Google My Business (GMB) Rebrands to Google Business Profile (GBP)

Google My Business has been assisting local business owners in connecting with customers in their area for years. This free tool can help you get more visibility in search engine results pages and give local customers the answers they’re looking for.

Because 97 percent of Google users look for local companies online, and nearly half of all Google searches are for local information, it makes sense to use Google My Business for your company.

However, Google just stated that the way you list your business on our platform, as well as how we refer to it, will be changing.

That’s right: Google My Business has now been rebranded to Google Business Profile.

Other high-profile rebrands have recently made headlines (like Facebook’s new identity as Meta), but this one will most certainly have a greater impact on small business owners.

Here’s everything you need to know about using Google Business Profile in the future.

What is Google Business Profile?

Simply said, Google Business Profile is Google My Business’s successor. Google My Business, or GMB, is a free platform that allows you to include critical information about your business — everything from your address and phone number to products, services, images, and customer reviews – in order to connect with people seeking for relevant solutions in your area.

This isn’t the first time this tool has changed its name, as Search Engine Land points out. The platform was previously known as Google Places. It was previously known as Google+ Local and Google Local.

Google Business Profile is the new name for the platform. This announcement, though, is about more than just a name change. We’ll talk about that a little bit later.

For the time being, rest assured that Google My Business’s useful features aren’t going away. GMB will just have a new name moving forward, and the way you handle your business listings may need to change a little.

Why Did Google Rebrand Google My Business?

For a variety of reasons, businesses may rebrand themselves or their products. (We even had a rebranding a few years ago!).

It may be difficult to adjust to new language and user interfaces if you’ve become accustomed to GMB. However, Google claims that the choice to redesign this tool was made to “make things simple.” It’ll be interesting to see if existing users concur with that judgement.

We don’t have much more in the way of an official explanation for this shift, but we do know that Google like keeping things interesting. Google is always looking for ways to improve its service to its consumers, so it appears that this change will help both customers and small companies.

It’s also possible that Google was looking for a way to separate small firms from larger franchises. The two options will be managed differently as a result of this rebranding (which we’ll discuss next).

Whatever the reason for Google’s rebranding, we’ll have to roll with the punches in the end. It may take some time for you to adjust, but we must trust Google developers and hope that these changes will be beneficial.

What’s Changed With Google Business Profile?

Now for the key part: what will the Google Business Profile makeover entail?

Apart from the name, Google wants you to change how you utilize this tool. Instead of using the Google My Business app, you’ll now be able to manage your business listings immediately through Google Search and Google Maps.

This is really a little more convenient than downloading a particular app or having to key in a unique URL to handle listings. Simply enter your company’s name into a Google search or onto Google Maps. Through a new management panel, you may claim, validate, and maintain your unique company listing. Once you’ve claimed your business listing, you can simply search for “my business” to find it.

This tool has been around for a while, so you may already be aware that you can use it to manage your business listing. However, because Google plans to remove its Google My Business service in 2022, this single-listing strategy will soon become the norm.

In terms of its intended purpose, the present GMB web experience you may be familiar with will also change. That interface will also be renamed – Business Profile Manager – and will cater to larger companies with various locations. Owners of larger firms like these can also use Google Business Profile to manage individual listings if they prefer.

Not only will you be able to access these postings in a different way, but you’ll also have access to new features. You’ll be able to message consumers right from Google search, for example (and even control message read receipts). In addition, North American business owners can look into their call history to see how their Google Business Profile affects inbound customer phone calls.

These modifications may make GBP more competitive with other tools (such as Facebook or phone tracking software), while also allowing businesses to better customer service and lead generation management.

Other features are almost certainly on the way. Because Google never ceases to improve, it’s a safe guess that we’ll see even more features in the not-too-distant future.

How Can Google Business Profile Help With SEO?

With this in mind, you might be asking yourself, “Why should I care?”

For SEO objectives, you should pay attention to Google Business Profile. Claim and update your business listing on this free site, and your total brand visibility will usually improve. You’ll have a better chance of showing up in search results, especially for relevant queries conducted by nearby users.

GBP (like GMB before it) is an excellent way to interact with buyers that are farther along in their purchasing process. Consumers who conduct a local search are more likely to make a purchase in a short amount of time. You now have even more methods to reach out to these customers and give them with the information they need to make a decision thanks to Google Business Profile.

Simply put, Google Business Profile can help business stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs). If you own a small business that relies heavily on local customers – or if you have clients who do Then GBP will continue to play a key role in your local SEO strategy.

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