Timeline of Local SEO Changes in 2020
A List of the Major Updates We’ve Seen Impact Local Businesses Recently (Updated Weekly).
Local Ranking Update on February 24
February 24, 2021
Barry Schwartz alerted me to the fluctuations in local search ranking over on our forum….
READ MOREGMB showing Staff and Attorneys in Knowledge Panel Results
February 11, 2021
The GMB listing for Mike Morse Injury Law Firm has sections for Attorney and Staff….
READ MOREBing Local Listings now Showing Facebook Reviews, Replaces Yelp.
February 11, 2021
Bing has removed Yelp from a place of prominence on business listings, now showing Facebook…
READ MOREGMB Showing Messaging Within GMB Dashboard
February 11, 2021
First spotted/shared by @henryh954 on twitter, Google is now allowing you to see messaging data…
READ MOREGoogle Adding “Available Online” Attribute to Maps Searches
February 5, 2021
Spotted by Tom Waddington – Google is letting users filter maps results by those offering…
READ MOREGMB Adding Stars to Review Snippets in Knowledge Panels
February 3, 2021
Now along with the 3 review snippets in the Knowledge Panel for a brand, you…
READ MOREBug: GMB Profile Completion Stuck at 85%
January 31, 2021
Saijo George Tweeted that one of his GMB listings has been stuck at 85%. Joy…
READ MORESee Original Verified Listings Directly from your GMB Dashboard
January 26, 2021
Now you can see the original verified listing directly from your GMB dashboard. h/t to…
READ MOREOctober 2020 Google My Business Insights Update
January 26, 2021
Google My Business is adding some updates to their Insights reports. Colan outlines the changes…
READ MOREGoogle is Testing Opening Dates in the Local Packs
January 25, 2021
This was originally spotted by Barry Schwartz back in November, but we’re seeing it more…
READ MOREGoogle Updates The Options to Flag a Review
January 22, 2021
My colleague Zach Mallett just noticed that Google updated their options for flagging a review…
READ MOREGoogle Now Shows Older Posts in the Knowledge Panel
January 20, 2021
Brodie Clark pointed out yesterday that Google is now displaying Google Posts in the Knowledge…
READ MORE“Accepted Health Insurance” is now an option on the API
January 15, 2021
Over at the Local Search Forum, wehrlse1 notices that “accepted Health Insurance” is available to…
READ MOREYelp Launches Health and Safety Measures Community Feedback Feature
January 14, 2021
Yelp launches new rating feature for community to leave feedback on local business social distancing…
READ MOREGMB Shows Health & Safety Attributes in Pop out Box in UK Desktop View
January 6, 2021
Andrew Bullimore gives credit to Google My Business for the pop-out box to clearly display…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Insights Missing Year-End Data
January 5, 2021
Google My Business insights, the area you go to see how much traffic, calls, messages,…
READ MOREGoogle My Business is Testing “Services” Justifications
December 30, 2020
The services menu in Google My Business allows you to add details about the different…
READ MOREGoogle Posts Getting Rejected
December 15, 2020
There is another issue with GMB, this time Google Posts are being rejected. There are…
READ MOREGoogle Maps Showing Web Results
December 14, 2020
Google Maps is now showing web results on mobile and desktop searches. When searching for…
READ MOREGoogle (Testing) Tourist Attractions Getting Large Icons
December 9, 2020
Several individuals on Twitter are shared screenshots and information showing large landmark icons showing cities…
READ MOREGoogle Testing new Online Store Builder in Canada
December 3, 2020
Spotted by Colan Nielsen: Ontario businesses can sign up for ShopHERE Powered by Google and…
READ MOREGoogle Launches new GMB Messaging Options
December 3, 2020
Google launches a bunch of new messaging options for businesses in local search and new…
READ MORENew Screens for Flagging Accounts in GMB
December 2, 2020
Amy Toman finds that there are new screens showing for flagging locations/spam/closed locations in Google…
READ MOREGoogle Maps Explore Tab Adds Community Feed
December 2, 2020
This new feature probably will increase the importance of GMB Posts and “Add Followers”. Google’s…
READ MOREGoogle Maps Showing Address Numbers Directly on Map
November 25, 2020
Google Maps is now showing address numbers directly on the map. This is a super…
READ MOREGMB Debuts new Google My Business Dashboard
November 24, 2020
Take a tour of the new GMB Dashboard with Claire Carlile.
READ MOREGoogle Ads Google Guaranteed Badge to Google Maps
November 18, 2020
Google has started displaying the Google Guaranteed label on business listings within Google Maps.
