Google My Business (GMB) has added new features to brace up for “the new normal.” As a local business owner, you should learn about these new features to harness its potential for business success. Then, apply these new features to boost your brand awareness online. This article will discuss six recent features of Google My Business that you can apply to your business.
- Health and Safety
The health and safety feature was introduced towards the end of 2020, focusing on the safety of searchers. In this new feature, visitors can make informed decisions concerning the health standards at businesses they intend to visit.
The highlight of this new feature include:
- Appointment is essential
- Visitors and staff must wear face masks
- Temperature checks are essential for all staff and visitors
- Surfaces are disinfected after visits
Note that following stricter health-related guidelines and displaying GMB guidelines will attract more health-conscious prospects to your business ahead of competitors.
- Pandemic-Related Features for Restaurants
Google took a proactive step in enforcing Covid-19 guidelines for restaurants and food-related businesses.
The highlight of this new feature include:
- Dine-in
- Curbside pickup
- No-contact delivery
The features came into operation shortly after the reopening of businesses.
- Online Services Features
There was a surge of virtual meetings everywhere as the pandemic spread. Google introduced this new feature to highlight the “new normal” as they rolled out several features to target the online-only crowd.
Below are some features that businesses can utilize to show that they offer virtual services:
- Online Care
- Online Quote
- Online Appointment
- Online Classes
Can you imagine how these new features rolled out by Google can influence your business prospects’ decisions as they don’t want to get exposed to Covid-19?
- Additional GMB Insights Data
GMB performance reports have experienced a significant upgrade. GMB now has a feature to show you the number of people that have tried to contact you after visiting your profile page.
Also, additional search reports are added to the platform. The platform will display well-detailed info about the number of times your business appears in search results. Google Maps search data are also shown. These insights will appear for up to six months.
- Black-Owned Business
The Google search result was updated to ease the stress of people finding black-owned businesses. User interest was behind the choice of GMB to launch this feature. People can now use search phrases like “black-owned fashion store” and “black-owned restaurants.” This is in response to the rise in racial inequality. Are you a black-owned business owner? Contact the best SEO company Austin to help your business rank in Google search results.
Note that it may take a while to see the changes when you set up your account’s black-owned feature. The feature is presently available for only U.S.-based Google Merchant.
GMB is Essential for Local SEO Services for Small Businesses
Google My Business offers lots of benefits for your local business promotion. So, it would be best if you focused on optimizing your profile for search.
You should stay current about GMB’s latest changes and enjoy the benefits to enhance your online brand promotion.
As a local business owner, you cannot afford to lag behind your competitors. So start utilizing the features mentioned in this article today, or find a local SEO services provider around you to optimize your GMB Listing!
Author Bio:
Naveen Sharma is an SEO and Content Marketer at Rank Mystery. He has worked for various industries and helped businesses improve their sales and ROI with his deep SEO and online marketing experience. Besides his professional life, he loves tracking and visiting new places.
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