Google My Business News: New Features, Updates and Tests from March-May

The midway point of the year isn’t far off, and it’s safe to say that a lot has gone on in local SEO already this year. 

So far in 2021, we’ve seen big changes to Google Posts, updates to review summaries in Google My Business (GMB), high scores from Local RankFlux, and 2-Packs showing on Google mobile results.

But, in the past couple of months alone even more tests and updates have been impacting GMB.

In this GMB news roundup, we take a look at the biggest headlines affecting local SEOs recently.

Think we’ve left something out? Put it in the down below!

Competitor quotes in GMB Messaging

It’s often recommended that businesses make use of GMB’s Messaging feature to better communicate with customers. But you might want to hold your horses.

LocalU shared  that when searchers reached out via GMB Messaging, quotes from competitors were being shared.

So, if you’ve got messaging switched on in your profile, you could be unwittingly sharing competitor information with your potential customers…

GMB Messaging Request a Quote

Source: LocalU

As you can see from the screenshot above, Google now offers searchers the chance to send their same quote request to a business’s competitors directly after messaging. This could definitely deter merchants from turning the messaging feature on, as it could drive potential customers to look elsewhere.

Why is this important? Google could be helping to push your potential customers in the direction of other businesses with this feature. It’s not the first time we’ve seen Google try to provide more diverse results, but popular opinion seems to be that this feature could cause more harm than good. 

New review removal management tool from Google

Fake reviews have long been plaguing Google My Business listings, and at last, it seems Google is doing something to help local businesses proactively tackle the issue.

Mid-March, Google released its review takedown request tool to help merchants handle the removal of wrong or fake reviews.

With this tool, businesses can flag reviews for removal and, importantly, track the progress of their reported reviews.

Review takedown tool

Why is this important? Agencies and local businesses have cited fake reviews as a real problem for some time. This new review removal tool from Google My Business can be seen as a big step in the right direction.

New AI-powered features come to Google Maps

This year we’ve seen lots of improvements made to Google Maps, as Google and Apple continue to vie for the top navigational app.

At the end of March, more AI-powered features were introduced, including indoor live view and an updated directions interface.

Google Maps update 2021

Source: Google

Plus, new Google My Business attributes like curbside pickup and delivery were introduced to help restaurants and food stores meet the demands of consumers in a Covid-19 world.

Why is this important? For anyone with a Google My Business listing, it’s important to stay abreast of updates to Google Maps. GMB Attributes have become increasingly prominent due to Covid-19 and Google taking action to highlight women-led, black-owned, Asian-owned, and LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. Plus, indoor mode will help businesses located within malls or shopping centres get found more easily. In general, whenever there’s a new feature, it’s worth seeing if it applies to your business.

2-Packs appeared in Google mobile SERPs

Arguably, this was the biggest Google local news of the year: who would have thought the iconic 3-Pack would change?

Well, in March, it did.

LocalU spotted mobile SERPs with no 3-Packs. We then did our own tests and lo and behold, 2-Packs were being found for multiple local searches performed on mobile.

Google Local 2-Pack



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