Google My Business: New Features, Updates and Tests Roundup

As we approach Christmas, there seems to be no let-up in the fast pace of updates and tests in Google My Business. At BrightLocal, we may have been busy releasing a detailed piece of research, a complete guide to local SEO and an entire learning Academy, but that won’t stop us catching you up on the goings-on around Google My Business over the past month.

Between official updates, rumored tests and new features, there’s a lot to cover, so strap in!

Google launches Small Business Advisors program

In Mid-November, Google served up a new program designed to assist small businesses in the United States with their online marketing (using Google tools throughout, naturally).�

For $39.99 per session, a small business owner can discuss a maximum of two Google tools with an official advisor, and get the tips they need to perform better online using those tools.

Wondering who’s eligible for the SBA program? Google says it’s specifically designed for business owners who:

  • Feel overwhelmed or uncertain about their business’s online presence
  • Have advanced product questions
  • Don’t have an online marketing specialist or outside marketing agency
  • Have never used Google products

The appointments last 50 minutes, are performed over screen-sharing, and are staffed by Google personnel who will perform pre-appointment research on your business. Users are encouraged to “share their goals†with Google in advance so that both parties can make the most of the session.

Why is this important? While the program is not open for use by agencies, if your preferred client type is the very small business owner with limited marketing experience, there’s a chance they might be a little more informed the next time you speak to one.

‘Google Guaranteed’ badge comes to some Google Maps listings in new “experimentâ€

Back in July, we reported that Google was testing an upgraded Google My Business profile for $50 per month. What these fifty bucks got you was a GMB profile that was verified by Google and included a ‘Google Guaranteed’ badge (previously only seen on Local Services Ads).

According to Tom Waddington, who originally spotted that upgraded profiles were being offered to those outside the LSA program, those badges are now being seen out in the wild, in the local pack and in Google Maps listings, though Google has labeled this an “experiment.â€

Google-Guaranteed

Source: Tom Waddington

In the test that Tom spotted, above the badge (and mention of Google screening) appeared in the Google Maps listing but not in the local pack or in the business’s LSA listings. Google appears to be A/B testing this placement, in the hope that more visibility will equal more adoption.

Why is this important? Local Services Ads are a highly disruptive, and potentially very lucrative, listing type for Google – and one which has more recently hit the shores of the UK (see Tim Capper’s excellent guide on getting started). The fact that Google is testing more visibility of their Google Guaranteed badges suggests that the pay-to-play avenue, widely discussed this year and last, is one Google has no intention of turning off from.

Google Local Packs show ‘X Years in Business’ label

Initially reported as a test in September by Search Engine Roundtable, the inclusion of an ‘X Years in Business’ label on Google My Business profiles seems to have more recently started properly rolling out to local packs.

X years in business

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

As SER’s own Barry Schwartz himself showed above, the ‘opening date’ you set in your Google My Business has a chance of showing in the Google local pack. Others across Twitter soon started seeing these labels appearing for their clients and other businesses in the local pack, ranging from ‘<1 year in business’ right up to ’50+ years in business’.

Why is this important? Business longevity is a big factor in consumer trust and reputation, and showcasing this as one of the few things you get to show potential customers in the local pack could be a big win for longstanding businesses. On the other hand, those fresh on the block might find themselves struggling without other strong signals such as average review rating.

Google Maps launches ‘Community Feed’

One of the biggest official announcements from Google over the last month was the launch of what it calls the ‘Community Feed’, ostensibly the next step in Google’s continuing attempt to socialise the local experience for businesses and users alike.

Community Feed



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