Category: Google Maps

I found it interesting that the local tracking tool, BrightLocal’s Local RankFlux, showed big ranking fluctuations in the local results at around the same time we saw the ranking spikes for the July core update.

Last year Google added the ability for users to send a message to a business through a Google Posts. Well, now according to Ben Fisher, Google is showing in the Google My Business messages area when a message is received via a Google Post.

A couple of years ago we saw Google show related to your search for the Google Local Posts. Now Google is showing “related to your search” section for the Google Local Q&A area.

Google has posted a message at the top of the Google My Business Insights reporting screen that says “data may be delayed.” The unusual part is not that the data may be delayed, we see that a lot, the unusual part is that Google posted a notice about …

This is a weird one… Claire Carlile noticed Google testing where if you click on the section buttons or local listing labels in the local listing on mobile, it will refine your search query in the main search box. This is not how this has worked in …

Google seems to be testing adding smiley faces to the local pack reviews filter options. So in the “people often mention” keyword filters, instead of it just saying the words like care, food, products, quality, etc, it may add a smiley face to some of…

Google may be releasing two new reports within Google My Business Insights. One report shows your business’s popular times or “rush hour” and the other report shows what your company is known for.

Google is using a new justifications label for the Google Maps local pack named “seen by shoppers.” Justifications are the labels you in the local pack sometimes based on Google thinking you may want to know that extra bit of information about that lo…

Google announced you can now manage your Google My Business profile Google Posts, your service listings, your delivery options and more directly in Google Search – like you can with other aspects of your Google My Business profile.

Last month we reported that Google updated its documentation to say the new Google My Business performance report will soon have driving direction requests and website visits. Well now, according to Colan Nielsen, Google is rolling out those metrics s…

Google seems to be testing a new design for the delivery buttons in the local panel and local pack for restaurants. The old icon was a fork and knife but the new one looks like a car or bike delivery icon.

Google is now showing the average review ratings for restaurant listings when you overlay restaurant results in Google Maps. This is currently working for me in the mobile user interface but not the desktop user interface.

Google has launched a new label in the local search results, both the local pack in Google Search and in the Google local results in Google Maps. The new label reads “new on Google” with an announcement speaker blue icon.

In 2019, Google My Business added the ability for businesses to create short names – i.e. short URLs – for your Google business profile in Google Maps or Google Search. Well, Google said it will no longer allow businesses to create or edit their short …

Google seems to be testing a bunch of variations and adjustments to the local panel in the mobile search results. Amy Toman posted a few examples on Twitter, both video screen casts and screen shots.

Google seems to have launched in Italy a new Google Assistant app for the Google My Business platform. This app lets you ask Google Assistant to bring your business online. All you do is say “Hey Google, bring my business online.”

Google seems to be adding a setting to Google My Business to allow businesses to hide their phone numbers from showing up in Google Maps and Google Search’s local results. An updated Google help document says you can now “hide the phone number on your…

Earlier this week, several searchers noticed that Google, within Google Maps, was showing the distance from the searcher to the service area business in the local listing. Service area businesses do not have specific distances because they do not list…

Google announced at I/O a bunch of updates to Google Maps but one that you might care more about, being a local SEO, is that Google Maps will begin to tailor the map results based on time of day and who the searcher is. Google said “soon Maps will tai…

Google seems like it will be migrating more data from the Google My Business Insights report to the Google My Business Performance report. Specifically, Google will be adding driving direction requests and website visits to the newish performance repor…