Google Business Profiles Bug Temporarily Drops Product Management Features For Merchant Center
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 Maps Mobile Showing Justifications On The Map
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…
A Dedicated Google Search Local Ad Pack
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 Hotel Results Using Reviews For Things To Do & Review Summaries
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 …
Google Maps Others Are Asking With Prompt To Answer This Question Carousel
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…
New Google Business Guidelines For Virtual Food Brands & Delivery-Only Businesses
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…
Google Maps Business Redressal Form Adds “Business Doesn’t Exist” Option
Google has added a new option in the Business Redressal Complaint Form under the “Identify the content on Google Maps that you claim might lead to fraudulent activity” drop down. The new option is “this business doesn’t exist” and the local SEO communi…
New Google Travel Search Features
Google announced a bunch of new travel search features the other day across flights, hotels, destinations of interest and more. These new features aim at helping you “get inspired and research your options so you can book with ease when the time is ri…
Google Reduces Visibility Of Business Edits With Color Changes To Updates
Google has recently changed how it shows what edits or updates were made to a Google Business Profile listing in Google Search and Google Maps. Prior, Google four different types of colored label notifications for edits, now it only has two. It now o…
Google Business Profile Manager Is Going Away Early 2022
When you try to access the Google Business Profile Manager at google.com/business, Google will prompt you with a notice that “you can no longer manage your business here” from early 2022. After you login and click on a business, you are presented with…
Google Local Business Listing Deals Tab
Google is showing a “deals” tab on some local business listings. I am not sure if this is new or not, I know I covered deal labels in the local business listings but I am not sure if I saw a tab devoted to just deals?
Google Maps Asking Local Guides To Update Old Reviews
It seems that the Google Maps team is asking some Google Local Guides to update older reviews they have left in the past. Tricia Clements posted a screenshot on Twitter of the Google Maps request.
Beware: Google Business Profile Messaging Spam & Scam Attempts
There are scam and spam attempts being conducted through the Google Business Profile messaging platform. This is a tactic of someone looking to hire you for a service but they ask if you take credit card or other online payments. The trick is, they th…
Google Local Listing “At This Place” Shows Businesses At Venues
Google Local listings has a feature that shows what else is in that venue, it is called “at this place.” This reminds me of Google showing mall directories and what businesses are near other businesses in the local listings.
Google Screened Local Results At This Business Carousel
Google Screened local listings are through Local Service Ads that a third party conducts background and license checks for those listed in that section. It is mostly for realtors, lawyers, financial planners and chid car providers. Google has a sectio…
Google Maps Testing Overlay Box Over Maps Interface For Local Listing
Google Maps is testing a new position for the local listings when you click on a specific listing from the search results on the left hand side. The local listing is overlayed on top of the map, hovering in its own position instead of positioned on th…
Google Local Search: Browse By Products & Browse By Stores
Google local listings have been pushing products for the past several years, in fact, it just recently added in-store products in the help document around improving visibility in Google local search. Google has been showing browse by products and brow…
Google AI Can Update Local Listing Hours Including Live Traffic, Street View Imagery & More
Google announced that it will update the local business hours listed in Google Maps and Google Search of over 20 million businesses using AI. How? Google said it looks at a multitude of things including popular times (real user location data), the hou…
Google Maps With Deeper iOS Integration, Toll Prices & Traffic Lights/Stop Signs
Google Maps announced a bunch of updates for the iOS and Android app including the prices of tolls, displaying traffic lights and stop signs on the map and additional iOS integrations. These are also rolling out on Android Auto and CarPlay.
Google My Business App Going Away
Google warned us that the Google My Business app will go away at some point when it relaunched as Google Business Profiles. Now Google is emailing users of the app notifying them that “the Google My Business app is being replaced.”