READ MOREGoogle Review Replies Disappearing
November 18, 2020
There are numerous posts at GMB forums and the Local Search Forum about Review Replies…
READ MORELive Takeout & Delivery Status Updates when Ordered via Maps on Android and iOS
November 18, 2020
Google released a few Map features, but the most interesting feature for the Local SEO…
READ MOREGMB Messages in App Disappear
November 16, 2020
A member of the LocalSearchForum.com noticed that the messages have disappeared from the App’s “request…
READ MOREGoogle Ads New Profile Performance Link to GMB
November 16, 2020
Colan spotted this – its a new link in the GMB Dashboard under insights that…
READ MOREGoogle Q&A Max Answer Length
November 13, 2020
We now see examples that the Answer can be cut off after 440 characters.
READ MOREGoogle Identifies Review Publishing Issue
November 12, 2020
Update: Google has identified the issue and missing Google reviews should show up in the…
READ MOREReviews not publishing on GMB
November 11, 2020
There appears to be an issue right now with reviews not publishing. Joy is waiting…
READ MOREHijacked GMB Listings are on the Rise!
November 6, 2020
In the last couple of months, we’re seeing a large increase in the number of…
READ MOREGoogle Local Services Ads Expanding Bid Mode in Home Services Categories
November 3, 2020
Google LSA team announced that Bid mode would be coming to Home Services categories
READ MOREGMB Products Bug – Images Only Showing
October 27, 2020
Claire Carlile spotted a bug in GMB Products on October 22nd that was finally fixed…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Case Statuses to Contact Flow
October 27, 2020
As Ben Fisher of Steady Demand was poking around the contact form today he there…
READ MOREWait Times in GMB Extremely Exaggerated
October 24, 2020
Starting on October 6th, many GMB forum members/users were posting that the wait times at…
READ MOREGoogle Local & Maps Displays Health & Safety On Search Results
October 22, 2020
Some are seeing the health and safety attributes that businesses have been able to add…
READ MOREFloating Pins available in Google Maps view
October 16, 2020
Glen Gabe spotted floating pins over business locations when he was pointing his camera at…
READ MOREAds showing in Suggested Search
October 15, 2020
Thibault Adda of Darden Group noticed these ad units showing when you were searching within…
READ MOREGMB Adds Attributes for Dividers and Disinfect Surfaces
October 10, 2020
Andrew Bullimore noted on October 10th that GMB had added more attribute opportunities for ‘Safety…
READ MOREGMB Adds Meeting Capabilities with Zoom and Other Providers
October 9, 2020
Google My Business video conferencing integration with Zoom and appointment providers for meetings, classes, etc.
READ MORENew “Preview Call History” Module in GMB Dashboard
October 6, 2020
“Preview call history” is featured in most GMB dashboards as far as we can tell. …
READ MOREGMB Changes Video Maximum File Size from 100MB to 75MB
October 4, 2020
Users at the GMB forum were reporting issues with getting videos to upload. It was…
READ MOREMultiple GMB Attributes Showing up on Desktop Business Listings
September 30, 2020
Now more than one attribute is visible on desktop – many are showing LGBTQ Friendly,…
READ MOREOctober 2020 Google My Business Insights Update
September 29, 2020
New metric update frequency Addition of new metrics See which metrics remain unchanged
READ MOREBidding Mode Coming to Google Local Services Ads
September 25, 2020
After several years of a flat-rate pay-per-lead pricing model in Local Services ads, Google has…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Updates the Guidelines for Service Area Businesses & Virtual Offices
September 24, 2020
Multiple changes on 9/18 and 9/24 – check them all out!
READ MORECoronavirus Related Health & Safety Attributes Launch in Google My Business
September 10, 2020
On Tuesday, September 9th, new attributes related to Health & Safety began appearing for listings…
READ MOREGMB Attribute symbols are now visible on the desktop
August 28, 2020
GMB Attribute symbols are now visible on the desktop for LGBTQ-Friendly, Women-Led, Black-Owned, and Veteran-Led…
READ MOREApple Maps will let users leave reviews and photos in latest iOS 14 beta
August 27, 2020
Apple Maps may replace Yelp and other third-party solutions with an in-house user review system when…
READ MOREGoogle Showing New LGBTQ Attribute on Desktop LKPs
August 26, 2020
Colan Nielsen spotted new LGBTQ attributes on a desktop local knowledge panel this week.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Performance Metrics to Direct Edit Experience
August 18, 2020
Google adds ability to view performance metrics graphed up to a six month period with…
READ MOREGoogle Adds Local Listings to Autocomplete
August 17, 2020
Google has rolled out an autocomplete feature to include local listings. Users can trigger autocomplete…
READ MOREGoogle My Business asks “Did you use this Business?”
August 13, 2020
Google has rolled out a new feature for Google My Business reviews. When a user…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Rolling Out New Direct Edit Experience
August 13, 2020
Google is now rolling out a new, improved, direct edit experience for editing your business…
READ MOREGoogle Adding Call Buttons in Local Knowledge Panels
August 6, 2020
Google adds “call” buttons to Local Knowledge Panels for logged-in users on mobile and desktop.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Online Operating Hours Feature
August 6, 2020
GMB adds online operating hours attribute available in the dashboard for appropriate businesses. It does…
READ MOREGoogle changes how Products are Edited/Displayed in Back end
July 14, 2020
A change to how the Products section is laid out.
