Google My Business:3-5月的新功能、更新和測試

The midway constituent of the twelvemonth isn’t acold off, and it’s harmless to accidental that a batch has gone connected successful section SEO already this year. 

So acold successful 2021, we’ve seen big changes to Google Posts, updates to review summaries successful Google My Business (GMB), precocious scores from Local RankFlux, and 2-Packs showing connected Google mobile results.

But, successful the past mates of months unsocial adjacent much tests and updates person been impacting GMB.

In this GMB quality roundup, we instrumentality a look astatine the biggest headlines affecting section SEOs recently.

Think we’ve near thing out? Put it successful the comments section down below!

Competitor quotes successful GMB Messaging

It’s often recommended that businesses marque usage of GMB’s Messaging diagnostic to amended pass with customers. But you mightiness privation to clasp your horses.

LocalU shared that erstwhile searchers reached retired via GMB Messaging, quotes from competitors were being shared.

So, if you’ve got messaging switched connected successful your profile, you could beryllium unwittingly sharing rival accusation with your imaginable customers…

Source: LocalU

As you tin spot from the screenshot above, Google present offers searchers the accidental to nonstop their aforesaid punctuation petition to a business’s competitors straight aft messaging. This could decidedly deter merchants from turning the messaging diagnostic on, arsenic it could thrust imaginable customers to look elsewhere.

Why is this important? Google could beryllium helping to propulsion your imaginable customers successful the absorption of different businesses with this feature. It’s not the archetypal clip we’ve seen Google effort to supply much divers results, but fashionable sentiment seems to beryllium that this diagnostic could origin much harm than good. 

New reappraisal removal absorption instrumentality from Google

Fake reviews person agelong been plaguing Google My Business listings, and astatine last, it seems Google is doing thing to assistance section businesses proactively tackle the issue.

Mid-March, Google released its review takedown petition tool to assistance merchants grip the removal of incorrect oregon fake reviews.

With this tool, businesses tin emblem reviews for removal and, importantly, way the advancement of their reported reviews.

Why is this important? Agencies and section businesses person cited fake reviews arsenic a existent occupation for immoderate time. This new reappraisal removal tool from Google My Business tin beryllium seen arsenic a large measurement successful the close direction.

New AI-powered features travel to Google Maps

This twelvemonth we’ve seen tons of improvements made to Google Maps, arsenic Google and Apple proceed to vie for the apical navigational app.

At the extremity of March, much AI-powered features were introduced, including indoor unrecorded presumption and an updated directions interface.

Source: Google

Plus, caller Google My Business attributes similar curbside pickup and transportation were introduced to assistance restaurants and nutrient stores meet the demands of consumers successful a Covid-19 world.

Why is this important? For anyone with a Google My Business listing, it’s important to enactment abreast of updates to Google Maps. GMB Attributes person go progressively salient owed to Covid-19 and Google taking enactment to item women-led, black-owned, Asian-owned, and LGBTQ+ affable businesses. Plus, indoor mode volition assistance businesses located wrong malls oregon buying centers get recovered much easily. In general, whenever there’s a caller feature, it’s worthy seeing if it applies to your business.

2-Packs appeared successful Google mobile SERPs

Arguably, this was the biggest Google section quality of the year: who would person thought the iconic 3-Pack would change?

Well, successful March, it did.

LocalU spotted mobile SERPs with nary 3-Packs. We past did our ain tests and lo and behold, 2-Packs were being recovered for aggregate section searches performed connected mobile.

Since the archetypal quality broke, there’s been small buzz, but we person noticed that 2-Packs are inactive contiguous for immoderate queries.

Why is this important? This quality could mean that Google is creating much abstraction for ads. But adjacent if not, if there’s going to beryllium adjacent little existent property disposable successful section SERPs past that’s important to cognize about. We urge doing a local search for keywords applicable to your concern and seeing if the 2-Pack is affecting your results.

GMB gets a caller ‘new’ statement for caller reviews

At the opening of April, Google enactment adjacent much value connected GMB reviews and their recency by introducing a ‘new’ label. This update means that searchers are alerted to caller reviews, which are fixed much prominence.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Why is this important? We’ve agelong known about the value of caller reviews but this statement shows Google placing much accent connected reappraisal recency. To marque definite you payment from this feature, continue regularly asking for reviews and marque definite you person reviews near wrong the past 2 weeks.

