If you hadn’t heard, Google has renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile. Beyond the difference in wording, a lot of business owners and marketing professionals are wondering why the change occurred and what it actually changes. I must mention, that for those of us who watch these things, we laugh just a little at another name change. You may remember several past names, including:
2005: Google Local Business Center.
2009: Google Places.
2011: Google+ Local.
2014: Google My Business.
2021: Google Business Profile.
With that brief look back, here’s a quick review of the reasoning behind the change and what you can expect as Google once again evolves their business listing platform.
Why another change?
In their announcement on the name change, Google stated the change was to make it easier for businesses to communicate with their customers. According to Google,
“Whether it’s searching for the perfect gift or looking for a contractor to remodel that bathtub, consumers are increasingly turning to calls and chat to interact with merchants. People want to communicate with businesses to help them make more informed decisions, and this trend is continuously accelerating. That’s why we’re introducing new features that’ll help business owners make the most of their interactions with customers on Google Search and Maps. “Google My Business” is now “Google Business Profile.”
In addition, small businesses will be encouraged to manage their listings NOT via the dedicated My Business Android and iOS app, but (as Google recommends) by managing their profiles directly on the Search or Maps apps “that SMB owners as consumers will undoubtedly already have installed.” Google seems to believe this will simplify the management of listings as well as making outreach and communication with customers easier. These are changes that follow the same trend as some features added last year when functionality was added so businesses could chat with customers directly on Google Maps. Along with the name change, businesses can also see and respond to messages directly from their Business Profile on Google Search.
So, the overall theme is the formation of a more consolidated means to accommodate small businesses having direct conversations with their customers.
But what about larger businesses?
As it stands, there will be changes designed to better serve larger businesses, but how the tools will evolve to meet those differing needs has yet to be disclosed.Google has stated that, “The existing Google My Business web experience will transition to primarily support larger businesses with multiple locations and will be renamed “Business Profile Manager.” More details are to be publicized in the months ahead.
That’s what we know for now, and we will try to push out additional information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need assistance with your Google listings, let us know. We have people on staff who regularly assist our clients with these matters and would gladly answer any questions you may have.