storefront 

• See your call history from Google-directed calls 

• Post updates, as you would on social media 

• Allow customers to message you directly 

• Request reviews from customers 

 

All in all, it’s just a name change with a load of extra benefits thrown in for fun! 

 

A great place to look for more information is the Google Business Profile help page. You can find out how to get started, how to continually manage your profile and how to engage with customers. We look forward to reading all your information on Google soon!