{"id":11017,"date":"2018-12-12T09:52:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T09:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trafficsoda.com\/?p=11017"},"modified":"2022-11-28T17:39:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T17:39:52","slug":"google-my-business-updates-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trafficsoda.com\/google-my-business-updates-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Changes to Make to Your Google My Business Profile Before 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There was never a dull moment in local SEO this year, with new updates to coming to Google My Business at a rapid-fire pace throughout 2018. Now\u2019s the time to log in and make sure your Google My Business page is current and ready for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s get straight to it. The biggest updates to Google My Business in 2018 were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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These changes affected some types of businesses more than others (some local service-based companies will have a lot <\/em>of catching up to do) but all of them matter when it comes to understanding how to optimize Google My Business for a stronger local presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to ensure you\u2019re up-to-date with Google My Business in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In March of 2018, Google rolled out a new Google My Business dashboard<\/a> for business owners with two or more listings or locations. It\u2019s much faster and easier to navigate than the old one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The downside? The new dashboard makes it more difficult to track and respond to Suggested Changes in a timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the listing owner, you should<\/em> receive an email from Google whenever there\u2019s a \u2018suggestion\u2019; however, those notifications don\u2019t always make it through to your inbox<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of this, it\u2019s important that you log in to check your Suggested Changes periodically, especially since the new dashboard makes it harder to notice them.<\/em> Before the update, local businesses could define only their service area as a kilometer\/mile radius around their business address. Google realized this was a shortcoming (who actually has a perfectly circular service area?) and turned it around late in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Google My Business lets you edit your business address and service area separately<\/a>. Businesses can specify their service area by region, city, or ZIP\/Postal Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t gotten around to updating your service area, here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early in 2018, Google began to allow businesses in select industries to list their services in detail right on the page<\/a>. Later, they expanded the feature to almost all service businesses, including creative industries and the trades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The service menu is simple, consisting of just a name, description, and optionally a price for each item. It\u2019s a vast improvement over the previous version of Google My Business\u2019s services, which was limited to keywords like \u2018repair services\u2019 and \u2018installation services.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding services to your Google My Business page is quick and easy. All you need to do is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, Google has begun testing a product menu feature for Google My Business<\/a> as well. Chances are this will expand to more companies next year, so keep an eye out! Attributes are Google\u2019s name for small bits of descriptive information about a business. They include things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally, the algorithm compiled a business\u2019s attributes based solely on user reviews and feedback via the GMB Q&A feature<\/a> \u2013 businesses couldn\u2019t edit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018, Google refined the attributes system by splitting them into factual <\/em>and subjective <\/em>attributes. Now, businesses can directly edit certain attributes<\/a>. The attributes available (which include acceptable payment types, accessibility options, and whether the business is LGBTQ-friendly) vary depending on the business\u2019s category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019re not a GMB geek, you might have heard about the release of the women-led<\/em> and veteran-led<\/em> attributes \u2013 two socially-conscious tags designed to help customers support local vets, businesswomen, and even businesswoman vets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also a lesser-known family-led<\/em> attribute, which could help win the favour of locavores in search of a good old-fashioned family business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In any case, it pays to take a moment to set up factual attributes that will help customers get to know you. It doesn\u2019t take long:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Video is one of the most powerful mediums available to us as marketers and you as a business owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Scrutinize Your Suggested Changes
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A Suggested Change is an addition or change to your listing that either comes from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the trouble: the name \u2018Suggested Changes\u2019 is a bit misleading, since the changes don\u2019t always require your approval before they go live<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To see Suggested Changes for a Google My Business listing in the new dashboard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n2. Specify Your Ever-Growing Service Area
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<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n3. Promote Your Outstanding Services
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Add Appealing Factual Attributes
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<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n5. Upload an Excellent Video
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