READ MOREAbility to Add More Appointment Links into GMB Knowledge Panel
July 10, 2020
Google has updated the Appointment Link field in the GMB dashboard to allow for more…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Partner Links & Opt-out of Food Ordering in Dashboard
July 10, 2020
Google surfacing the partner links within the GMB dashboard. Previously, you could only see these…
READ MOREGoogle Now Allows Anyone to Flag User Profiles
July 2, 2020
Google Now Allows Anyone to Flag User Profiles. Instead of just flagging an individual review,…
READ MORE“Buy Gift Card” Now Prominent on Google Maps App
June 25, 2020
Google is highlighting businesses that have taken advantage of the Gift Card/Support feature via the…
READ MOREGoogle Adds Attributes for Online “Appointments, Estimates & Care”
June 15, 2020
Now businesses in many categories can add an attribute for Online Appointments, Online Estimates, or…
READ MOREGoogle Offers additional flexibility with “More Hours”
June 4, 2020
Businesses now have the option of “More Hours” under the info tab to add brunch,…
READ MOREGoogle Confirms Local Ranking Fluctuations in April & May Was a Bug
May 29, 2020Google confirmed yesterday that the drastic fluctuations in April & May were, in fact, the…
READ MOREGMB Adds “Manage insurance info for your practice” Section to Help Center
May 26, 2020
Health-related categories can manage what insurance info shows up on their GMB listing via this…
READ MOREGoogle testing “Top Rated” labels in Maps results
May 24, 2020
Jason Brown spotted this on May 24 and continues to see it. It looks like…
READ MORESecondary Hours show in GMB for Some Categories
May 18, 2020
Google My Business will release a new feature into GMB accounts that will allow business…
READ MORECovid Testing Data for Google Business Profiles Can Now be Submitted to Third Party
May 8, 2020
Google has indicated that if you are an organization that is providing Covid testing at…
READ MOREGoogle Moves COVID-19 Posts Up in Desktop Business Listing
May 7, 2020
Google has now moved the COVID-10 post position up on desktop devices.
READ MOREGoogle Q&A Starting to Return
April 24, 2020
We’re now seeing Q&A start to return to Business Listings – limited to shopping &…
READ MOREGoogle Adds “Get Online Care” Links to Show Telehealth Options
April 23, 2020
These are populated by the “Virtual Visit” link in GMB but only visible on mobile…
READ MOREApril 2020 Local Algorithm Update Starts
April 23, 2020
We’re seeing fluctuations in local rankings across many sites and verticals. Some changes stick, most…
READ MORENew Reviews Start Showing Up for Some Businesses
April 9, 2020
Spotted by Mike Blumenthal – some reviews are publishing. Expect a slow roll out.
READ MOREAbility to Respond to Google Reviews Returns to Dashboard, App and API
April 7, 2020
Google has restored the ability to respond to reviews via GMB Dashboard, the phot App…
READ MOREGMB Adds Telehealth Appointment & Covid Info Links to Dashboard
April 7, 2020
Google My Business Now Allows Physician to Add Telehealth Appointment & Covid Info Links to…
READ MOREGoogle Adds Takeout/Delivery/Temp. Closed Labels to Map Pins
April 6, 2020
Google has added Takeout Available, Delivery Available, and Temporarily Closed labels directly next to map…
READ MOREGMB Adds COVID-19 Post Type
March 30, 2020
Google Added a COVID-19 Post Type. Content surfaces higher up in a mobile knowledge panel/business listing.
