Ensure that you are procuring lucrative benefits from these recently released Google My Business features accompanied by the local SEO strategy and features to improvise your local search presence. Google has streamlined several new features and characteristics in Google My Business (GMB) since the commencement of the pandemic situation.
This blog post discusses the ten recent changes and modifications in the local SEO strategy as well as Google My Business tactics that you need to check and verify:
1) Health and Safety Attributes:
Lately, in 2020, Google My Business has streamlined new attributes so searchers can make informed decisions regarding the health standards at businesses they may connect to during these pandemic times. This novel Google My Business attributes are:
Appointment Required
Requirement of Mask
The staff adheres to wearing the mask
Staff procures temperature checks
Temperature check is mandatory
Consider in mind that if you adhere to stricter health-associated guidelines as compared to your competitors. You advertise those guidelines on Google My Business. You would be in a better position to capture some additional and extra business from health-conscious individuals.
2) Pandemic associated Attributes for Restaurants:
Google acquired an early commencement of COVID-associated attributes for restaurants and other allied businesses in the foodservice industry. Here is a comprehensive list of those attributes:
Curbside pickup
No-contact delivery
Dine-in
Those attributes that appeared in Google My Business shortly after businesses been reopening
3) Attributes for online Services:
During the present scenario of the pandemic, most of the folks resorted to “go virtual.” That is when online meetings became a routine and Zoom became a household brand name.
Some time back, Google witnessed an opportunity to serve the online-only crowd and did so by delivering several more attributes in Google My Business.
Here are the attributes that businesses can employ to indicate that they possess virtual offerings:
Online Care
Online Appointment
Online Estimates
Online Classes
It would help if you thought about how you can employ those attributes to promote your business to people who would like to go the extra mile to prevent exposing themselves to COVID.
4) Call Logging:
This one is yet in test mode. Although it's worth keeping a watch over this attribute. Google My Business is presently developing a new feature that would permit you to view the latest and recent customer calls that arrived through the search. This aspect is what Google has to state about the new feature.
You can employ call history to maintain a track record of the phone calls from your customers on Google Search and Maps. Your calls are all in one place to assist you in responding to missed calls and stay engaged with your customers.
These calls may make it easier for you to identify and execute business with customers who identified your business through Google. Any calls you procure from your business profile would start with a short message that makes you aware that the client is from Google.
Here is how it functions and performs. Whenever a user clicks at the button on a Google My Business profile, Google would log the call. Google My Business would log both missed and answered calls. Then, you can observe the logged calls in the calls tab.
It is only available on the app, though, not the browser version. If you use the call logging feature, the application will mask your real phone number as it employs sending a forwarding number.
5) Additional Google My Business Insights Data:
Google has also recently enriched its Google My Business performance reports. For beginners, Google My Business would not let you know how many people have reached out to you after visiting your profile page.
Moreover, the platform commenced delivering additional reports about searches. When fully completed, they would let you know how many times your business profile would surface in search results. You would also observe data on Google Map searches.
These kinds of insights would be available for up to six months.
6) Messaging:
Google has recently streamlined the Google My Business messaging feature on its desktop UI. It had been made available through the mobile app before. Now, when you log in to Google My Business, you might observe a Messages button on the left-hand sidebar. If you click on it, you will arrive at the Messages Interface. It adheres to the standard "chat screen" pattern. You would observe the back-and-forth between you and your correspondents. You are required to opt into the service, however. You need to click on that same Messages button and select settings. Then, select the alternative to turn on messaging.
A caution hint: Ensure that you respond to the messages within a time frame of the 24-hour window, or Google might revoke your messaging rights. Why Google adheres to a strict, stringent policy? It is all about customer experience. If you do not lose access, you are not permanently banned, but you must go through that opt-in process once again. You can very well establish auto-response messages, but they don't count as a 'real' response within that one-day window. If you happen to receive bogus messages, mark them as spam so Google can take necessary corrective action. At the same time, you can very well block abusive messengers.
7) Black-owned Business:
Google has updated shopping search results to make and facilitate it easier and simpler for people to identify black-owned restaurants and black-owned beauty supply, which have soared and accelerated due to racial inequality being highlighted throughout 2020.
8) Maximum Video Upload Size:
Google My Business has also recently reduced its maximum video upload size. The old limit was around 100 MB. Now the new limit is reduced to approximately 75 MB. So, if you would like to brag about your business in the video, you might have to brag a little bit less on a per-video basis.
Conclusion:
These are eight of the most crucial and significant Google My Business functions corresponding to the local SEO strategy that every business, right from a self-employed plumber to an international chain of restaurants, requires to make the most of to compete in Google My Business truly. Local SEO tactics such as citation building, local link building, and on-site SEO would always assist in obtaining your profile listed higher in search. Still, at the same time, you need to remember that technology has enabled consumers to become far savvier about purchase decisions. They would not be just going to go with whatever's ranking being the highest.
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