[AUGUST 2019] New Features From Google My Business

Continuing their quest to make Google the one-stop shop for local business information, Google My Business has added several new features to their listings over the past couple months. We’ve seen Google do this multiple times over the past few years as they’ve heightened their focus on the local space by continually enhancing the local search experience with new features and ways to contact the business for more information.

Most recently, Google has added:

• Get A Quote button. If a business has the messaging feature turned on in Google My Business, they now see a large blue “Get A Quote” button at the top of their listing. This allows users to request a quote from service-related businesses.
• Hotel services and amenities. Hotels now have the ability to add services and amenities to their business listings through Google My Business. It will be important for hotels to enter in this information and keep it up-to-date, as Google is becoming the go-to place for hotel details, reviews and pricing. (Check out our last blog for more on Google Travel.)
• Place topics. Google has added a new feature to the reviews tab on Google My Business listings named place topics. Place topics pulls from review data to showcase the frequent words or phrases used in reviews. This feature will help users see, at a glance, what other people think of a business. In order for place topics to appear, you must have reviews on your listing. Google cannot create place topics for businesses.

Google Place topics

• Carousel local pack with ads. Google has been testing a new design for the local pack, one that includes local ads and a carousel format. Previously, the local pack showed several local listings with the ad at the top. This new design still showcases the ad by placing it at the top. The local listings, however, lose visibility in this format as only one-and-a-half listings appear in the carousel local pack. If this is rolled out, it could affect local visibility and might force businesses to purchase more local ads.

As more and more users turn to Google for local business information, and as Google continues to add new features to Google My Business, local businesses are expected to keep up with the changes. If businesses do not keep their Google My Business profiles up to date, they might risk losing local visibility and fall behind their competitors.

Want to learn more about improving your brand’s local listing content? Contact Mindstream Media Group, a Google Premier Partner, to find out how our listings management solution can help amplify your brand’s presence.