On November 4, 2021, Google announced that it was going to rename Google My Business to Google Business Profile. This announcement coincided with other updates to its business listing service as well.
Why is Google Renaming Google My Business?
While Facebook’s recent decision to rename its parent company to Meta raised some eyebrows in the media, Google’s reason for renaming Google My Business is far less controversial.
Google is renaming the platform to more adequately describe its existing services as well as the updates and new features it’s making to the business profile management system.
What Other Changes is Google Going to Make to Google My Business?
Goodbye, Google My Business App…
Other than the fact Google My Business is going to be called Google Business Profile, Google intends to retire the Google My Business app in 2022.
… Hello, Google Business Profile Manager
Even though the Google My Business app will no longer be necessary in 2022, you still have options for managing your business’s listing on the web. The console you’ll use is pretty much the same as the Google My Business listing manager, except it’ll be renamed and rebranded as Business Profile Manager. There will be a redirect set up, so even if you are in the habit of using the Google My Business URL, you’ll still end up right where you need to be to manage your listing.
A Push for Single-Location Businesses to Manage Their Listing on Google Maps and Search
Google has mentioned it prefers businesses with single listings to manage their businesses in Google Search or Maps. This is an option that’s been around for quite some time. Conversely, Google encourages larger businesses with multiple locations to use the Business Profile Manager console.
However, there is a new feature for claiming and verifying your business directly from Google Search and Google Maps.
Updates to Local Google Ads Campaign Budgets in Performance Planner
This is not necessarily a Google Business Profile-related update, but it’s important to know about local search ad campaigns that can impact your Google Business Profile.
The Google Ads’ Performance Planner tool will now allow you to create plans for your local campaigns’ advertising spend, as well as see how changes to your local search ad campaigns could affect metrics and overall performance.
Other New Features
We will likely see more updates to the Business Profile Manager throughout the coming months. Here are some new features you can expect to see very soon:
- Call history
- Messaging directly from Google Search
- Message read receipt options in Google Search and Google Maps
How Will These Changes Affect My Business’s Listing(s)?
The web interface is not changing much when it comes to the Google Business Profile, but the biggest changes will be the push for smaller single-location businesses to edit their Google Business Profile directly on Google Search and/or Maps and the retirement of the Google My Business app.
If you have any questions about these changes, don’t hesitate to contact OppGen today. We’ll be more than happy to talk you through these changes and how you can adapt to them as quickly and effectively as possible.
Featured image © tecmark UK via Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0
