There are some important changes that are happening with your Google My Business account that you need to be aware of. Let’s go over the changes and what it means to you and your business.
Local SEO is when you do a search for a business, product, or service and you add a modifier like “near me” or “Hamilton”. The search results are localized to where you’re searching from or the city you searched for. This is different than “showing up on page 1 of Google.” That’s what we call Global SEO and is only important if your business needs to be found for people searching from anywhere in the world. Local SEO is all about the local search. In the past, it’s been known as Google My Business. That’s now changed.
Your Google My Business listing is now called your Google Business Profile. Why? Because Google likes to mix things up every once in a while and keep us on our toes. 😉
The good news is that it doesn’t change your existing listing. Whew! That’s still intact. While you can still edit your listing (add pictures, add posts, etc.) using the Google My Business app from your mobile device or by logging into your account, there’s a new (and easier) way to do it. Here’s how:
- Make sure your’e currently logged into your Google account. If you use a separate email address for business, it’s probably that one.
- Type in the name of your business.
- Then edit from right within your browser.
It’s that easy!
- You can click on Edit Profile to change your hours, update your services, add photos and more.
- You can click on Customers to respond to reviews, answer questions and respond to messages.
- You can also click on Edit Your Business Information to make further edits.
I typically recommend going into your Google Business Profile once a week. Within a few minutes, you can check your analytics, upload a photo or two, and add a post. Remember, the more that you can make it an awesome experience for customers looking at your listing, the more Google rewards YOUR listing by moving it higher in the search results.
By allowing you to keep your profile up to date and optimized by simply working in a browser, they’ve made life even easier for you. That’s always a good thing.
