Of the many ways to establish a strong online business profile, Google My Business was an essential – easy to set up, free, simple to maintain and update and highly effective at promoting businesses in the top right of relevant search results, GMB gave business owners a highly-valuable tool – even those that didn’t have a good website or a website at all!
But, as with everything at Google, things change, and with it, the search engine giant has evolved its Google My Business platform to the new Google Business Profile Manager.
What’s different?
Amongst the main reasons for the switch is to make the differentiation between small businesses with a single location and larger corporations with multiple locations easier to identify, and for their owners to manage.
Additionally, Business Profile Manager gives business owners all the same functionality as with Google My Business and a host of new functions and benefits make the latest iteration far easier for small business owners to manage their listings, amongst other enhancements.
Businesses are now able to type their company name into Search or Maps and then edit their business profile immediately as well as reply to customers, launch marketing promotions, add new images and more.
On Maps, companies with a Business Profile will be able to see and respond to messages directly, with the added functionality of a read-receipt indicator to help keep accountability in place.
Owners are also able to claim and verify ownership of their businesses online – a process that used to take ages and was rather tedious.
Companies with a Business Profile that includes their phone number will also now be able to track inbound calls from the platform, helping to understand its efficiency and giving data which can help with ongoing optimization.
Ultimately, all the data will help business owners understand and measure how Business Profile is helping drive value to the bottom line.
Why the shift?
Google has various strategies to help businesses across the entire spectrum benefit from Google-based functions – Business Profile Manager is designed to integrate a range of functions and features that makes it easy for small and large businesses alike to manage their profiles quickly and easily, helping to drive better optimization in Search and consequently better engagement and a better conversion to the business’s goals.
To sign up to Google Business Profile for free simply visit www.google.com/business and follow the prompts.
To find out more about how to optimise your business online speak to our experience team of digital marketers on 01223 550800 or email info@realnet.co.uk.