READ MOREGoogle Adds Warning Messages to Search Results
March 30, 2020
There is now a warning message in the search results that “hours or services may…
Google Posts Have Temporarily Been Permitted for Chains
March 27, 2020Due to COVID-19, Google has temporarily allowed chains to use the API to do bulk…
READ MOREThe Temporarily Closed Label No Longer Impacts Ranking
March 26, 2020We are now seeing listings with the “temporarily closed” label rank in the 3-pack. Google…
READ MOREGoogle Adds Takeout and Delivery Attributes
March 26, 2020
Several industries now have the option to add takeout or delivery options to their GMB…
Google Adds Temporarily Closed Button to GMB Dashboard
March 25, 2020
You can now add the “temporarily closed” label to your listing directly inside the GMB…
Google Disables Reviews, Q&A and Editing of Business Listings
March 20, 2020
Google has outlined a number of changes to Google MyBusiness during the COVID-19 Pandemic
READ MORENew Review Highlights on Google Maps
March 19, 2020
New review summary format on Google My Business listings in the Google Maps App
READ MOREGoogle removes events from Google Maps results
March 10, 2020
Listings of events are now removed from maps results – but are still visible within…
READ MOREGoogle Allows New Car Dealers Multiple GMB Listings
March 4, 2020
Google has updated its guidelines to allow new car dealers to have multiple GMB listings…
READ MORESuggested Product Categories Added
February 24, 2020
Google has added suggested categories to the product feature for some businesses that might offer…
Google Posts Image Issue Fixed
February 10, 2020
The posts issue that caused posts to be immediately declined for unknown reasons has been…
READ MOREGoogle Showing “Claim this Listing” link on Verified/Claimed GMB Listings
January 30, 2020
Google has added a new feature to make reclaiming access to GMB listings easier for…
Google Posts Declined then Fixed
January 27, 2020
Google Posts were broken, then sort of working, then broken, then fixed
READ MOREGoogle Showing Logos below photo gallery on Local Knowledge Panels
January 23, 2020
Google is now showing a round logo below the actual images in Local Knowledge panels…
READ MOREGoogle Emails: “Unpublished Google My Business listings about to be deleted”
January 22, 2020
These are listings you never finished or published. Likely on a different account/email address than…
READ MOREGoogle Surfacing Competitor Discovery on Branded Searches
January 20, 2020
Google is showing an option to “see similar places” on a branded query right at…
READ MOREGoogle Publishes “On These Lists” Links in Local Finder Results
January 17, 2020
Maps search results on desktop will now surface links related to the “on these lists”…
READ MOREGoogle showing “in between” label on personalized searches
January 17, 2020
If you’re looking for a location that might be between 2 other places you’ve frequented…
READ MOREGoogle Showing 3-day Change of Ownership Message
January 17, 2020
Google is turning around transferring ownership to another account in 3 days for some businesses.
READ MOREGoogle Adds “Get More Reviews” Button in Knowledge Panel
December 31, 2019
Google is adding a “Get more reviews” button in the Knowledge Panel for businesses you…
READ MOREGoogle is Showing a “Choose Area” Label
December 24, 2019
On mobile devices, Google is showing a “choose area” label above the 3-pack that allows…
READ MOREGoogle Now Shows Walking Distances to Popular Destinations
December 13, 2019
Google is letting users know how far the business is away from other known businesses/venues/landmarks…
READ MORENew Display for Service Areas on Mobile
December 13, 2019
Google My Business has a new format on mobile browsers for service areas. It shows…
READ MOREGoogle Now Shows Carousels of Reviews on GMB Profiles
December 11, 2019
Google has been spotted displaying reviews in a carousel format, placed more prominently on local…
READ MOREGoogle Makes Recommendations of Local Guides to Follow
December 10, 2019
In select cities, you can now discover and follow selected Local Guides.
READ MOREYou Can Now Add Metropolitan Areas as Service Areas in Google My Business
December 10, 2019
There is now an option in Google My Business to add a metropolitan area in…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Photos Being Added To Google Posts
December 7, 2019A new feature was released where Google would automatically take photos that you add to…
READ MOREBlack “Ad” Label Appears in 3-Pack on Desktop
December 6, 2019Black “Ad” labels are appearing in 3-pack ads.
READ MOREUsers Can Now Edit Their Profiles on Google Maps
November 19, 2019There is now an option to add/edit your profile on the Google Maps app.
READ MOREGoogle Maps Adds A Local Guides Follow Feature
November 18, 2019Maps users in a number of cities will soon be able to follow Local Guides and…
READ MOREGoogle Updates Product Posts
November 14, 2019Google changed the layout for product posts in Google My Business and removed category descriptions.
READ MOREGoogle Maps Now Allows Users to Report Spammy Users
November 13, 2019
The Google Maps app now gives you an option to report a spammy user/Local Guide.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Removes their Toll-Free Phone Number
November 11, 2019Google has removed the free toll-free numbers that used to work to get support for…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Non-Binary Attribute
November 8, 2019Google My Business now has 3 gender options in the attributes section.
GMB Adds a Maximum of 20 Service Areas
November 6, 2019
Google My Business has made it so you can now only add up to a…
READ MOREBedlam Algorithm Update
November 5, 2019
Bedlam is the name we gave to the huge local ranking fluctuations we started seeing…
READ MOREGoogle Now Shows Short Names on About Tab
October 30, 2019
There is now a “sharing” section on the About tab for a Google My Business…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Reviews Get Auto-Suggested Replies
October 24, 2019Google has added a feature inside the Google My Business dashboard that gives automatic responses…
READ MOREIssue with Schools Not Being Able to Get New Reviews on GMB
October 17, 2019Multiple schools are reporting that they are unable to get new reviews on their Google…
READ MOREQ&A Disappearing from Google My Business
October 14, 2019Lots of users on the forum are reporting Questions & Answers disappearing from their Google…
READ MOREGoogle Now Displaying “Place Topics” on Desktop
October 8, 2019“Place Topics” are now displaying on desktop.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Photos Support GIFs On Mobile
October 8, 2019You can now post animated gifs to GMB via mobile
READ MOREGMB Updates Messaging for Pending Edits
October 8, 2019GMB now marks an edit inside GMB as “Under Review”
READ MOREGMB Launch: Edits by Unverified Merchants
October 8, 2019Business owners will be able to suggest edits to some core business information directly from…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds a New Contact Form for Restaurants to Remove Online Ordering
September 26, 2019Google started showing “order” calls-to-action on restaurant listings earlier this year. They have now added…
READ MORECore Algorithm Update
September 24, 2019Google releases a core algorithm update that impacts both organic & local results.
