Google My Business Becomes Google Business Profile

Google is changing the name of its business profile management system from Google My Business to Google Business Profile. Google stated that its intent behind this change is “to keep things simple” and to extract more of the business profile from the GMB app and insert it directly into Google Search, Google Maps and other Google products. 

A New Google Incarnation 

Google My Business has already been through a number of incarnations, including Google Places and Google+ Local, so this is not the first time businesses have had to relearn how to manage their company information on Google. Google now says that it prefers this information be managed in Search or Maps. The Google My Business app will be retired in 2022. 

If your business has multiple locations, there will be a new Google interface available for you to manage them. It will be renamed Business Profile Manager. As of now, it’s not clear what further changes will be coming before the old app is retired. 

New Features of Google Business Profile

With these changes come new features. Companies will be able to claim and verify their Google Business Profile directly in Google Maps or Google Search. Messaging can be done directly from Google Search and message read receipts can be controlled in Search and Maps. Also Call History will be launching in the United States and Canada. 

If you need to manage your business, you can search for it by name in either Search or Maps or type “my business” into Google if you have already claimed and verified your listing. From there Google will give you different options to update your information or communicate with your customers or audience. 

Local search is a very important part of SEO, and in Google, much of it has been directly powered by the profiles in what will now be called Google Business Profile. At this moment in time, it still looks much like it has, but as time goes by and we move into 2022, more of the Google My Business features will be accessed directly in Google apps like Search and Maps. 

If you have questions about Google, local search, or how to manage your Google business profile, call us at Corporate Conversions. We will be happy to help you update your company’s information online across different search platforms, improve your local SEO, and reach a larger audience.