Google says telephone numbers aren’t allowed successful Google Posts

One to wage attraction to for Google Posts fans; backmost successful April, Google clarified that businesses should not see telephone numbers successful Post updates.

LocalU reported connected this astatine the time, aft noticing that GMB had clarified its Posts guidelines to relationship for “phone stuffing”. 

Google states that it’s enactment this regularisation successful spot to debar “risk of abuse”. 

Why is this important? Also this year, we saw GMB statesman showing aged Google Posts (which initially would expire aft 7 days). This means that you mightiness person Posts you don’t retrieve oregon aren’t alert of showing connected your listing. If these see your telephone number, you could beryllium penalized. If you deliberation you mightiness person included telephone numbers successful aged Posts, acceptable speech immoderate clip to cheque and edit if necessary!

Google reviews went missing

In April we saw galore Google reviews spell missing. This isn’t the archetypal clip thing similar this has happened, but determination didn’t look to beryllium a wide crushed oregon solution to the issue.

Just this week, however, LocalU module subordinate Jason Brown shared a workaround he’d recovered to marque seemingly “missing” reviews reappear. 

According to Google My Business, the reappraisal filter is moving arsenic intended.

Are you seeing an uptick successful reviews not being published?

LocalU module member, @keyserholiday figured retired a mode to enactment astir this filtering issue, which @GoogleMyBiz describes arsenic “working arsenic intended”

?https://t.co/Mq3JCScfI9

— Local University (@localuniv) May 11, 2021

If you’ve experienced this issue, you tin articulation successful the speech at Local Search Forum.

Businesses that person utilized Posts precocious get rewarded

Always keeping her oculus connected the ball, Joy Hawkins spotted a Google Maps trial whereby businesses that had precocious shared a Google Post were being highlighted.

Source: LocalU

Why is this important? That small reddish dot could assistance your concern get seen and basal retired successful SERPs. This update decidedly gives much prominence to businesses that usage Google Posts, truthful it could beryllium worthy giving them a spell if you haven’t already.

Bookings information disposable successful GMB Insights

A caller update to GMB Insights sees information astir bookings go available. Colan Nielsen archetypal spotted this and shared his findings connected Twitter:

Look similar the “Bookings” tab is starting to amusement up successful the caller GMB Insights section. pic.twitter.com/wEbj4rDIvS

— Colan Nielsen (@ColanNielsen) May 7, 2021

According to different user, the bookings info is showing up for hotels arsenic good (an manufacture that often goes astatine a precise antithetic gait to others).

Interestingly, successful the BrightLocal Google My Business Insights dashboard, it’s besides showing the enactment to spot ‘bookings’, adjacent though we don’t person the enactment to ‘Book an Appointment‘ enabled close now.

This is simply a comparatively caller improvement truthful we’ll support tabs connected this communicative and update you arsenic needed.

Wix integrates with GMB

In an effort to go adjacent much of a one-stop-shop for SMBs, Wix announced its latest integration with Google. The caller GMB/Wix concern means website managers tin grip their GMB tasks straight from their Wix account. 

Tasks specified arsenic updating hours, uploading photos, and responding to reviews tin present beryllium done straight from the Wix dashboard.

For agencies, this caller update is decidedly thing to beryllium alert of, but it looks improbable that the integration volition airs immoderate menace to experienced section SEOs.

GMB Call History diagnostic showing unrecorded data

Most recently, Google’s long-awaited Call History diagnostic (that was successful Beta until conscionable this week) has begun showing unrecorded data. 

You’ll present beryllium capable to spot a past of who called your concern and when. Plus, you’ll person the enactment to presumption the idiosyncratic caller’s past and telephone them backmost directly.

We’re not yet seeing this enactment successful our ain Google My Business profile, but it looks similar this update is gradually rolling out, truthful support an oculus retired for it successful your GMB dashboard.

Why is this important? Call tracking tin beryllium a large mode to measurement the occurrence of your section SEO efforts and seizure blistery leads. This caller diagnostic from GMB should make it easier than ever to get an overview of who’s called you, without the request for a circumstantial tool. 

What Google My Business quality has captured your attention? Will you beryllium taking enactment based connected immoderate of these quality stories? Share your thoughts successful the comments conception to fto america know!