READ MOREGoogle My Business is Deprecating SMS for Messaging
September 19, 2019Google stopped allowing businesses to set up Messaging via SMS quite some time ago but…
READ MOREGoogle Announces Changes to Review Schema
September 16, 2019According to Google “with this change, we’re not going to display review rich results anymore…
READ MORE[Bug] Listings Not in GMB After Accepting Manager Invite
September 10, 2019Listings are not appearing in GMB after accepting manager invites. This also seems to be…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Updates the Guidelines for Practitioners
September 7, 2019Google has updated the Google My Business guidelines and has added some clarification under the…
READ MORE[Bug] Pagination Issue for Local Finder Results
September 5, 2019This is now resolved. Google had removed the option to scroll to the next page…
READ MORELaunch: GMB Removing Remaining Distance-based Service Areas
September 4, 2019Google My Business announced that it has started the process of removing remaining service areas that were…
READ MOREGoogle is Now Showing Insights on Google Maps
August 29, 2019
Google is now showing insights from Google My Business on the profiles you manage on…
READ MOREGoogle Has a New Layout For Events on Google Maps.
August 28, 2019
Events are now shown on Google Maps really prominently at the top – even above…
Yelp Introduces Personalized Search Results
August 27, 2019Yelp is now giving users the option to personalize their search results based on diet,…
READ MORENew Services Options in the Google My Business Dashboard
August 26, 2019
There are new options Google My Business dashboard for certain industries. Under the Services tab,…
READ MOREReply to Reviews on Google Maps App
August 22, 2019You can now reply to reviews directly on your Google My Business listing on the…
READ MOREDelivery Icons Appear in the 3-Pack
August 20, 2019
As of today, we’re seeing delivery icons directly in the 3-pack for restaurants.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Launches Bulk Review Management
August 15, 2019
Businesses can view reviews for multiple listings at once. With bulk reviews, you’ll be able…
READ MOREHotels Get a New Attributes Layout in Google My Business
August 8, 2019
This new attributes interface for hotels gives the business a lot more options for adding…
READ MORE[Bug] Missing Store Codes in Google My Business
August 8, 2019
There is a bug that is causing all store codes to display as missing on…
READ MORE2 Ads in the 3-Pack
August 8, 2019
A new ad format has been spotted by Tom Waddington that puts 2 Local Services…
READ MORE[Bug] Google My Business Insights Download
August 7, 2019When you try to download Google My Business Insights it shows you 7 days regardless…
READ MOREManage This Listing Rolls Out on Business Profiles
August 6, 2019
We’ve been seeing this for a while on certain chains but as of today, Google…
READ MORE[Bug] Attributes Missing for Hotels
August 6, 2019
Google has been making a lot of changes to hotels this week in Google My…
READ MOREChange in Google My Business Listing Status
August 1, 2019
Google My Business listings now showing as verified or unverified instead of published or unpublished.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Messaging Feature Gets Quote Button on Desktop
July 24, 2019
If you have the Google My Business Messaging feature enabled, Google is now showing a…
READ MOREGoogle’s Q&A Feature Now Includes Answers from Posts & Products
July 17, 2019
Now when users ask a question on your listing, they are given answers that are…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Launches Place Topics
July 4, 2019
Google My Business just announced that they have launched place topics. On the Google Maps…
READ MORELocal Service Ads are Showing in the 3-Pack
July 3, 2019
Local Services ads are now showing in the 3-pack above the organic listings.
READ MOREGoogle Updates Review Filter
July 3, 2019
Many businesses are losing reviews on Google My Business. Google is aware of the issue…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Products Expands to Most Categories
June 27, 2019
Google My Business announces all categories of business (except a few verticals) can now use…
READ MORE[Bug] Adding Short Names in Google My Business Causes Listings to Vanish
June 26, 2019[resolved] Tons of users reported issues with listings just randomly disappearing after they added a…
READ MOREGoogle Depreciates Social Markup
June 25, 2019With Google deprecating the social profile markup, some businesses may be out of luck with being…
READ MORE[Bug] Issue With Responding to Q&A on Google My Business
June 21, 2019[resolved] When answering a question posted on a Google My Business listing, the response shows…
READ MOREShort Names in Google My Business Launch to All Users
June 21, 2019
Google launches short names to all users in Google My Business.
