Category: Google Maps

A recent New York Times piece highlighted blackmail threads taken on small restaurants that threaten and blackmail the owners. These threats say the person will leave a one-star review, hurting the business’s reputation in Google Maps and Google Search…

There are a number of complaints in the Local Search Forums with the Google Business Profile Manager. Supposedly in some cases, listing and other details are being hidden or just disappearing.

Google Search seems to be testing new location and destination cards in Google search. These cards show “get there,” “weather,” “map cards” and more features.

We knew that when Google rebranded Google My Business to Google Business Profile that Google will be doing away with the Google My Business App. And now that day has come – the Google My Business app is no longer available.

In the new way to manage your Google Business Profile, i.e. in Google Search, there is a toggle to “show business address to customers.” So if you are a small business and you use your home address, you can toggle that off to hide your address from sho…

Google sent out email notifications to those who use Google Posts that they now expire after six months. Ben Fisher shared a screenshot of this notification on Twitter that read “did you know that after 6 months your most recent posts won’t be highlig…

Google seems to be testing or slowly rolling out a new local search feature in the main web search results named Find places through reviews. Google will show a review carousel for select local businesses that match your query in this web search featur…

Google Maps is testing a new local listing interface where it shows more images in the top portion of the local listing and there are tabs to show the business overview on the left and the reviews on the right.

Google has added yet another business attribute for Google Business Profiles – LGBTQ+ owned businesses. This is a new label that can be added to your business in Google Maps and Google Search “making it easier for customers to find and support them,” …

Just like when Google was testing an expandable locations section that is in a collapsible menu in the Google Search results, now Google is testing an “in-store nearby” section that is expandable within a collapsible menu.

Google is testing a new local widget for businesses owners to help them maintain their Google Business Profile. The widget is named “profile strength” and it shows up in the Google Search results when you search for a company you manage in Google Busin…

Google is testing hiding the local pack within a locations tab that expands when you tap on it or the arrow down. When it expands, it shows you the full local pack listings.

There is a complaint in the Local Search Forums from a local SEO saying that Google has emailed businesses of the local SEO with a message that they automatically turned on messaging on their business profile in Google Maps and Google Search.

It seems like there is another set of reviews going missing or being removed by Google in the Google Maps and local listings. Joy Hawkins noticed an increase in complaints from businesses over the past week but Mike Blumenthal thinks it is more intenti…

The folks at WhiteSpark showed screenshots of Google Business Profile limiting the control you have over your product listings within your local panel. They showed how “businesses can no longer edit existing Products on their Google Business Profiles …

Google is now showing justifications directly in the Google Maps mobile interface and app for businesses that you might be interested in. Justifications are basically reviews or comments about the business that Google might think you want to see overl…

Google seems to be testing adding a local pack for ads along with a normal organic local pack, I believe. Here is a screenshot showing a local pack labeled as “Ads” that show a list of stores that have shoes near you. You can click “more places” that…

Google for years has been doing super fancy search features based on reviews left in Google Maps. Here are some more features that may or may not be new, but you should be aware of in any event. Specifically, Google using hotel reviews to build lists …

We know Google has a lot of those question and answers sections in the Google Maps business listings. We saw Google showing this in the maps interface (not just the search interface) recently but now Google is showing “others are asking” to trigger mo…

Google has added new local business profile guidelines for virtual food brands and delivery-only food brands. This would be for businesses that re-package a local restaurant’s food but technically does not have its own location or business in that area…