2026 Edit: Google Business Pages have become extremely important to not only large business but especially local service and brick and mortar companies. Some of the biggest changes we’ve seen:
Name
Google changed the name from Google My Business to Google Business Profile (GBP) Why? According to-9to5google.com, they wanted to shift the focus from a separate management platform to the actual business listing that customers see in Search and Maps. Instead of managing your listing through a dedicated dashboard and app, Google wanted business owners to manage their profile directly within Google Search and Google Maps.
The GMB App Was Eliminated
To us, this was the largest change. Google retired the Google My Business app in 2022 and pushed business owners to manage profiles directly through Search and Maps.
Verification Became Much Stricter
Back in 2020, postcard verification was common. Today Google requests the following for verification:
-Video verification
-Live video calls
-Recorded business walkthroughs
-Documentation reviews
Reviews Matter More Than Ever
Reviews were important in 2020. Today they are one of the strongest local ranking and conversion signals. Google now:
-Detects review spam more aggressively
-Removes suspicious reviews more frequently
-Uses review content to understand services and specialties
2020 Edit: The first time we wrote about Google My Business was in 2018. It essentially replaced G+ Business pages. Google has added posts feature, offers and COVID-19 updates since then. Remember, your Google My Business page is a free directory from Google, and it’s a much more robust platform to optimize for potential leads than Google+ used to be.
Why is Google My Business Important?
“Businesses with more GMB photos get more clicks, calls and direction requests”
-Businesses with more than 100 images get 520% more calls than the average business, while those with just one image get 71% fewer.
-Businesses with more than 100 images get 2,717% more direction requests than the average business, while those with just one get 75% fewer.
-Businesses with more than 100 images get 1,065% more website clicks than the average business, while those with just one get 65% fewer.
Source: Search Engine Land. Author: Jamie Pitman
What are the primary reasons why it’s important to claim and maintain your profile?
-Claim it before anyone else does. Keep your proprietary information safe. That being said, don’t trust your account to just anyone- It is very difficult to try to prove ownership of the account once it’s been verified.
-Manage your business information. You can add photos, add services, update your address, manage reviews, respond to messages and more from your dashboard.
-Your profile will show up in Google Maps. Your listing will appear in Google Maps if someone is searching from a mobile device – all the more reason to optimize your profile.
-Add multiple locations. You can add and manage multiple locations from your Google My Business dashboard.
-Share Your Content. You can share your content by posting news, an event or an offer. And especially now, COVID-19 news that’s relevant to your business.
Google Recommendations
-Verify your business (Learn more about verification here)
-Ensure your business information is correct. Have you selected all the service categories that your business offers?
-Have your business days / hours changed since COVID-19?
-Keep adding photos of your business (products, services, interior, exterior, brand)
-Respond to reviews (even the bad ones – more information on that here)
-Download the Google My Business app. You’ll be able to upload photos right from your phone, response to messages and sign up for the messaging service. Guidelines for messaging can be found here.
Source: click here.
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