Google Loves Changes! Last year, the company introduced as many as 184 updates related to Google Business Profiles. If you manage a network of locations on Google Maps, you surely know what that means – implementing new features, algorithms, categories, and attributes requires taking specific actions. Some modifications are welcome, while others are completely unexpected, but they all share one thing – you have no control over them, so you must adapt.
From this article, you’ll learn about the most important changes in Google Business Profiles and see several examples from last year. You’ll also discover how to ensure that your company stays up to date and doesn’t lose visibility on Google Maps – through the comprehensive service of growAp.
Continuous Updates in Google Business Profiles – Can You Prepare for Them?
Introducing changes to a service as widespread and popular as Google Maps is a multi-step process. Every modification must be carefully thought out and tested, as the search engine handles billions of queries every day, including a multitude of local queries.
What Do the Changes Involve?
The modifications cover nearly every element of the service and include, among other things:
- Adjusting ranking factors that determine the visibility of Business Profiles in search results.
- Introducing new features to enhance user interactions.
- Adapting categories and attributes to the changing needs of the market.
- Refreshing the user interface to align with the findings from UX analyses.
- Providing more effective solutions for managing and optimizing the Business Profile.
After a new idea is approved, each update goes through a testing phase, usually among users in the United States. If it passes the test, the modification is implemented in other countries as well.
Why Is It Important to Stay Up to Date?
Before the new features from the States reach the Polish market, some time may pass. Nevertheless, monitoring changes at an early stage provides an invaluable competitive advantage. With this knowledge, your company can adapt to new solutions more quickly and effectively, which often turn out to be highly technologically advanced.
Of course, from the viewpoint of business listing owners, updates can be somewhat troublesome, as they require a thorough understanding of the new rules and swift action. The solution is the modern growAp service, within which an entire team of specialists manages the network of locations on Google Maps.
With growAp, your company’s Business Profile (formerly: Google My Business listing) can become increasingly attractive in the local search space year after year. To better appreciate the benefits of this service, take a look at five examples of recently introduced changes.
Types and Examples of Updates Introduced by Google
1. Algorithm Updates
Google regularly updates the algorithms that determine which Business Profiles appear and in what order in search results. Many such updates took place last year.
What do you gain by reacting quickly? Tracking changes during their testing phase allows you to adjust your Profile management strategy in advance to the new requirements. This way, when the modification is implemented in the Polish version of the search engine, the visibility of the business listing can improve.
Example. Starting from November 2023, the algorithm takes into account whether a business is open at the time the query is made—closed locations receive lower rankings in the results. This increased the importance of providing accurate and up-to-date business hours. More on this topic: Report: Google Local Ranking Now Looks If A Business Is Open Or Closed (Business Hours).
2. New Features
The Google team enjoys testing and introducing new features that make Business Profiles more useful for users. However, some changes can be surprising, especially if you manage multiple listings on Google Maps.
If you keep up with these innovations, you can prepare each of your Profiles in advance. This makes the listings more attractive to users and contributes to a positive perception of your business.
Example. Since 2023, Google has enabled Profile owners to take advantage of a new address autocomplete feature. With this feature, customers entering a query immediately see suggestions related to the business location. Adapting the listing to this seemingly minor change can, in fact, lead to a conversion increase of up to 15%. More on this topic: Google Business Profiles Now With Add Address Autocomplete.
3. New Categories and Attributes
Changes that are easy to overlook include updates to the category and attribute lists, which are aimed at providing a more precise customization of the Business Profile. The Google team strives to ensure that every listing accurately reflects the characteristics of the specific business and reaches the intended target audience.
Below are examples of the most interesting new categories and attributes on Google Business Profiles, added in various countries in 2023 (source: Sterlingsky).
New Categories
- Personal Chef Service
- Financial Advisor
- Musician and Composer
- Cat Café
- Copywriting Services
- Payment Terminal
- Tourist Guide
New Attributes That Help Define the Specificity of the Establishment
- Sauna available for gym customers
- Paid parking
- Pet-friendly
The quick adaptation of the Business Profile to the new categories and the addition of the missing attributes ensure that the listing better meets user intentions.
4. User Interface Updates
The Google Maps interface has undergone several major makeovers, and small changes are still being introduced regularly. This makes using Business Profiles (formerly: Google My Business listings) increasingly intuitive. Additionally, further updates affect the way various information is presented – both information published by the owner and that provided by users.
Example. Some time ago, a change was introduced in Business Profiles regarding the method of filtering reviews. Now, filtering them by the date added or satisfaction level is available exclusively within Google Maps, and not, as before, directly in the search engine.
5. Change in the Way of Contacting Google Support
Google Support continues to improve the communication channels available for those who manage Business Profiles. These changes include, among other things, new forms designed to expedite problem resolution. In recent years, verification procedures as well as the rules for reporting various incidents (e.g., appeals or suspension appeals) have also changed.
Example. For some time now, emails regarding the suspension of a Google Business Profile offer the option to appeal the suspension. Being familiar with the current procedures helps to react quickly to potential issues and significantly facilitates communication with Google Support. More on this topic: Google Business Profile Suspension Emails Add Appeal Option.
Thanks to growAp, You Can Keep Up with the Changes
The examples discussed are just a drop in the ocean of changes that have affected Google Business Profiles so far. And this is not the end – maps and listings create an environment that is constantly evolving. What worked yesterday may be outdated today. That is why keeping up with the innovations introduced by Google is an integral part of effective Profile management.
It is worth emphasizing that every missed change can drastically affect the visibility of the Profile, which obviously translates into lower sales. That is why companies that can quickly adapt to changing conditions increase their chances of maintaining their current position and gaining an advantage over the competition. It is by no means easy – running a business while keeping your finger on the pulse can be time-consuming.
That is precisely why many entrepreneurs have decided to use growAp. It is a modern service for companies operating over a large area and having multiple locations on Google Maps. The trusted growAp team of specialists not only monitors and implements changes; they do much more – they are always one step ahead of the competition, preparing the Profile from a technical standpoint in advance to quickly introduce all the innovations.
By choosing growAp, you don’t have to fear any change. Why?
- Our growAp team is made up of experienced specialists who have been managing Business Profiles for companies from various industries for many years.
- We continuously monitor all the updates introduced by Google and see how they work even before they are implemented in the Polish version of the search engine.
- We know which changes are particularly important in terms of Profile visibility and how to leverage them to boost conversions and stay ahead of the competition.
- On your behalf, we effectively resolve all issues related to the Profile’s operation, contacting Google Support if necessary.
Prepare for New Developments in Google Business Profiles in 2024
What changes await us in 2024? We are already experiencing a small revolution brought about by the DMA regulation, which tightens legal provisions regarding the monopolization of the Internet by the European Commission. Currently, the consequence of these changes is that we will no longer transition directly from the Google search engine to Google Maps. Business Profiles, photos, reviews, and information are displayed uniformly in Google. However, we can expect some upheavals in the statistics of Business Profiles.
We can only speculate about the other changes. However, our experience and Google’s announcements clearly indicate that the number of updates will be at least equal to that of 2023, or even up to 10% higher. This means a lot of work for those managing Business Profiles, and the time needed to adapt to the changes increases in direct proportion to the number of locations.
If you want to sleep peacefully, entrust the management of your Business Profile to professionals with many years of experience. The comprehensive growAp service will help you avoid many worries and allow you to dedicate your time and energy to what matters most – growing your business.
