Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
The New Google Plus – All About Collections Not About Business
Google Plus has released their new responsive, mobile first design. It indicates a very clear direction for the product with its focus on collections, communities, content and curation.
What it doesn’t focus on is of more interest to me. It doesn’t focus on businesses, their description, reviews, videos or business photos. In fact the complete absence of those features in this initial roll out seems to indicate the final and rather draconian separation from any business related function.
Over the past two years I have discussed the parting of the ways between local and Plus but through all of that Google had retained the essence of tabbed business pages and given the owner the ability to add a description, photos, videos and provided a place to send customers to see and leave their reviews.
That is all gone. In focusing on content, communities and collections Google has hung out a new and bold sign.
If you haven’t gotten the message yet it should finally be clear in the release of their new and improved G+: BUSINESS UNWELCOME.
This dramatic change will leave small businesses not just frustrated but angry as they shake their heads and head out the exit.
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Comments
90 Comments
Mike you don’t show the “About” pop over in that screen shot. It has contact info but no description, categories or reviews.
And how to get to that info is so subtle the average user would never find it. Of course the average user can no longer even get to the listing, so….
@Linda
Right. Interestingly on a mobile search today the plus page wasn’t even visible where it normally had been.
My guess is that business pages are now simply going to act as brand pages when using Google+. How long until all business pages are completely removed from G+ leaving it only to “people?”
Hi Mike, I’m not seeing the update in Canada yet. Our company page still has the about tab and reviews.
@Colan
I am not sure if it has rolled world wide but it is opt in.
You need to first select the “try the new Google+” link in the lower left corner.
No Colan, it’s updated there. I just checked your Imprezzio listing and it has the new layout.
You just need to know how to force the update so you can see the changes. I explain in the bottom of my 1st post at the forum. No time to find/copy. Up to eyeballs right now.
Sorry sick puppy had to run.
No Mike that does not work for many of us, including me. I did not ever have the “try” link lower left. So no way to even opt in.
To force it: settings >>> Apps & Activities >>> MANAGE GOOGLE+ ACTIVITY then on next page click the search bar and then it will change, but it will kick you out to a new screen.
So then you have to search bar the business or copy the URL to the G+ page. But sometimes when you just copy the link in, it goes to 404.
The above workaround h/t Ana Hoffman on Google+
Linda
As I noted above I didn’t know if it had rolled out world wide and I had heard that they “stopped” the roll out to get more feedback.
So your work around makes sense. I am not sure that its worth it.
That is an attention grabber! The pages I try when I click “meet the new G+” have no function at all. There is the name, contacts, and links. There is no way they leave it at that.
Looks like the new G+ page will possibly not have a lot of things they do now. But my guess is that they will take away so much of the reason that people visit google and google pgs for that they will not stay with this. The google search and the google business pg are so effective and popular that they have to know this and will not change so drastically that they loose users (my guess).
@Brett
Given that this change is one in a long line of changes separating search from the Plus page, I would posit that your hypothesis “The google search and the google business pg are so effective and popular that they have to know this and will not change so drastically that they loose users (my guess) will not turn out to be true. That the very few people currently visit the page, that local has already been broken out of Plus and it is unlikely to return in any significant form.
I am still seeing the old style pages – even when I find the Barbara Oliver example given above.
I guess my question is this, is there still citation value in having a Google+ page. My gut says yes.
PS – per my comment above I still don’t see the opt-in button
@Dave
Clearly verifying at Google My Business makes sense so that you can look good in search, make sure hours and categories are correct and respond to reviews.. That has not changed.
Whether G+ uses your local data or not in the form of a + page is unlikely to have much impact on your ranking in search one way or the other. Although a popular post there might show up in search.
Here are Linda B’s instruction for “forcing” the new Plus:
To force it: settings >>> Apps & Activities >>> MANAGE GOOGLE+ ACTIVITY then on next page click the search bar and then it will change, but it will kick you out to a new screen.
So then you have to search bar the business or copy the URL to the G+ page. But sometimes when you just copy the link in, it goes to 404.
