Google My Business Has Had a Busy Year!
2020 has been a year full of challenges and obstacles for individuals and business owners alike. With the restrictions for brick-and-mortar businesses, companies have been focusing more and more on their digital presence. Many business owners find themselves looking for ways to rebound and are unsure where to start. Google My Business listings are a fundamental component of any digital strategy and just like everything else this year, there have been some serious updates and changes over the past 11 months. Some of the most impactful updates have been with service attributes, health and safety attributes, COVID-19 links, COVID-19 posts, and visual content. Learn more about these updates and how you can use them to help your business rebound.
Service Attributes
You have probably seen service attributes previously and never even realized. Often these attributes are based on the business category, meaning different businesses will have different attributes. Historically these attributes have been geared to the restaurant and hotel industry. As you can see in the image below, attributes such as dine-in, takeout, and delivery are some of the most recognizable examples.
With all things COVID-19 Google has pushed out additional service attributes not just for restaurants but other business categories as well. Most of these new attributes call out businesses that offer online, virtual options or no-contact services. With these visual updates, you can provide your customers with more information at-a-glance while quickly scroll through their search results. Some of these new attributes are broken out by business category below. To add or remove these attributes for your business please follow Google’s instructions here.
Food Services & Retail
Commercial Cleaning Service
Moving and Storage Service
Home Health Care Service
Health and Safety Attributes
In addition to the more traditional Service Attributes, Google has also added Health and Safety attributes into the mix. Unlink business categories, which vary depending on the type of business, these same options seem to have been pushed out across all Google My Business Listings. They are specifically geared at calling out a company’s health and safety practices. Just like service attributes, these health and safety attributes can help businesses appeal to customers who are more health-conscious. Below are some examples of these new health and safety attributes.
COVID- 19 Links
With so many businesses reducing hours and contact with customers, Google has added a few different COVID-19 related link options within your listing. Similar to the service attributes, these differ based on business categories. The most impactful of these new link options are appointment links and COVID-19 info links.
Appointment Booking Link
Although this feature has been an option long before the pandemic, it can simplify the appointment scheduling process for businesses and help you stand out from competitors. Appointment booking links allow a business owner to link their listing to a scheduling tool. From here customers can schedule an appointment, estimate, or services. This is a great option for businesses that have existing scheduling tools and may be an area to explore if your business does not already have one of these features.
COVID- 19 Info Link
Many businesses have made changes to their operations, services, and restrictions based on the pandemic. Google has added this link option to help customers and business owners make these updates easily accessible for new and existing partners.
COVID-19 Posts
Beyond the changes to Google Attributes, there have also been a series of changes to Google My Business’s post feature. Google Posts, also known as Posts with Google, allows business owners to post content regarding special events, special offers, changing hours, what’s new with their business and now provide a COVID-19 update. The new COVID-19 Update Post Type appears prominently on your business listing and will remain on your listing as the pandemic continues to affect our lives and business. This is a great opportunity for businesses to stand out against competitors and develop a relationship with potential partners.
Visual Content
Some of the most impactful changes business owners have made, have come from being creative with visual listing updates. As customers scan through Google Maps and see different business listings there are a number of visual components. Looking at these results page attributes, reviews and business photos are some of the first things customers see and can be instrumental in which website or business they choose. Updating these images to include workers cleaning, wearing face masks, or showing health consciousness can develop and build trust with clients.
These are just some of the many changes to Google My Business listings throughout 2020. Utilizing these different features new and old can help you stand out against competitors and build trust with clients. For more information about your Google My Business listing or help with your digital marketing, please reach out to a dedicated teammate at ChoiceLocal.
About the Author
Rebecca Lima is a Senior Account Executive at ChoiceLocal, specializing in search engine optimization. She is most proud of her 97% partner retention rate. Rebecca is in constant pursuit of obscure hobbies including everything from salsa classes to volcano surfing.
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