Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

Cristian Level X³

October 22, 2017, 5:58 am

Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

Google has figured out that local search will evolve a lot in the next few years. Giving the fact that most of the searches are done now from mobile devices and that people became hugely dependent on local searches, Google made sure that it can feel those gaps and take over this niche by offering free and simple solutions to local businesses.

Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

You can simply build landing pages with easy and for free with GMB, without the need of hosting, you just need to buy domain addresses and Google will take care of the rest. Building a simple direct information landing page has never been easier!

Google My Business was a joke a few years ago and was just way to get your business info card into Google Search. Even though it isn't perfect just yet, Google made a lot of progress into expanding Google My Business's features and services. Google is trying to unify how the brand is perceived all over the world, by offering ways for people to find local businesses like specific location with the help of Google maps, info about specifics like open hours but also reviews and ways those brands can make public statements and publish news and information.

The introduction of Google posts marked an important change for GMB giving users the option to include important information in Search Engine Result Pages sidebar along with location, hours and other information about a certain business.

Recently Google made yet another important update to Google My Business introducing the Q&A feature, allowing website owners to build a list of FAQ before the users actually land on their website. This feature is only available for Android phones at the moment, but I'm sure everyone will get this feature once Google starts rolling it out in force.

The Q&A feature, together with some decent chat options may ensure a revolution for GMB in the future. Chatting with customers directly from SERPs in real time may be one of the best services Google put forth within GMB.

All of these options and improvements can only mean one thing: Google is building My Business to be in the center of online sales, both from the customers perspective and needs but also giving sufficient free features so that business owners will find GMB indispensable in today's online marketing.

What do you think about GMB and its most recent updates?

Comments

Please login or sign up to leave a comment

Join

DarthHazard

I like it and I am glad that they have focused on it a lot more. I use this feature quite a lot as a customer because of how easy it makes searching for local businesses. All you have to do is search for a local business and you get all the information for it and I love how they now have busy times for certain businesses so that you know when the business is not as busy which makes buying from it a lot quicker.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

kgord

I know if you want to find local businesses it seems to be something that you might want to focus on. It is just one of the options that might make it easier to search Google and find businesses in the community that meet your needs.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Authord

Nice features, I really didn't know about this google my business, till of recent and I can say that Google is taking it's services to a whole new level. The landing pages features looks really cool, just point your domain address to them and they will take over every thing. Even the FAQ feature is awesome and with time, I think it will penetrate into all platforms. Nice one from Google.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

overcast

I hear the Google my business seems to be a good at listing. And people are also allowed to add the images of the business. And this can improve the listing. With the map and the images of the business. This can be good enough for the listing. And another thing is that lot of people are getting into the google my business. The people who are getting into the business listing and the SEO that can be getting a lot better support with such new update. I think same is being done by the Bing as well.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Everett

To be honest, I have never heard of Google My Business. But if Google is developing it more, as you say, then it is probably a good thing for anyone that has a business online or not. However, I just can not seem to trust it as Google+ was (in my eyes) a total fail. Lol.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Corzhens

Same here, this is the first time I've heard of Google My Business. And it looks like Google is spreading its wings far and wide that would cover the entire internet. It's just fortunate that it was not able to buy Facebook. At least there is a competition of sorts. But in fairness to Google, this new innovation which is similar to Facebook Page may be the future of online businesses. Thanks for this valuable information.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

TommyCarey

It's kind of amazing how many businesses haven't heard of "Google My Business" Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

I talk with my clients, and potential clients, everyday and they ask what they can do in order to help me out even a little. I will always recommend Google My Business to them and let them know some quick tips on how to optimize their listing. They will be astounded that they found this business listing service and think I'm a far superior SEO and IT person than anyone who has ever talked to them lmao Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

I've known of Google My Business for a very long time now, but I'm in the field where I should know it, but a lot of business owners are not aware of how to use it let alone what it is. I guess that's a good thing for us SEO's and Marketing teams Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

The Q&A / FAQ feature is pretty awesome. This will only help business owners increase their foot traffic and sales. They can literally list every important question, along with an answer, and put anyone reading their listing at ease. A good question and answer repository can increase your sales dramatically if you have everything written up well. For the companies that don't write well, I would outsource this work to a friend or family member who has good grammar so you don't come off as a dummy Google is putting a lot of emphasis on Google My Business

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Baburra

This is actually my first time hearing of this and I think it sounds great and hopefully they do find a way to publicize it properly to the point where it will be common knowledge among consumers. As of now, I am guessing it is not something that many consumers know of it, and in my opinion, it might have something to do with the name as it is not very catchy. However, since it is something that doesn't exist yet, aside from sites that do the same only for specific types of businesses such as restaurants, I think it has a good chance of cornering that market immediately as it gets popular.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

kgord

I haven't heard of this before either, but it certainly seems like something that would work for local entrepeneurs. It gives them a format to build on, and a way to target local traffic. This is one of the things that you can use when trying to target local traffic and the market.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

TimothyAlex

At this point, at least in the US, a Google My Business listing can make or break a company, especially a local small business. When a search user looks up something like "plumbers near me", the first results that come up are Google My Business listings, and they show up more based proximity to the user and collected review ratings. And it is not just the rates people make on Google but also review sites and directories. So, a guy who has been in business for 20 years could find himself having trouble growing his customer base if he doesn't take Google My Business seriously.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

cmoneyspinner

I think Google has always been very supportive of business, especially small businesses. As you stated “it isn't perfect just yet” but the fact that they have continued to try to improve the service shows their commitment to continued support of businesses. Google gets two thumbs up in my book.

9 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

cmoneyspinner

Revisited this post. Even though I agree with you when you say “Google My Business was a joke a few years ago ...”, I thought it best to monitor what they are doing, so I decided to follow their tweets. Here is the handle in case anybody else is interested. @GoogleMyBiz

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jaymish2

I don't strictly follow the updates on Goggle My Business, however I think that its not a bad idea. Many people these days Google a company first before buying from them or doing business with them. I like the fact that all you need is to have a landing page and you don't need to host a website which can be expensive, especially if you don't know what you are doing. For local business this the ideal solution.

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Corzhens

I have been thinking about the Google My Business because I have plans of joining the bandwagon for affiliate marketing. However friends are telling me that it would be better if I would have a website of my own to carry the business because the products that I would be promoting may be redundant if I will use social media. Having a website has an overhead and that’s what makes me hesitant.

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?