Google My Business Is Now Google Business Profile:
Here’s What You Need to Know About the Rebrand
The Google My Business tool will now be known simply as the Google “Business Profile.” The search giant also announced several other changes to its local business listing service.
It may take you some time to adjust to new terminology and user interfaces if you have grown accustomed to Google My Business.
However, Google says that its decision to rebrand the service was made to “keep things simple.” With the announcement only a month old, it is unclear whether current users will concur with that assessment.
What’s New?
Aside from the name change, Google also announced that business owners will now be able to manage their listings directly from Google Search and Maps.
Business owners can manage their listing(s) by searching for their business name in Google Search or Maps. Alternatively, they can type in “my business” in Google Search to see which businesses they have already claimed and verified. They will then be presented with this control panel:Business owners can also easily edit their business profiles without leaving Google Search. We should mention that this is not a new feature. Business owners have always been able to manage their business listings in this manner.
However, Google is now emphasizing that all single listings should be managed in Search or Maps, rather than the old Google My Business console.
In fact, the company is retiring the Google My Business app entirely next year to encourage business owners to use the new Search and Maps functionalities.
What about Businesses with Multiple Locations?
The existing Google My Business interface — now renamed Business Profile Manager — will remain the primary location for managing listings for businesses with multiple locations. According to Google, the current Google My Business web experience will be geared toward large multi-location businesses in the future.
Extra Features
Google is also rolling out new tools to help business owners manage their profiles directly in Google Search and Maps. For the time being, business owners can:
- Claim and verify a business listing
- Message customers
- Manage reviews and Q&As
- Track data on inbound customer phone calls that came from Google Business Profile (only for North American business owners currently)
Other features are almost certainly on the way. Because Google never stops improving, it is a safe guess that we will see the release of even more features soon.
Why Should You Care?
Local search in Google is heavily influenced by the business profiles found on Google Search and Maps.
In other words, claiming and updating your business listing on Business Profile will hugely benefit your SEO efforts and help you stand out in local search results.
Outside of branding, the web interface has barely changed.
However, you can expect more of the previous Google My Business web interface functionalities to work directly in Google Search and Maps in the coming months.
Make the Most of Your Google Business Profile With New Paradigm Marketing
If you want to navigate the new features of Google Business Profile and ensure your business listing is optimized and updated, New Paradigm Marketing has you covered. Call us at (707) 236-8048 or contact us to get started on your Google Business Profile or learn more about our other digital marketing services.