Google is not one to shy from helping businesses gain the most out of their holiday Google Listings. Google is not one to shy from helping businesses gain the most out of their holiday Google Listings. As the Christmas season approaches, Google is streamlining numerous options for Google My Business accounts, providing further insight on how Google Search directs visitors to your business. This is partly due to the reopening of most regions following protracted lockdowns.

Google Novelties

To begin, Google wants to make it easier for businesses to claim and customize their Google Listings, so they’re introducing a new option for businesses to update and validate their brand profiles directly from ‘Search’ and ‘Maps,’ which is a very useful feature.

Google explains:

“Starting this week, you can easily claim and verify your Business Profile directly on Google Search or the Google Maps app. Search for your business by name and you’ll see an option to claim and verify the associated Business Profile. Once your business is verified, you can edit your business’ information, including the address, store hours, photos and more.”

Which honestly sounds like a logical thing to do. Your Google My Business Profile is prime digital real estate that you should claim, providing you with various options to influence how your brand appears in the Google SERPs. Filling details out won’t net you the top spot automatically, but it does at least provide additional context for your Google display listing, potentially driving significant traffic to your business.

However, what’s interesting to note is that Google says that it’ll be switching the focus of its business tools next year to identify key elements better and how it can leverage off of them. Regardless, to maximize year-end efforts and shave off a couple of nuances starting next year, you should still claim and update your profile now.

Keep an eye out for this space and expect Google to emphasize it as it broadens access and adds more features and tools akin to those you would find on Facebook. Google is making necessary preparations to transition to an inevitably eCommerce-led online industry, making it a strong candidate to be a future proponent of the emerging trend.

Google’s also adding options to message customers directly from ‘Search’, while also adding new metrics for inbound calls coming from their Google Business Profile. Such an update could function as a valuable indicator that highlights the benefits of your Google Listings. It may only comprise a minor number of queries but can nonetheless prove valuable in altering how you would orient future promotions.

The Wrap

Google has allotted a heavy focus towards expanding its suite of business tools and options this year, which now makes a lot of sense since there is currently a shift back towards real-life interaction given the easing of COVID restrictions. Google recommends that brands sign up for its POS Linkage Tool, free and available from your Business Profile. The tool will ensure that your product listings are connected through your Google display options.

While other social platforms grow in terms of engagement and exposure, Google remains the key driver of referral traffic and will undoubtedly retain its position as ‘Most Visited Website’ for some time. Though SEO is not the sexiest promotion type, it’s likely more relevant and looks to stay that way until something else can replace its dominance as a discovery model.

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Sources 

https://bit.ly/3wrqb7B