Google Business Profile
Search Engine Land is your definitive source for Google Business Profile news and content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data-driven insights to help you optimize your local search presence, work smarter, and make better decisions.
Why Google Business Profile matters for your strategy
Google Business Profile (GBP) is essential for businesses looking to attract local customers, improve their online visibility, and manage customer relationships effectively. With new features like AI-transcribed menu uploads, staying updated on GBP innovations can significantly impact your local SEO strategy. Whether you’re optimizing GBP listings, managing reviews, or utilizing advanced insights, this page offers tools and tips tailored to your business goals.
Our comprehensive coverage ensures you stay ahead of trends, such as new features for Google Business Profile, changes to local search algorithms, and actionable tips for maximizing the impact of your GBP; we break down what these changes mean for your local SEO strategy.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, alongside subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
Explore strategies to improve your local visibility, manage customer interactions seamlessly, and improve your business’s reputation online
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Report: Google Business Profiles bug causing reviews to disappear
A bug with automatically applied suggested edits leads to some businesses seeing all their reviews vanish from Google.
Google review guidelines say discouraging negative or selectively soliciting positive reviews is not allowed
Google is now being very explicit about this in their guidelines, so be careful.
How to turn your Google Business Profile into a revenue-generating channel
An enhanced GBP can drive more traffic, leads and sales to your local business. Focus on these areas when optimizing your Business Profile.
Google Business Profile guidelines updated to include products
Product listings on Google Business Profile give advertisers and retailers a new way to promote in-store items.
Google updates Business Profile posts spam policies
The posts that do not comply with this guideline may be rejected and removed from Google Maps and Google Search.
Google adds Asian-owned attribute to business profiles
These labels can help some businesses with visibility and potentially increase conversions.
Google adds automated messaging through Business Profiles frequently asked questions
For small businesses, this can help reduce necessary resources to respond to customer questions in Google Search and Google Maps.
Google My Business mobile app has stopped functioning forever
You can no longer use the app to make profile edits, communicate with customers and so on.
Google introduces three new travel products for hotels
Hotels will now have a much easier streamlined process for adding room rates and availability to their Google Business Profiles.
Google now allows virtual food brands to have Google Business Profiles
Google has updated its business profile guidelines to allow some delivery-only food brands.
Business redressal complaint form adds option for ‘This business doesn’t exist’
You can now identify the content on Google Maps that you claim might lead to fraudulent activity by saying the business doesn't exist.
Google may update business hours in local listings with AI
So make sure to routinely review your business hours to ensure they are accurate.
How to use Google Business Messages to talk to your customers
Google's Business Messages is one of the best ways to connect with your customers and future customers.
Google launches Google Business Profiles calls API
Businesses can pull call history data from this API and into their CRM software.
4 things to beware of with Google’s Performance Max automated campaigns
Google’s made it easier than ever to run PPC ads. But beware of these pitfalls.
Google Business Profiles sets waiting period for new owners and managers
Newly granted users now must wait 7 days before they can manage all the features of the profile.
Google now lets you place products at the top of your local and Maps listing
Google Business Profiles now let's you mark a product as special to pop it to the top.
SEO 2021 in review: Endless updates, title rewrites, GMB becomes GBP and more
Despite facing a still-raging pandemic and a slew of updates, SEOs rose to the challenge. Here’s our recap of the year’s most important SEO stories and news.
PPC 2021 in review: Privacy and automation force advertisers to adapt
From the deprecation of broad match modified keywords to FLoC to RSAs becoming the default, PPC professionals dealt with a lot of change in 2021.
Inclusive marketing resources to strengthen your brand’s messaging
Consumers aren’t just buying your product, they’re buying your brand values. Inclusive marketing can help you deliver those values to more audiences.
Exclusive: The most popular Yelp search filters
While the most common filter, “Open Now,” isn’t surprising, the data can inform local business owners of what consumers prioritze as they browse different business categories.
Google rolling out new map and local interface in search
Google will show local results on the left and a map on the right of those results.
Google Search lets you see if a doctor or healthcare facility takes your insurance
Make sure to update your healthcare client's Google Business Profile and website to ensure Google is showing accurate details.
Google says it values all local reviews, both positive and negative
Google has updated their help documents to say it finds a mix of reviews more trustworthy.
How marketers can adapt to Google’s local SEO changes
SEOs should prepare for the coming changes in local reviews, knowledge panels and mobile displays.
Google Maps will show price ranges for US restaurants
The company also announced an expansion of indoor directories, Pickup with Google Maps and Area Busyness trends.
Google’s local rebrand prompts SMB support amid antitrust lawsuits, says local SEO expert
If you work with SMBs and they received the notification, there's a chance they may be worried about how laws and resulting changes will affect their businesses.
Google adds Smart Bidding for store sales to optimize bids for offline transactions
With holiday shopping season in full swing, being able to better optimize campaigns for in-store shoppers means the opportunity to catch searchers when they're ready to buy.
Google My Business now known as Google Business Profile as Google migrates features to Maps and Search
Google is also rolling out more support for managing your business profile directly in Google Search and Maps.
Makes you miss the ‘Don’t be evil’ days; Tuesday’s daily brief
Plus, Facebook's aging user base and what it means for advertisers.
Facebook: Have you tried turning it off and on again; Tuesday’s daily brief
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Boost your online reputation with your Google My Business ranking
In this live webinar, search experts share what people are looking for when searching businesses online.
E-commerce SEO guide: New documentation from Google
The new guide from Google gives e-commerce SEOs documentation they can take to clients and stakeholders to get their recommendations implemented.
Google rolls out ticket booking links, ‘Things to do’ ads and an eco-certified badge for hotels
Google’s new travel and leisure products are meant to help businesses bounce back after over a year and a half of disruption.
Google provides some reasons why it won’t use your HTML title tags; Monday’s daily brief
Plus, Instagram tests ‘Map Search’ and last-minute holiday shopping SEO tips.
Advertisers will now get more data in Google Ads… sort of; Friday’s daily brief
Plus, the conundrum of in-house career progression
Cleaning house: how Google and Yelp handle fake reviews; Tuesday’s daily brief
Plus, four tools to check for your title changes in SERPs
How Google and Yelp handle fake reviews and policy violations
A side-by-side analysis of Google and Yelp's respective approaches, policies and punitive measures.
Trends behind the Google title tag changes; Monday’s daily brief
Plus, submit a pitch to speak at SMX Next
Your AI and ML primer — and why it matters for search; Friday’s daily brief
Plus, the latest trends in local search: personalization and depth of content