There have been some major updates to Google My Business listings in the past few months. In fact, 2018 has brought several innovations that bring Google My Business into its own, and is even more of an essential tool for all business owners (who have a website or not). Let’s take a look at what’s available for you.
2018 Updates
These new elements have been added since the beginning of 2018, and are all available for update in your Google My Business dashboard.
Business Description
This is a short description of your business. I would stick to two or three sentences, and keep your most important information (services, location) in the first sentence or two (this is because descriptions often get truncated). When published, it appears in your listing like this:
Services
This is a VERY new offering, previously only available to restaurants. These are small posts that outline the services you offer, with the name, price, and description. I haven’t seen any posted yet, but I would definitely try this to see if you get any clicks.
Messaging
When clicked, this allows potential visitors who are on their mobile phones to text you and receive an automatic response. You set this up, it is not an automatic thing. You designate which cell number the messages go to, and you input the message they receive. I’ve heard people use “I will get back to you” messages and “Please contact us via our website” messages. Also, I’m not sure how the time runs on this; I can’t seem to find if the hours on messaging correspond with your “open” hours.
Posts
These are very cool They’re short messages that appear in your GMB listing and look almost like ads. Restaurants use them to post weekly / daily specials, and I’ve seen them list offers with expiration dates. Posts expire in 7 days, so they may be labor intensive, but I would try them to see if they help.
Questions and Answers
This is not an opt-in feature as the others here are; it already appears on all listings. This is a “Questions and Answers” area where visitors can ask questions about a business. I’ve not seen a lot of questions being asked, but I would be aware of this feature just in case someone asks on your listing. If this happens, you will receive an email from GMB. (I realize this was introduced prior to 2018, but the email updates about it is very recent, so I included the whole update.)
Videos
You may now upload videos to your GMB listing. Because this is so new, I’m not sure whether it impacts your visibility, but as with everything here, it’s worth a try!
Woman – led Attribute
You can now designate that your business is women-led. This shows up when you click “more” when on mobile. Again, not sure if it helps, but it’s worth a try.
Thank you to Maureen McCarthy of Love and Kisses Pet Sitting for allowing me to post selections from her GMB listing (top two are Maureen’s, bottom two are mine).
Bottom Line
Google My Business has introduced many new updates since the beginning of 2018. A comprehensive list may be found here. I would make it a point of going into your listing and trying things to see if they help.
If you would like a review of your Google My Business listing, or would like help implementing any changes in your listing, call or text me at 732 820-0103 or write me at amy@petsitterseo.com.
