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Google My Business is Testing “Services” Justifications

By Colan Nielsen / December 30, 2020
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The services menu in Google My Business allows you to add details about the different services your business offers.  Up until yesterday, the fields would only show up on mobile as a tab that either display as “services” or “menu” (which looks silly for any non-restaurant businesses). The service menu can be created directly in…

Google Maps Showing Web Results

By Brian Barwig / December 14, 2020
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Google Maps is now showing web results on mobile and desktop searches. When searching for a business on Google Maps, scrolling down past the Google My Business profile information (NAPW, photos, & reviews), there is a “People also search for” section. Previously, this was the last section within Google Maps. Currently, we are noticing a…

Google (Testing) Tourist Attractions Getting Large Icons

By Brian Barwig / December 9, 2020
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Several individuals on Twitter are sharing screenshots and information showing large landmark icons showing cities most important locations. Not everyone is seeing the landmark icons yet, so this could be a test or a slow rollout. I’m starting to see more and more of these large icons for places on Google Maps. pic.twitter.com/e2LgdNrsdr — Joy…

New Google My Business Dashboard

By Claire Carlile / November 24, 2020
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Back on November 19th I spotted that my Google My Business dashboard had had an overhaul in terms of design, and tweeted to see if anyone else was seeing it: So, a tour of this new GMB dash 1) red dot next to ✏️ means there are external edits 2) add a photo/video ? 3)…

Google Adds Google Guaranteed Badges to Google Maps

By Joy Hawkins / November 18, 2020
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Tom Waddington just alerted me that Google is now showing Google Guaranteed badges on Google Maps.  You can see an example here for Simpson Air: We’ve only been able to spot this label on businesses that are a part of the Google Guaranteed program with Local Services Ads.  Google Screened listings do not have it…

Hijacked Google My Business Listings On The Rise

By Joy Hawkins / November 6, 2020
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In the last couple of months, we’re seeing a large increase in the number of Google My Business listings that are getting hijacked.  A hijack is when a malevolent user gets a hold of a listing that they don’t own and changes the core information on it to something that they can benefit from. For…

Google Local Services Ads Expanding Bid Mode in Home Services Categories

By Tom Waddington Tom Waddington / November 3, 2020
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Google appears to be expanding auction-based pricing to Google Local Services Ads to many, if not all, businesses in home services verticals on November 16, 2020. Businesses that are already in these verticals have been paying a set rate per lead determined by Google. This rate would depend on the specific vertical and market. For…

GMB Suspending Listings for Making Single Edits to Profiles

By Brian Barwig / October 30, 2020
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There has been a recent uptick in Google My Business (GMB) suspensions for making single edits to business profiles. If that sounds crazy to you, jump on-board because we didn’t believe at first either. We have noticed several threads in our Local Search Forum and on our blog talking about the issue. We began noticing…

Selecting Your Primary Category on Google My Business – Proceed With Care

By Krystal Taing / September 30, 2020
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When optimizing a Google My Business listing, it’s crucial to understand the importance of your primary category selection. Most marketers understand your primary category will impact your ranking, but many may not know it’s tied to the majority of the features within GMB. Your primary category determines: Which attributes, amenities, and service options you have…

So Long Flat Rate Lead Cost. Bidding Mode Coming to Google Local Services Ads

By Tom Waddington Tom Waddington / September 25, 2020
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After several years of a flat-rate pay-per-lead pricing model in Local Services ads, Google has added a bidding mode option to some LSA accounts, giving businesses the option to choose the maximum amount they are willing to pay for a lead from their Local Services ad. When did this bidding mode feature appear? Not entirely…