Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is now available for setup with enhanced profile management features. The application will function in many of the same ways as its predecessor, except with new features to enhance usability and promote customer engagement with business profiles.

As a digital marketing agency in Santa Rosa, we know it is important for business owners to understand and utilize the capabilities of Google. Here are the changes that are being implemented and what it means for users.

Listing Customization

Businesses now will be able to make changes to their Business Profile directly from Maps or a search page, which means that a business can customize their profile without first logging into the backend of the Google application. Owners will be able to change information about their business such as hours, services, products, photos, and more.

There are also customizations that can be shown on a profile to help convey important business information to users, including temporary business hours, COVID-19 business regulations, and other business information.

Direct Communication Options

Another exciting update to the Google Business Profile is users can now message businesses directly from search, which was previously only available in Google Maps. In addition, businesses will be able to send and receive text and images from customers on the search engine. This will help to streamline communication between a business and its clients, as well as offer more opportunities for interacting with potential clients.

If there are concerns about being able to check inquiries regularly and tailor direct messages back to each client, there is also the option to set up automated replies or turn this feature off.

Collecting Analytics

Google Business Profile analytics will pull data from the profile’s searches and provide an overview of its performance for your convenience. There will be an option to run reports on information such as phone calls, website visits, directions given, appointments booked, and direct messages received from the Business Profile. Reports will also be available on the keywords that users searched to get to your Business Profile.

For business owners, these analytics will be able to provide valuable insights into how their audience interacts with their business profile. Insights such as knowing how your customers search your business are crucial for optimizing your online presence. For example, our team is able to determine based on our listing analytics that many of our potential clients search for phrases like “digital marketing companies near me.”

Future Capabilities

With the new Business Profile, the possibilities for future updates are endless in regards to advancing usability and communication support for its users. In the New Year, we can expect to continue seeing more updates from this application to provide more support for businesses online.

As one of the top digital marketing companies in Santa Rosa, WSI Smart Marketing knows that managing new online applications for your business can be daunting. To learn how we can help your business manage and optimize its online presence, contact us at (707) 843-3714.