As the holiday shopping season gets under way early this year due to supply concerns, Google today announced its latest tools for local shops, including a renamed “Business Profile.”
“Google My Business” is now “Google Business Profile.” The dedicated My Business Android and iOS app will be replaced in 2022 in favor of Google recommending “small businesses manage their profiles directly on Search or Maps,” apps that SMB owners as consumers will undoubtedly already have installed. Meanwhile:
The existing Google My Business web experience will transition to primarily support larger businesses with multiple locations, and will be renamed “Business Profile Manager.” We’ll share more details on these changes in the months ahead.
Besides the name change, it’s now easier to claim and verify your profile through those two apps. Start this week, those eligible can:
Search for your business by name and you’ll see an option to claim and verify the associated Business Profile. Once your business is verified, you can edit your business’ information, including the address, store hours, photos and more.
Customer messaging is also coming directly to Search (previously only available in Maps) with read receipts for both parties.
As of late last year, businesses have been able to reply to messages directly from the Google Maps mobile apps in the “Updates” tab. This upcoming Search option brings the capability to desktop web after tapping on the “Customers” menu (as seen above).
Lastly, a call history feature will show “which inbound customer calls came from their Business Profile on Google.” Available in the US and Canada for verified profiles, it will note total answer and missed call count, performance, and history.
More on Google My Business:
- Google makes it easier to access My Business tools in Search, Maps
- Google limits My Business listings during coronavirus outbreak, affects updates, more
- Google My Business adds ‘Product’ and ‘Offer’ post categories
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
