The clunkily-named but ever-so-essential ‘Google My Business’ has been renamed Google Business Profile. You may be getting a feeling of déjà-vu here, because effectively the same feature of the search engine had already changed its name once, from Google Places. Actually, twice, because before that it was Google+ Local.
Thinking about it, even the addition of the ‘+’ might have been a name change too. I’ve lost track.
What’s not in doubt though is that every business should have an up-to-date entry in this. If you’re signed into Google with the account that manages your Google Business Profile, just search for ‘my business’ (yes, those words) and the results will now contain a panel which allows you to access and edit your details. Neat, huh?
If you need reminding what Google Business Profile/Google My Business can do, the search engine describes it as “a free tool that allows you to take charge of the way your business appears on Google Search and Maps. With your Business Profile, you can connect with customers, post updates, list your products and services, accept online orders and more.”
You can have a profile if your business doesn’t have a shopfront, as long as you make in-person contact with customers. You can also have a profile if you’re a hybrid business that serves customers at your business address and visits or delivers directly to customers; or if you’re a service-area business that visits or delivers to customers directly, but doesn’t serve customers at its business address, like a plumber or cleaning service. There’s a full FAQ here.