Google Now Shows Logo Images on Google Maps
June 20, 2019
Businesses now have a logo icon on their Knolwedge Panel on the Google Maps app.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Launches Welcome Offers
June 20, 2019
You can now create a welcome offer for users who follow your business on Google…
READ MOREHuge Uptick in Suspensions in Google My Business
June 18, 2019A lot of agencies and SMBs are reporting a much-higher number of suspensions than usual.
READ MOREFrance Now Requires Users to Leave Date of Visit in Review
June 14, 2019
In France, if you want to write a review on Google Maps, you must indicate…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Changes How They Deal With Practitioner Listings
June 10, 2019Google My Business support changed the process of how they handle retired or deceased practitioner…
READ MORE[Bug] Website URLs in Google Maps
June 8, 2019
Clicking on websites in Google Maps is resulting in a redirect notice.
READ MORENew Layout on Mobile for Branded Searches
June 6, 2019
When you do a branded search on mobile, Google has morphed the organic results into…
READ MOREReal-Time GMB Post Insights
June 6, 2019Insights on GMB Posts will be in near real time in Google My Business. Real-time…
READ MOREJune 2019 Core Algorithm Update
June 3, 2019Google is releasing a broad update to their core algorithm that impacted both local and…
READ MOREGoogle Fully Rolls Out Q & A Auto-Suggest Answers
June 3, 2019
In April, Google rolled out a cool Business Profile (aka Knowledge Panel) feature that auto-suggested answers…
READ MORE[Bug] Issues Adding Bulk Locations in Google My Business
May 31, 2019Users that are bulk uploading listings are getting an error that says “You’ve exceeded the limit…
READ MOREGoogle Starts Showing Local Results Again for Some Sex-Related Queries
May 30, 2019As of late May, 2019 it now appears that Google is again allowing some of…
READ MOREAds in the 3-Pack Now Showing a Black Label
May 24, 2019
Mobile results now show a black ad label including ads in the 3-pack.
READ MOREYou Can Now Order Online From Restaurants on Google My Business Using the Google Assistant
May 23, 2019
Users click on the “Order Online” button and then choose delivery or pick up. If…
READ MORENew GMB Dashboard
May 9, 2019
Google is showing a new version of the Google My Business dashboard that highlights a…
READ MOREGoogle Maps Now Highlights Photos of Restaurants’ Most Popular Dishes
May 2, 2019
The new feature seems to scan reviews of the restaurant to find commonly-mentioned dish names,…
READ MORE[Bug] GMB Insights Issue
April 26, 2019
There appear to be 2 issues impacting GMB Insights. The first is showing a huge…
READ MORE[Bug] POI Establishment Being Added as a Category in GMB
April 23, 2019
Tons of agencies are seeing this “category” added to their listing. It appears to be…
READ MORE[Bug] Google My Business Suspensions Are Causing Reviews to Vanish
April 17, 2019Many Google My Business listings that are suspended and then reinstated are missing all their…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Rolling Out Short Names
April 16, 2019Google has started the rollout of “Short Names”; the ability of a business to create…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Products Now Show on Desktop
April 4, 2019The Google My Business product catalog (currently in Beta) is now showing up on Desktop…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Automatically Generated Posts Based on Reviews
March 29, 2019
More users are starting to see these posts showing up in the Google My Business…
READ MOREGoogle Launches a New Version of the Google My Business Help Forum
March 28, 2019The Google My Business forum now has a new home. The new version of the…
READ MORE[Bug] Verification Issues
March 27, 2019There’s a known issue that is preventing listings that were recently added to your Google…
March Core Algorithm Update
March 12, 2019This algorithm update had some pretty big impacts on both organic and local results. It…
READ MOREGoogle Removes Cities from Knowledge Panels for Service Area Businesses
March 5, 2019
Google has removed the data that would show up below the reviews in the Knowledge…
READ MOREGoogle Launches Site Manager Role Functionality
March 4, 2019
For several large chains, we are now seeing a new option in the Knowledge Panel…
READ MOREGoogle Maps Adds New Events Feature
March 4, 2019
This feature is only available to a small number of users and allows you to…
Google Updates the GMB Guidelines
March 4, 2019Over the weekend, Google added a couple sentences to the GMB guidelines under the “Business description guidelines” clarifying…
READ MORE[Bug] Issues Replying to Reviews
March 4, 2019
If you get an error message responding to reviews it could be due to this…
READ MOREInstagram Rolls Out In-App Local Business Profile Pages
March 3, 2019Instagram rolls out in-app local business profile pages (address, hours, contact, website) with ability to…
READ MOREGoogle Adds a New Way to Report Spam
February 27, 2019Marrissa Nordahl from Google just posted an announcement that there is a new way for users to…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Updates Guidelines on Content Related to Terrorism
February 24, 2019Google My Business has just recently updated their guidelines to add more context around content…
READ MORESearch Console Adds Products Section
February 22, 2019
Google Search Console has quietly added a new section to the enhancements section of the…
READ MOREYelp Adds License Verification
February 15, 2019
Yelp is now offering the option to verify your license and display it more prominently.