Thanks for those instructions they worked as you said.
Good point, it is not just a citation benefit but a SERP display benefit for the knowledge graph ( assuming they don’t kill that connection). thanks.
WHAT IS GOING ON???
How does a business owner manage reviews?
How do I get to see where all of my Google Local Business Pages are managed now?
So far, I’m not liking this 🙁
@Andy
Reviews would be responded to within the MyBusiness Dashboard.
As to the existing pages: http://www.google.com/mybusiness
Big changes brewing here for sure … I’m able to see the new Google+ dashboard (Google My Business more or less remains the same, however our G+ business page doesn’t show our reviews or any other goodies).
A colleague of mine actually is trying to delete photos inside of Google My Business for a client, and is not able to anymore. We called into Google Local Support, and they said “You are no longer able to delete pictures” …
Ah yes…Google+ has discarded all of the stuff I ever used, and kept the stuff I never once gave a crap about.
What amazes me is that they missed an opportunity to rename a product with this release! Usually, that just drives me crazy…but in this case, they should have renamed it….
MySpace
:-/
@mike – thanks for the confirmation re: http://www.google.com/mybusiness the rest… omg, what a mess 🙂
If we don’t like what we are seeing WE ALL NEED TO USE THE FEEDBACK OPTION. They are closely watching feedback as this rolls out and like usual will tweak after the public does the troubleshooting and tells them what the problems are and what they don’t like.
Mention FB who just added all kinds of cool new local features. Plus FB still has a business description, reviews, photos, etc while Google removed features & but key info.
But really I don’t think Local changes in any way were the target of this. I think the whole focus was G+ and eliminating little used features and enhancing what they think are the most popular. I don’t think Local was given much thought in the grand scheme of things. Kinda feels like the baby was thrown out with the bath water.
@Linda
I appreciate your revolutionary fervor but 1)I am skeptical whether Google gives a flying f*%k and 2)whether there will be any users left to care.
The LSG GMB page is not enjoying this transition. Displayed address changed to an address 2 doors down. Dashboard shows old address from a few months ago and shows listing as “Unverified” even though it shows it as “Verified” on the published page. What Mike said…
We’re seeing the changes in UK so rollout has reached this far.
While I agree that these changes are disappointing in that they rip out all business-relevant elements I don’t think it makes a material impact on visibility & traffic that businesses will get from Google. Being surfaced in main search, maps & local finder is how customers will find businesses and make contact with them. That doesn’t change so businesses shouldn’t see volumes change significantly.
However it does make review generation harder and also makes viewing all data about a business harder – including dupe finding.
It also messes with our Google+ Local Wizard tool & a cool update we’re about to release – b*gger!
The question i have about G+ that i haven’t seen an answer to is –
Will Google ditch +1s as sharing device?
In light of twitter removing share counts will we see similar for G+ 1 or will it die altogether?
What I thought would be a straightforward Thursday is now a minefield – do all these changes age us or keep us young?
Quick observation – the new style pages are only showing for Verified listings, non-verified still rendering in old template –
Verified – https://plus.google.com/101128918016532050263/about
Un-verified – https://plus.google.com/111473126364200338683/about
Do you guys see this too?
@Myles
Yes, good catch.
Google has been saying for a number of months that unverified Pages for local would disappear from Plus. Maybe this is finally the beginning of the end for them.
I wonder what will happened to Local Pages that were authorized in the Places days and became Plus pages and have subsequently been deauthorized… Will that flotsam be removed as well?
Any idea on how valuable the business listing descriptions are now that they aren’t displayed anywhere?
Lydia
I have a complex equation that explains the value of a business description over the past 12 months
G+ Local Page Description <= Zero
@mike —> you’re a BOSS lol 🙂
I love it
I appreciate your revolutionary fervor but 1)I am skeptical whether Google gives a flying f*%k and 2)whether there will be any users left to care.
Mike said: “@Linda I appreciate your revolutionary fervor but…”
Comment from John Skeats a G+ Top Contributor:
(Note this is a discussion we are having about all the missing community moderation features in particular, but still applies to the whole roll out.)
