Google My Business / Business Profile: The key changes coming in 2022
Following the rumor that Google My Business will be deleted and will now lose its value, the truth is that GMB will be equally dynamic and necessary for every online business (small or large) in 2022.
However, things will not be as we know them today. The changes that will be implemented in 2022 (the exact date is still unknown) will determine from the beginning the way each company manages its profile in the GMB.
Below, we will see what exactly is changing and how you should manage your Google My Business profile for 2022 to significantly upgrade Local SEO, based on the new data.
GMB Change # 1: Google Business Profile
In a recent post, Google itself, through The Keyword, announced the change of My Business name to “Business Profile”.
GMB Change # 2: Google Business Profile management via Google Search and Google Maps
For greater convenience and accessibility, you will now be able to manage your business profile in the updated “Business Profile”, through the Search engine Search, or even through maps. This change aims to create an environment more accessible to any small business that wants to develop its Local SEO.
Practically, performing a google search with the name of your business, the tools of the separate business profile will be displayed directly, so that you can manage the information, reviews, photos and all the other elements of your business profile from there. At the same time, through the web you will be able to communicate directly with your customers, in addition to reviews.
Business Profile Via Google Search:
- Enter your business name in the google search box
- The relevant Business Profile banner with the keywords “Your Business on Google” will appear in the search results.
- From there, you will be able to choose between the tools “edit profile”, “promote” and “customers”.
Business Profile via Google Maps:
- In the already known Google Maps application, click on your account icon at the top right.
- In the open banner, select “Your Business Profile”
- Select the Business profile you want to manage (essential feature for managing multiple businesses)
- You will be automatically connected to the business profile maps version for complete control and management of any business profile.
GMB Change # 3: The new Google My Business Dashboard for large businesses
If you used to manage the GMB profile of your small business through the app, this is now a thing of the past for you. As mentioned above, small businesses will be able to adjust their Business Profile data, through search or through google maps, while the old dashboard will now be available only for larger businesses.
With updated features and tools, large companies that will have to manage multi-storey stores will be able to organize their Business Profile details from the application, just as has been the case so far. However, Google has not yet provided further details on this exclusivity and the further changes it will bring.
GMB Change # 4: Subscribe to Business Profile
As it turns out, along with business profile management data, the way a business is validated to get its own Business Profile will change.
By 2022, every new business will be able to carry out Google’s required procedures for Business Profile, get the necessary approval and create its own profile through google search. This change further simplifies the way of creating a GMB profile and Google intends in this more affordable way, to attract more and more companies.
“Will my Google My Business Profile lose its data after the upcoming 2022 changes?”
No. No change in the new Business Profile will result in the deletion of items that define the existing business profiles. All the information, photos or even the reviews that the GMB profile of your company has, will continue to exist normally even after the implementation of the changes of 2022.
“Will I be able to manage my Business Profile through my mobile app?”
No. The management of the business profile for small businesses that will not have access to the dashboard, can be done only through search and maps from the google browser. The application will now be available only for franchise companies.
Google Business Profile 2022
Every business’s Local SEO is closely linked to Google My Business, which proves that the time when GMB will be considered obsolete, has not come yet.
With the changes that will be implemented in 2022, the whole process of controlling, promoting and strengthening local SEO will take a new turn. Waiting for the next Google announcements for the upcoming changes, we are sure that Google Business Profile will be easier, more accessible, more immediate for everyone.