Category: Google Maps

Google seems to be testing a new button in the local business listings, the local panel, that has a “more about” button. The button drives someone from the web search version of the local listing to the more detailed overview tab section of this local …

Google continues to move more and more business editing features and controls to the web search results and outside of the Google Business Profile Manager (formerly Google My Business manager). Now you can also manage the managers and those who have a…

There are tons and tons of complaints over the past week or so of reviews not posting or going missing in the local maps business listings. In short, people are leaving reviews but they are not showing up in the local and maps interfaces on Google.
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Google has added a new attribute for some hotel listings to specify if they offer free or discounted accommodations for people displaced from Ukraine. This is a special attribute titles “accommodation for Ukraine” in the Google hotel listings.

Google is sending out a notice via Google Business Profiles that you can connect your business profile on Google Maps to Woo. Ben Fisher spotted this the other day and shared a screenshot of this notification on Twitter.

Google is now showing how long ago it confirmed a phone number and hours were accurate for a local business. Google can now write in a business local panel “confirmed by phone call” followed by how long ago it was.

Google has updated the help document on how to verify your business to say “we may require you to verify by more than one method.” So if you verify using one method, Google might decide it needs you to verify again but using a different method.
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Allie Margeson from Whitespark noticed that the Google local pack in the search results is no longer a static map. The map is now interactive and lets searchers zoom in and out, move the map around, hover over businesses to see the names and reviews an…

Kara a Google Community Manager announced that Google is doing away with the Google Business profile feature to follow a local listing in Google Maps or Google Search and also dropping the welcome offer feature. There is no date on when this is happen…

The questions and answers section is often found for local listings local knowledge panel listing on both desktop and mobile but now it is also showing up in the Google Maps interface.

Google has launched a new API to retrieve call history data from your Google Business Profiles, you know, when people click call this business from Google Search and Google Maps. They named it the “My Business Business Calls API” – shouldn’t it be nam…

Google Business Profile manager seems to have removed the ability to modify or add a new appointment link to your business profile in Google Maps and Google Search. It is unclear if this is a bug or a feature Google is intentionally removing.

We’ve seen Google legitimately test two ads in the local pack but what Iampk spotted on Twitter and some were able to replicate seems like Google placing an ad unit spot twice in the local pack. Like this is some bug where Google decided to not show tw…

I believe for the first time, Google has provided more detail on how it handles review spam policy enforcement for Google Maps. The search company wrote a blog post, accompanied by a short video, describing what they do to tackle issues with reviews i…

Google seems to be testing a feature to help searchers listen to how to pronounce a company name with a microphone icon. Google is also testing in that local pack a “translate more” link.

Google will be deprecating the Google My Business API on April 30, 2022 and replacing it with new APIs in the Google federated model. So you will have to update any of the old APIs you may be using with the new ones within the next few months.

Google is promoting the Pointy from Google solution in Google Business Profiles dashboard, Colan Nielsen explained on Twitter. Google is placing this box that says “Help customers find products they need” by connecting your in-store product inventory w…

Google has added to Google business profiles listings in the Google Maps interface a section named “updates from customers.” This seems to show some recent reviews from Google Local Guides and this might be a concern for some businesses where Google m…

Chris Tweten posted a photo the other day on Twitter of a dental office sign with its company name – the company name is named “Dentist Near Me.” Of course, the SEOs in all of you are thinking, oh, this dental practice wants to rank for all [near me] …

With Google’s new effort to get business owners to manage their business listing in web search and not in the Google Business Profile manager, formerly Google My Business, Google is now using large overlays to tell businesses they can do so in search.
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