“Remember that the new Google+ is only a pilot at this time.
No one believes that it is a finished product. Google released it now so they could get feedback to help them shape the final product.
They know it is not complete and that functions are not present. In some cases, the new Google+ has what are really placeholder implementations of functions which might be sufficient in some cases. I view the member management functions as falling into that category.
Until the new Google+ is completed, there are functions that you have to switch back to the old Google+ for. That’s why it generally only takes one or two clicks to go back and forth between the two versions. I use the new Google+ for almost everything but drop back to the classic many times a day for various reasons. I view that as one of the minor nuisances that comes with the opportunity to help shape the new Google+.
I encourage you to use Send Feedback on the main menu of the new Google+ to let the Google+ team know what you like and don’t like about the new Google+.
That will have a profound effect on what the final product turns out to be. ”
Link to discussion: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111984526349492831717/posts/G9ubik6w4Xj?cfem=1
Does not prove they will listen and take all suggestions but seems this was intentionally rolled out pretty BETA in hopes the community could help shape the final product?
@Linda
I get all of that but I don’t see a good match with the goals of the new Plus and most SMBs.
Plus is no longer a communication platform, nor even a marketing platform. It is an interest based visual sharing environment.
Thus it will, like Pinterest, possibly appeal to businesses that have lots of visuals, the ability to curate content for collections and attract world wide users.
But its ability to attract local users, which is currently minimal, will not increase and will likely decrease with this change. Since most local users won’t ever be able to see or interact with the content that the business puts up there AND it is unlikely to show in search, its value to most location based businesses will about ZILCH.
The severing of Plus from Local utility that has been going on for the past 2 years is pretty much complete. Plus is now a stand alone product that might (might is the operative word) have some value to some percentage of local businesses. It is not, nor will it be again a primary spot for local businesses to do their do, find new customers or book appointments. That has all moved over to search in the KP and into Google Maps.
So you are essentially advocating for changes in a product that as currently designed has little relationship to the needs of most (not all) small businesses. And as I understand its design and goals that primary function will not change with any amount of advocacy. The Plus page is just a lame citation that will have little stand alone value unless the business can work the system of collections and communities with meaningful interest based content AND that “working” results in sales that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Seems unlikely.
That all being said the Google MyBusiness and the Local team have some very interesting things planned. They just won’t be occurring inside of Plus.
Looks like an unsuccessful roll out of new features (still in progress?) with a few disconnects, here is an example of one with above mentioned location –
1. Google: Barbara Oliver & Co Jewelry
2. Click on one of the pictures on the right
3. At the top left corner click over to a profile, it will lead you to https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/103156080483607740278/@39.052005,-77.13314,13z/data=!3m1!4b1
4. Click on reviews, even though this profile has over 90 reviews, they are not showing up.
On a good note, they are promoting reviews and are now offering a 1TB upgrade to Level 4 “local guides” with 200 points – http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/15/9741624/google-maps-local-guide-earn-drive-storage
@Linda
What features are you advocating be added back?
There are so many great opportunities for a new collections platform (like one that supports embedding, filter and hashtag options, multiple display options, collection-wide autotagging, etc) and they bunted with a watered-down Pinterest. What a joke.
@Joe
Those types of enhancements are the ones that you will likely see going forward…. this is a true Google release often, iterate often product. I am just not sure how compelling it will be in the end and whether they will lose too many along the way.
For most local businesses, its not a compelling proposition now or with those features.
@ Mike
Have you had any issues with people not being able to delete pictures? Or am I missing something?
@Andrew
I just successfully deleted from both the GMB and the Android My Business App. So it must be account specific.
What’s with the crazy @pages.plusgoogle.com email address that is showing up on the Google+ pages? Where exactly do those emails go?
@Mike said: “What features are you advocating be added back?”
I didn’t frame that last post with the quote from John right.
