This blog covers some of the newer (lesser known) features that you will find as a part of the Google My Business (GMB Dashboard).
If these features are used in a correct manner, they can help businesses to appear for relevant keyword & location based searches and also improve click-through rates.
Here are some of the newer features within the Google My Business Dashboard
Business Description
The business description is a short summary of your business that appears on your business listing below the reviews section when a user searches for your business name.
This feature can be used to provide users with a quick introduction to your business, services or products you provide or even highlight your unique selling proposition.
You have a total of 750 characters to play with while crafting your business description and keep in mind that a well written business description can have a positive impact on your local rankings.
In order to edit your business description, go to your GMB dashboard and click on Info on the left hand menu. A new page will appear where you will find a section to edit your business description.
Services
Another new feature you will find under the info tab on your GMB dashboard is named services. The name of this feature can be misleading as it also allows you to list both products and services that your business has to offer.
This feature can also be accessed directly from the left hand menu on the GMB dashboard.
Once you click through to services, a new page will open that will allow you to add a category and then the actual product or service within that category.
You can create a description of up to 300 characters. Make sure to add product or service related keywords in order to ensure you maximize the probability of appearing on the local search results.
Appointment Links
This feature allows you to insert a link that allows your potential customers to book an appointment with you, a handy feature for those businesses that work strictly by appointments.
This area can be used to insert a link to your contact page of book an appointment page within your website.
Once added, users will be able to see an appointments section on your business listing right from the search results page.
To add an appointment link click on the Info tab on the left hand menu of your GMB dashboard, on the resulting page scroll down to the section that says appointment links. Here you can simply click on the edit icon and place a link.
Profile Short Name
A profile short name can be used to shorten the name of your business, if required and can allow customers to find you on the map search using this short name.
This short name also becomes your unique URL that can be shared with your customers – g.page/company name
To access this feature click on the Info tab on the left hand menu of your GMB dashboard, on the resulting page scroll down to the section with the symbol @ (right below the phone number.
Click on the edit icon and nominate an appropriate short name for your business.
Request a Quote
Launched in mid-2019, this feature allows users to request for a quote directly from your GMB profile on the search results page.
To utilise this feature you will need to go to the messaging tab on your GMB dashboard and enable messaging by downloading the GMB app on your Android or Apple device.
Once activated, this feature will allow you to directly receive messages from your customers within the app and also allow you to reply back to them.
Q&A
Similar to request a quote, Q & A will allow users to ask questions to the business directly from their GMB listing.
Displayed on the GMB listing user the appointments section, this feature requires the business to have access to the GMB app on their Apple or Android device in order to reply to questions.
When a user types in a question using the interface, Google will try to suggest answers based on what other users have written on your profile under reviews.
Posts
Not really a new feature but surely a lesser known one as it is not actively used by businesses. This feature allows businesses to post updates, offers, events and other important information.
Displayed on the search results page when a user uses a brand keyword, this feature can help businesses improve click-through-rates if the right offer or marketing message is posted using this feature.
Google posts can be accessed directly from your GMB dashboard on the left hand menu.
Request Reviews
Reviews are an essential part of local SEO success. Not only do they help with creating social proof about the quality of work that a business undertakes but also act as ranking signals when it comes to local SEO.
Google understands this and as such allows businesses to share a direct link to the review form thus allowing users to post a review relatively quickly.
Here is how the link looks: https://g.page/companyname/review?rc
This link can be found under the home tab (left hand menu) on your GMB dashboard.
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