New Features for Local Businesses in Google My Business and Google Maps

 Posted on September 15, 2017 in Changes with Google

According to Google, more than 80% of people look for local information in online searches, which demonstrates the importance of providing people with the right information when they are searching for your business. In order to help businesses make sure the information they include in local listings is meeting their customers’ needs, Google recently rolled out some new features:

Updating Business Information in Google Search

Google My Business helps business owners control the information that appears for their company in Google’s search results. Google recently made updating this information easier by providing a dashboard that is accessible directly in Google’s search results.

To access the dashboard, search for your business while logged in to the account you use with Google My Business. A menu will appear above the top search results, and from here, you can perform a variety of actions, including updating your business information or hours, adding photos, making a post on your Google My Business page, viewing customer reviews, or accessing information about the performance of your business listing. 

Answering Questions in Google Maps

Google Maps is an integral part of Google search, and it ties directly into Google My Business listings to provide users with the most up to date information when they are performing local searches. Google is always looking to improve people’s experience when they are searching for information, and in their latest new feature for Google Maps, they are allowing people to ask and answer questions about the locations they visit.

This feature is currently available for people in Google’s Local Guides program, and the questions and answers are visible to anyone using the Google Maps app for Android or accessing Google Maps in a mobile browser. People can upvote questions and answers, making them more visible and helping people find the most useful information about a business.

To see the questions that people ask about your business, you will need to be signed in to the Google Maps app with your Google My Business account. When you are logged in, you will receive a notification whenever anyone asks a question about your business. When answering questions, it is a good idea to provide detailed answers rather than one-word responses, since questions can be edited later.

Contact a Local SEO Expert

If you want to know more about how to provide people with the information they are looking for when they search for your business on Google, contact the online marketing professionals at OVC, INC. We can help you with improving your company’s rankings in Google search, and we also offer a variety of additional online marketing services, including PPC advertising, social media marketing, and video marketing. Call our office at 630-635-8000 or contact us online.  

Sources:

https://www.blog.google/topics/small-business/manage-your-business-listing-without-leaving-google-search/

https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/News-Updates/Ask-and-answer-questions-on-Google-Maps/ba-p/414699

http://searchengineland.com/6-things-need-know-googles-qa-feature-google-maps-281255