Google Starts Displaying Testimonials on GMB Websites
February 12, 2019If you’re using a Google My Business website, Google appears to now be displaying testimonials…
Google Adds "Get in Line" Call-to-Action for Restaurants
February 12, 2019
Some restaurant local panels now display “Get in Line” call to action that can be used by…
READ MOREGoogle Testing Google Posts in the Local Finder
February 8, 2019
Dave DiGregorio noticed that Google is pulling in snippets from previous posts into the Knowledge…
READ MOREGoogle Confirms they are Consolidating to Canonicals in Search Console
February 6, 2019On April 10, 2019 Google will be unifying data from January 2018 so that all…
READ MORE[Bug] Google My Business Messaging Doesn’t Work With Location Groups
February 4, 2019If you set up Messaging via the Google My Business app and your listing is…
Social Icons are Back on Local Knowledge Panels
January 28, 2019
We’re seeing social media icons in Local Knowledge Panels for tons of small businesses. It’s…
READ MORE[Bug] Google My Business Photos
January 25, 2019There is a known technical issue right now with Google My Business photos where users…
READ MORE"Profile" photos in Google My Business are now called "Logo"
January 24, 2019
What you previously uploaded as a “profile” photo in the Google My Business dashboard has…
[Bug] Google Wipes Service Menus From GMB Listings
January 17, 2019
Lots of people are reporting issues with Google removing the service menu from their GMB…
READ MORESpammers Add Future Opening Dates to Remove GMB Listings
January 16, 2019
Google has fixed this issue that was making it possible for spammers to completely remove…
READ MOREGMB Updates Guidelines Regarding Virtual Offices
January 15, 2019This update finally makes it explicitly clear that you must have your own staff to qualify for…
READ MOREMassive Drops in Search Console for Sites Using UTM Codes in GMB
January 14, 2019
Something has changed where Search Console is not reporting on the UTM codes for impressions…
READ MOREYelp Has a Huge Algorithm Update Wiping Out Tons of Reviews
December 19, 2018
It’s hard to put a date on this since it started in November and continued…
READ MOREOver 3 Million Fake 4-Star Reviews Posted
December 3, 2018I believe this is the largest fake review attack we have seen yet. Due to…
READ MOREGoogle Rolls out “Sold Here” to Local Search Results
December 1, 2018
Google is now showing “sold here:” in the local results for product searches.
READ MOREYou Can Now Include Hashtags in Google Reviews
November 27, 2018Google made it so that hashtags are clickable in the Google Maps app when they’re…
READ MOREGoogle Launches a New Sign Up Process for Service Area Businesses
November 20, 2018
When you go to add a new listing to Google My Business, the second step…
READ MOREGoogle Changes Communications Managers to Site Managers
November 14, 2018Google is renaming the roll of Communications Managers to Site Managers. This user type will…
Google My Business App Gets Updated
November 14, 2018
Google launched a new version of the GMB app that includes a customer tab showing…
READ MOREGoogle Adds “See Other Locations” on Mobile
November 12, 2018
Previously this only showed up on the Google Maps app (near the bottom of the…
Google Adds a Follow Button on Google Maps
November 2, 2018
Google has added follow buttons to Google My Business listings on the Google Maps app…
READ MOREGoogle Automatically Removes Addresses from Service Area Business Listings
October 31, 2018
If you run a service area business that had the address hidden, Google automatically deleted…
READ MORE[Bug] Images Are Missing in the Knowledge Panel
October 29, 2018
If you aren’t seeing images in the Knowledge Panel, it’s not just you.
READ MOREAdd a Listing With a Future Opening Date
October 24, 2018
Google announced that they’re allowing businesses to add listings for locations that are not open…
READ MOREReserve with Google Now Shows in the 3-Pack
October 22, 2018
There are now booking calls-to-action directly in the 3-pack for business listings that utilizing Reserve…
READ MOREGoogle Ads Automates Location Extensions
October 22, 2018Previously a business owner had the option of connecting Google My Business with Google Ads. …
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Products [Beta]
October 19, 2018
This feature is currently in Beta but allows business owners to add a digital catalog…
READ MOREGoogle Rolling Out More Graphic-Heavy Local Finder Results
October 18, 2018
Google seems to be rolling out the image-heavy Local Finder results to more industries.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Branded Search Reporting to Insights
October 18, 2018
Google added a new metric in the local Insights report where you can see how…
Google Announces They are Shutting Down Google Plus
October 8, 2018The inevitable has finally occurred. Google announced yesterday, “We are shutting down Google+ for consumers.”
