Google My Business (GMB) recently changed its name to Google Business Profile (GBP). According to Google, the reason is to “keep things simple.”
Google is no stranger to changing names. Before Google My Business, it was previously Google Places, Google+ Local, and Google Local Business. The recent rebranding is already the fifth, and just reflects Google’s test-and-run culture.
In line with this recent change, Google is also moving business profile management out of the GMB app and directly into Google Maps and Google Search.
Ultimately, Google is planning to completely retire the Google My Business app sometime in 2022 so that small businesses could already use the upgraded merchant experience that is available on both Maps and Search.
Effects of GMB Going Away
If you have a Google My Business account, you may be wondering what will happen to your existing account.
It actually depends on whether you have a single or multiple listings or locations.
Google wants businesses with a single location to manage their account directly on Google Maps and Search instead of the old Google My Business platform.
At the same time, the Google My Business website (now called Business Profile Manager) will primarily support larger businesses with multiple locations or multiple profiles. So if your business has several locations, you’ll be managing your account through the Business Profile Manager moving forward. However, you can still manage their individual profiles on Google Maps and Search if you prefer to do so.
Managing your Business Profile
When you log in using the same Gmail address that you use for your Google My Business profile, you could simply type in your business name in the Search bar. From there, you can see your Knowledge Panel, and your Google Business Profile edit panel will appear.
Alternatively, from Google Search, you could simply type in “my business” and your Knowledge Panel and the edit panel will appear.
Let’s look at a few of the things you can change in Search and Maps.
After clicking on “Edit Your Business Information” you are able to edit the basic information of the Google business profile.
You can change information about your company, such as its category, description, opening date, hours, and more:
You can use Search to create an update post whenever you see the “Update Your Customers” option in your Knowledge Panel.
Instead of just editing from your Knowledge Panel, you can make more changes from the edit panel on the left-hand side of the screen.
Instead of simply changing things from your Knowledge Panel, you can now do so via the left-hand side edit panel. When you click on “Edit profile” you get several options to edit.
Multi-Location Businesses
If you have numerous offices or are an agency that manages business profiles for other clients, the easiest method to keep track of your profiles is to access the Business Profile Manager dashboard.
The Business Profile Manager provides you the most control over many profiles in one dashboard.
New Features
The rebranding also comes with new features including the following:
- Ability to claim and verify your business profile directly from Search and Maps
- Availability of call history (launching in the US and Canada)
- Customers can now send you a message in real-time directly from Google Search
- Manage message receipts in Google Search and Maps
Performance Planner
Aside from the news of the recent rebranding, Google Ads also encourages businesses to use the Performance Planner for managing Local campaign budgets.
The Performance Planner allows you to create plans for your advertising spend, and it lets you see how your changes in your campaigns might affect your key metrics and overall performance. You can also view campaign forecasts and explore possible results if you make some changes in the settings.
More updates to come
For now, there’s not much change yet on the Google My Business website apart from the rebranding. But over the coming months, you can expect more changes when it comes to the interface and features. As a business owner, it’s important to keep abreast with these changes so you’ll also know how your business can move forward.
Happy Crush!
SEO Lover, my motto is Action Over Words.