I know where they sit on local. Like I said I don’t think local was even on their radar with this. I don’t really see them changing the local piece much based on our feedback. (I think earlier in the convo I still had my rose colored glasses on.) But we’ve seen step by step the separation of local from +. And no one sees those pages any more anyway, so I’m kinda over it.
However I quoted John’s comment because of the bugs, flakiness and missing features in general. Leave feedback on stuff you don’t think is working right or missing. (Missing community moderation features, like we were talking about in that thread, for example.)
Possibly a tiny ray of hope. (She puts her rose colored glasses on and ducks…) 😉
From a trusted colleague, Ben Fisher on G+:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+BenFisher/albums/6218988620006575553/6218988618911278818
“Google IS Listening – Give Feedback
I just got off a call with Google. During the call I asked what he thought about the new G+. The response was”It is more intuitive and faster”.
I then asked what about the missing elements from Pages and Profiles?
His response was “Google has not rolled out all the functionality yet, we can expect quite a few features to make it back into the new design – especially for local pages.”
He also encouraged users to provide feedback!”
Just an FYI.
For what it’s worth, I spoke with a Google My Business rep today, who assured me that the new format is in its “infantile” state, and that the plan has always been to include all the current G+ features on the new format, and that he expects this to happen in the coming weeks.
Thanks for the blog, Mike! You’re the best!
Sorry all. I am so confused. So the reviews are now GONE and a business should no longer solicit reviews? If that is the case why would you respond to reviews? Help!
This has a huge impact on businesses who over the last years have been building their online reviews.
@Ginger
Reviews continue to show and can be asked for on Google Maps desktop and mobile, Google browser search on desktop and mobile and even Google Plus if the user has not upgraded to the beta.
Reviews will continue to be important. We just don’t know whether they will be important in the post G+ upgrade world on G+. They will be important in search and Maps.
As I am going through my pages I am noticing that the negative reviews are populating on the page before the positive ones, even with a decently high rating. Anyone else noticing this trend?
@Jenn
Google has always ranked reviews by “helpfulness”. In that algo there has been a bias towards highlighting negative reviews as most helpful.
PS Thanks.
After early attempts at using G+ for marketing for the above and other SMB’s of some variety we found the teeniest tiny bang for the buck. It simply wasn’t a place for our smb’s to Do the do as suggested by Mike above. So we stopped.
Now we found G+ helpful as a management tool, but not critical or even mildly significant as a marketing tool to help generate revenues. So we stopped putting in effort there and continued to do so where it would show and help–> search.
Now if Google improves G+ as the most recent comments suggest–> good. ….and as a local community opportunity..well there is facebook and there are tons of alternative local social opportunities. We have found benefits from those other alternatives.
@Dave
I couldn’t have said it better myself. The product itself with its separation from search had declining return to the SMB. This transition accelerates that decline in return by infusing the whole shebang with uncertainty.
@Melissa
So they’re temporarily shutting off half of the platform’s features for a redesign and they’re not worried about alienating their community in the process? That’s some wishful thinking.
@Joe
Exactly!
Even little things like having a business asking a customer for a review – where do you send them. Has the customer switched or not switched?
Should you still send them to Plus? It probably would work but its best to pick alternatives now and effectively not wait for Google to get it together.
Given SMBs limited time and resources for marketing efforts, is there value in posting to G+ page?
@Jennifer
Short answer: No
Longer answer: No, No
Long answer: It appears that Plus is shifting from a communication based network to a very focused interest based network with collections and communities at its core. Google’s vision is not yet clear but those seem to be the essence of the product.
While there might be some opportunity for some limited subset of businesses in that new world there are a number of caveats.
1- The business has to want to take the time to develop a collection and followers
2- That assumes that the followers will provide some value to the business
3- and as Edwin noted that those followers must stick with the platform through what will be a very painful transition.
I thought the problem is only at me, but it seems the tabs “Videos”, “Photos”… also the Description field etc. are gone?!?
@Viatko
All gone. Its not just you. Google has not articulated a vision for pages so we have no idea whether they will be back or not.
