You may have noticed Google have introduced a new feature called My Business which they are promoting quite heavily.
You may be thinking this is ANOTHER online profile you have to manage… fear not!
Google My Business appears to be another tactic for Google to get people to sign up to their Google+ service which has suffered against major competitors such as Facebook and Twitter. However for existing Google users, My Business is effectively be an amalgamation of their Google Places and Google+.
For those already using the tools Google will simply update them to the new feature meaning you don’t have to do anything, however it is always worth managing this yourself before Google do it for you just to ensure all the information is correct.
After signing up, or updating your information, Google My Business will add all your business information to Google Search, Google Maps and Google+, allowing your customers to find the business regardless of the device they use. Additionally you can add photos and virtual tours, read and respond toGoogle reviews, along with adding or correcting business information like address, phone, store hours and more.
The new feature allows you to post to your Google+ page from within the GUI and provides a high level overview of analytical data from performance of your Google+ account through to AdWords and YouTube (if you have a YouTube account). The insights, meanwhile, are designed to give businesses, as well as brands and other organizations, more information about their Google+ audience and content, including visibility, engagement metrics, and demographic data.
Additionally, a mobile app will be available soon (already available for android users) that will allow you to update on the go from any mobile or tablet device.
It’s certainly an improvement on the chaotic separate interfaces and isn’t anything to be afraid of.
I’ve used setting up Wild PR as an example to show you just how easy it is. I am still in the process of verifying my business – for this you have to wait for a verification postcard to come through the post – which I am waiting upon.
