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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Award-winning tips from the 2020 Search Engine Land SEM and SEO agencies of the year
Adam Heitzman from Higher Visibility and David Dweck with Wpromote give their best advice for running a successful search agency.
Google My Business launches new performance reporting
You can access these new reports within Google My Business under the insights section.
SEO year in review 2020: COVID forces platforms to adapt their local and e-commerce offerings, and more
Even a pandemic couldn’t slow down developments in the search industry. Here’s our recap of the year’s most important stories and news.
PPC 2020 in review: COVID leaves its mark on e-commerce and paid search
Platforms pivoted to accommodate advertising during a crisis and automation continued to be at the heart of paid search changes.
The expansion of People Also Ask in the search results
PAAs now appear in 9% of brand knowledge panels. Here's how they're different and why you need to optimize answers for brand-focused questions.
Google services were down including Google Ads, Google Analytics, Search Console & more
Much of Google is offline, it is not just you. Google began restoring services at around 7:28am ET.
Even as more people shop online, searches for ‘available near me’ up over 100% vs. last year
Google's Reena Nadkarni explains what retailers can do to drive local sales.
Where Google is placing its bets in 2021
A look at where Google might be headed in 2021.
Google expands local business message & map query analytics
Consumers will be able to message with businesses in more ways and businesses will be able to see more local insights.
Google Guaranteed badge starting to appear on Google Maps listings
Google seems to be testing how consumers react to Google Guaranteed badges in places other than in Local Services Ads.
Google’s new Small Business Advisors program aims to help SMBs grow
Don't think of it as an enhanced version of Google Support.
Hijacked Google My Business listings appear to be a growing problem
GMB listings phishing is on the increase. Google says it's aware of the problem but business owners must be vigilant.
The 2020 holiday season is here: Get your digital house in order
Retailers that win the delivery wars will win the holidays.
CallRail’s Lead Center is a virtual phone system and contact center for SMBs
The platform builds on the company's call tracking and analytics capabilities.
Online holiday sales could reach $200 billion according to Adobe
Smartphones will drive the majority of online retail traffic and 42% of sales.
Holiday 2020 is do or die for many SMBs
Small businesses need to focus their marketing on key consumer sites, especially Google, for survival into 2021.
Google Search gets deeper into the ‘real-world’ with Busyness, Duplex and AR in Maps
Building the data bridge between online and offline.
What’s behind the badge that powers Google’s local trust layer?
A new designation across Google’s business units and ad types that used to be confined to LSAs will now live within a new class of “trusted” GMB profiles.
Google testing new ‘call history’ feature for Google My Business
The missed call log will remain available to businesses for 45 days.
Google My Business and reviews gain in 2020 Local Ranking Factors survey
But rankings and conversions aren't always the same thing.
Yelp brings Ads Dashboard into Yelp for Business, debuts new ads features
Advertisers can now optimize for goals such as phone calls, website visits or messages, add negative keyword targeting and more.
The rise of reputation experience management
Reviews and ratings influence search rankings and customer acquisition. Here's how marketing and customer experience teams can work together to improve both SEO and customer outcomes.
Google brings bidding to Local Services Ads
Only selected advertisers will get access to the auction during the beta period.
Your all-access guide to improving your Google search visibility
Search Google for the services that your business provides. How can you get in the top 10 results instead of in the millionth position?
Google local ads gain Smart Bidding for store sales, ‘pick up later,’ service attributes
The company is investing heavily to address the dominant online to offline use cases, including buy online, pickup in-store.
Google rolling out video appointments, online classes to local business profiles
The booking can occur through GMB but the class or consultation won't happen on the business profile.
A new era has arrived in local search: Google’s Local Trust Pack
The variables that drive performance for LSA extend beyond the prominence, relevance and proximity factors we have built strategies for.
Google boosting visibility of ‘nearby’ product inventory with new Shopping features
Responding to changing consumer behavior, Google starts emphasizing BOPIS
Local businesses can highlight COVID-19 ‘health & safety’ measures with Google My Business
The attributes should start appearing in Search and Maps soon. They are intended to give consumers confidence and manage their expectations.
Voice SEO: Different tactics required for Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa
Study by SEMrush found only 1% overlap in answers to the same voice queries across platforms.
The average GMB profile has 73 reviews, 45 photos, 5 Posts and a star rating of 4.08
The findings come from an analysis of 2.4 million local listings in over 30 business categories.
Replay: Live with Search Engine Land season wrap-up—COVID and marketing disruption
Search Engine Land editors take a look back at the disruptions over the past few months, how marketers have adapted to the changes, and what the future may hold.
E-commerce explodes: 45% growth in Q2
While many retailers flounder, some omnichannel merchants are killing it online.
Yelp’s updated ‘Request a Quote’ and new ‘Nearby Jobs’ provide lead-gen for SMBs
No longer merely a 'review site,' Yelp repositioning as a 'one-stop local platform' to communicate and transact with local businesses.
How to optimize your Google local Knowledge Panel
Turn your local business profiles in the search results into portals that can deliver customers right from your listings.
Google now enables GMB profile edits from Search and Maps [updated]
The company is seeking more SMB engagement by making updates easier and more accessible.
Majority of chains call local-digital marketing an ‘untapped opportunity’
But 77% of multi-location brands complain executing locally at scale is very challenging.
Google adds ‘last updated’ hours notification to GMB profiles
The move, maybe temporary, is designed to give consumers confidence the information displayed on business profiles is accurate.
How to get a Knowledge Panel for your brand, even without Wikipedia
Your own site, Wikidata, third-party mentions and business databases can expand your Knowledge Graph entries in Google and Bing.
Google adds ‘Black-owned’ business attribute to local listings
The attribute can show when listings appear in Search and Maps and is part of several initiatives aimed at supporting Black business owners.