Hi All,
Normally, I would use Google+ for discovering photography related articles and such and share them with the world to read. On my website, I have a mechanism in place, to put these articles on my blog automatically (using a plugin for WordPress).
That’s no longer the case after the update 🙁
However, Google has a business related app that still works in a way. Using Google’s ‘My business’ app, you can still share articles to G+, but unfortunately it does not have the option to insert a link and have a featured image inserted immediately. (Google+ generated an image for that automatically).
Hopefully, Google will restore this function anytime soon, or my guess is a lot of people might get alienated from the platform.
@Edwin
The minimal current functionality without a vision for the near future from Google is very alienating. Even if, as Linda and others say, it still has a long way to go, in its current half here half there state many things are totally unpredictable.
And given that we as users can’t predict what state another user will be in compounds that problem.
Thus the easiest thing to do is to abandon ship.
It seems to me like the new G+ rollout is very similar to the way Google gradually rolled out the new Google Maps.
Remember how bad new maps was in the beginning? How many features were missing and how slow it was? Remember how long it was in BETA and how many great user suggestions and new features were added over time. They did what seems like hundreds of little updates, before they released the final product and cut off access to Classic Maps.
I’m guessing we’ll see a similar trajectory here, but much shorter and not as detailed – because G+ is not as important to Google and the world does not depend on G+ the way it does G Maps.
Is it a good way to launch up update? Half baked and let the users do the testing? No. But Google pretty much crowd sources everything.
Seems to me it would be so much better if they would do traditional BETA testing and let select, skilled people opt in that are willing and have the time and knowledge to test. Then let some average, non tech savvy users in the BETA to make sure it makes sense and works for them. Make most of the improvements before the general public even gets to see it. Save us all a lot of time and frustration and would make them look a heck of a lot better.
@Linda
I agree totally. The problem is compounded even more by a lack of communications about the “vision” for the product and how they think folks might benefit from it.
I think most SMBs like Dave above are asking “why spend time?” and as Edwin noted abandoning ship.
I have loved Plus from Day 1 and over the years have offered up a number of business use cases. I have some collections with over 40,000 followers and none with less than 19,000.
Is there any local small business use case? After all it’s local that I am interested in and only see social as a means to an end.
And yet I am asking myself that very same question. What value am I getting? And I am just looking for readership not sales.
On top of that it is just plain UGGGGGLY to interact with.
Yep totally agree with the why spend time for SMB angle. Right now I no longer really even see this as an SMB or local product – unless some serious changes happen. And I’m not very hopeful about that any more. (The local piece.)
But my comment above about the new Google Maps was more just about all regular G+ social features and functionality that got changed, borked or is totally missing.
And the community management features. Don’t even get me started on that! For a product that is supposed to be focused on communities, they just totally crippled managers and owners from being able to manage at the spam that G+ communities attract!
My new Local Search community has 104,000 members. We get over 100 new apps a day that need to be vetted because 90% are spam.
And get this. Now a spammer can just BLOCK the mods and owners and post total spam or P*orn and we don’t even know it’s there, to be able to moderate it. So everyone else can see it, but we can’t.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with all the community management problems and missing features. Told you I should not even get started as this is all off topic for this convo. But just goes to show it’s not just the long lost step child of local that was left out, but many features for the core product, they do still have in their vision.
@Linda
Wow.
Can you just switch back to the old system for communities? Or are you stuck with those flaws?
My sense from the beginning was that this project has been understaffed and not very productive. It could be a long wait.
Haha we crashed your server Mike.
Like I said that’s just one thing. There are lots more.
Yes in fact it’s ADVISED by top Google TCs and big community managers to only use classic for now, because so many critical features are missing. But even with classic the spam folder is totally missing. So we can’t see if there are legit posts from valued member that were filtered by mistake to approve them.
Here is a post from John Ellis and John Skeats again about some of the community management problems:
https://plus.google.com/+JohnREllis/posts/jNKXhp3Bp6B
But that does not even cover all of them. There are more issues highlighted in that community.
But they say Google is aware and the features either being fixer or are coming, if missing.
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