Local Search
Google My Business Rolling Out New Direct Edit Experience
Google My Business, as reported by 9 to 5 Google is now rolling out a new, improved, direct edit experience for editing your business profile. If you enter the phrase “My Business” in the search field of Google you are presented with your local listings (or a subset of them) that allows you to edit…
Read MoreGoogle Adding Call Buttons in Local Knowledge Panels
A week ago, Tom Waddington spotted a call button in the local knowledge panel. I wasn’t able to replicate it, and neither could most of the people we asked. However, as of this morning, I’m able to see it, along with all my colleagues which makes me think Google is rolling it out more widely.…
Read MoreGoogle My Business Adds Online Operating Hours Feature
A couple of weeks ago, Ben Fisher tweeted that Google My Business had added a new type of hours in the dashboard called “online operating hours”. Krystal Taing pointed out this week that these hours are finally showing up in the search results. Although this originally appears as a solution for businesses that answer phones…
Read MoreGoogle My Business Products Change
There was a change recently to the way Google displayed the Products section in Google My Business. At first glance, this was just a change to the layout but it also changed how Products are populated in the Knowledge Panel. Previously, you could control which products showed up in the Knowledge Panel (it only shows 3)…
Read MoreGoogle My Business Adds Partner Links & Opt-out of Food Ordering in Dashboard
Google My Business has been displaying 3rd party menu links on listings since at least 2015. These links are added without the business’s permission and can only be removed if the business reaches out to the 3rd party site directly. In addition to menu links, GMB allows partners to publish Order ahead and Reservation URLs.…
Read MoreGoogle Now Allows Anyone to Flag User Profiles
A brand new help center document appeared that outlines the procedure for anyone to report a user profile if that user is “contributing false information, uploading offensive content, or taking other abusive actions that violate Google Maps user-contributed policy ” This is another way that marketers can report spam that appears in the form of…
Read More“Buy Gift Card” Now Prominent on Google Maps App
Google is highlighting businesses that have taken advantage of the Gift Card/Support feature via the Google Maps App. Not too long ago businesses that sell gift certificates or gift cards, or who had established a “support campaign” via approved providers were encouraged to add the info to the GMB dashboard. Now Google is surfacing those…
Read MoreNew Online “Appointments, Care, Classes & Estimate” Attributes in GMB
On Monday Tom Waddington noticed a new attribute showing up on some knowledge panels for “Online Care” appearing in desktop local pack results. The use case Monday was medical – but we’re seeing the “Online Appointment” and “Online Estimates” attribute available and visible for a variety of business categories. I’ve seen it on lawn care,…
Read MoreSecondary Hours in GMB For Some Categories
Around May 18, Google My Business will release a new feature into GMB accounts that will allow business owners to add secondary hours to their listing. Preloading the information is available now in Beta via Google My Business agency partners, but if you wait until next week it should be available to limited industries if…
Read MoreCovid Testing Data for Google Business Profiles Can Now be Submitted to Third Party
Earlier in the week, we started seeing the visibility of Covid testing information on local business profiles on Google. Google has indicated that if you are an organization that is providing Covid testing at your location, you are now able to submit your testing information to CastLight Covid Testing Locator for vetting and if approved,…
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