Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) has changed a lot in recent days, as a response to the Coronavirus outbreak and how the lockdown has affected businesses across the country. Last week, we published an article looking at how you can update your business information, but there have been a number of further changes to Google Business Profile since then.
In this article, we’re covering all of the key changes, plus the best ways to optimise your account and some common issues people are experiencing.
With the country in lockdown, the majority of businesses are closed for the time being. Google has responded by allowing you to mark your business as “temporarily closed”.
Here’s what you need to do:
If you’re doing this on desktop, the Close this business on Google section will appear in the right-hand column as you scroll down.
Alternatively, you can show users that your store is temporarily closed by scrolling to the Add special hours section and click on the edit (pencil) button.
On the next screen, you can click on Add new date and set your business hours as “closed” for specific days. This is designed for setting open hours for public holidays and instances where your normal operating hours don’t apply. However, you can use this during the Coronavirus outbreak to communicate that your regular opening hours have been affected.
The downside to this is you have to manually create a new date for each day affected.
While Google is adding certain functionality to help businesses provide accurate information during the Coronavirus outbreak, it is also limiting some trusted features.
First of all, Google Business Profile will not be publishing any new reviews until further notice and review replies have also been suspended. This is partly due to the fact Google is working with a limited team, although the lockdown also means reviews have little value at this time.
Google has also suspended Q&As.
At the same time, Google’s support team will not be reviewing new listings, claims or verifications for the time being – with the exception of businesses related to healthcare and critical services.
With Google running on limited resources, it is also warning that changes to your business information will take additional time to review. Once again, businesses related to healthcare and critical services will be prioritised and, for businesses outside of these exceptions, Google will only review edits to the following pieces of information:
Google says it may take up to three days for these changes to be reviewed.
Posts in Google Business Profile allow you to update potential customers with relevant information, such as events, new products, offers and announcements. In response to the current health crisis, Google has added a new post type, COVID-19 update, for you to get the message out to people in your area.
To create a new post, follow these steps:
You can specify any changes to your business and whether you’re still providing any services – e.g. orders for delivery. You can also add an optional CTA to your COVID-19 update, encouraging people to click through to your website for more information or to order online, for example.
Every business is being affected by the current outbreak and this includes major companies like Google, which is unable to provide its usual services in full. Despite its best efforts to equip businesses with the tools they need during this difficult time, we are hearing reports of a number of issues related to Google Business Profile functionality.
Unfortunately, Google Business Profile is no longer providing phone or chat support as a result of the outbreak, so you’ll have to rely on email support if you experience any of these (or other issues).
A lot has changed over the past week and there could be further developments in the weeks and months ahead – we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
For more information on optimising your Google Business Profile account, you can take a look at our other posts:
If you need more advice on how to deal with any changes to Google Business Profile, you can speak to our local SEO experts by calling 02392 830 281 and you can always reach out to us on social media with any questions.
Dave is head of SEO at Vertical Leap. He joined in 2010 as an SEO specialist and prior to that worked with international companies delivering successful search marketing campaigns. Dave works with many of our largest customers spanning many household names and global brands such as P&O Cruises and Harvester. Outside of work, Dave previously spent many years providing charity work as a Sergeant under the Royal Air Force Reserves in the Air Cadets sharing his passion for aviation with young minds. He can often be found in the skies above the south coast enjoying his private pilot licence.
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