READ MOREGoogle My Business Launches a Migration Tool for the Agency Dashboard
October 5, 2018
Google My Business has just announced that they are launching a migration tool to help…
READ MORELocal Services Ads Add a Same-Day Service Option
September 28, 2018
As pointed out by Tom Waddington, some listings now allow you to add “Same-Day service”…
You can Now Manually Add the “Located In” Feature to a GMB Listing
September 28, 2018Previously this could only be done by contacting Google My Business support. Colan explains how…
READ MOREGoogle Posts Move to the Bottom of the Knowledge Panel
September 27, 2018Mike Blumenthal and Ben Fisher alerted me that they are noticing Google Posts are now…
READ MOREAdvanced Verification Launches in Canada
September 27, 2018Locksmiths in Canada are now required to pass Advanced Verification to run ads. This is…
Google Posts Now Support 1500 Characters
September 26, 2018
Google Posts content went from 300 to a max of 1,500 characters.
READ MOREAlgorithm Update
September 26, 2018This algorithm update seems to be tied to the Medic update in August.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Review Replies are Editable from the Knowledge Panel
September 14, 2018
It’s now even easier to reply to reviews on Google My Business. You can now…
READ MORESeptember 8-11 Algorithm Update
September 8, 2018
On September 8-11, Google started rolling out another pretty significant algorithm update. We’ve seen this…
READ MORELocal Services Ad Unit Now Shows Prices
August 23, 2018
Google is now showing typical prices in the area for many common home services within…
READ MOREGoogle Adds the Veteran Led Attribute
August 21, 2018
Google has rolled out the “veteran led” attribute for business listings in Google My Business.
Product Posts Now Show in the Knowledge Panel
August 20, 2018
Google has added a “browse some featured items sold here” icon for businesses that are…
READ MOREGMB Adds “Menu” and “Posts” Tab For Brand Searches on Mobile
August 16, 2018
Google is testing “Menu” and “Posts” Tabs directly in the local results on mobile for…
READ MOREGoogle Now Displays Pending Edits in Knowledge Panels
August 15, 2018
For quite some time Google has showed pending edits to a listing on the Google…
READ MOREChange to GMB Insights
August 13, 2018
Google just alerted us that they recently made a change to GMB Insights that allows…
READ MOREBBB Makes Big Change to Review Display
August 12, 2018
The BBB made a big change in the way that customer reviews were displayed on…
READ MOREGMB Testing "View previous posts on Google"
August 7, 2018
Google is testing out a “View previous posts on Google” at the bottom of the…
READ MOREFacebook is Rolling Out Recommendations to Replace Reviews
August 6, 2018Now, when you recommend a restaurant or local business to a friend, Facebook will encourage…
READ MOREVisible Email Addresses of Other Managers in Google My Business
August 2, 2018
Ben Fisher noticed on Twitter that you can now see the email address of other…
READ MORECore Algorithm Update
August 1, 2018There was a big algorithm update on July 31-August 1 that is still rolling out. …
READ MOREGoogle My Business Websites are Upgraded to HTTPS
July 30, 2018Existing and new GMB websites and custom Google domains that route to the GMB website…
Google Local Services Adds Highlights & Photos
July 27, 2018Google Local Services added options in the dashboard to add highlights to your ads along…
Google Now Shows Events on Search
July 26, 2018
Google has made it so that users in the USA searching for things like “events…
READ MOREGoogle Adds “Businesses Like Yours are Posting”
July 18, 2018
Google is slowly adding in a section in the Google My Business dashboard that shows…
READ MOREGoogle Now Notifies You When New Listings Go Live
July 17, 2018Provided you don’t have a bulk account or agency account, Google is now sending notifications…
READ MORE[Bug] Insights Download Issue
July 13, 2018There were many reports of locations missing in Google My Business Insights when people download…
Google Adds a “Call Button” to Google Posts
July 12, 2018
Google is now allowing you to add a “Call Now” button as the call-to-action on…
READ MOREFacebook Expands Options For Flagging Reviews
July 3, 2018
Facebook now has a new interface for flagging reviews. Instead of just being able to…
READ MOREGoogle My Business “Queries” Are Added to Insights
July 2, 2018
Google has started to roll out a feature inside Google My Business Insights that tells…
READ MORE[Bug] Google Posts Getting Rejected
June 26, 2018There was a bug at the end of June that rejected Google Posts that weren’t…
GMB Launches Subjective Attributes in Insights
June 26, 2018
Google My Business launched a subjective attributes report inside the Insights section of Google My…
READ MOREGoogle Launches Performance Cards in GMB Dashboard
June 25, 2018
Google adds a performance card to the homepage of the GMB dashboard that shows how…
READ MOREGoogle Allows Brands to Claim their Knowledge Panel
June 22, 2018
Google has made it possible for brands to claim their knowledge panel. I cannot help…
READ MOREGoogle Clears Out Tracking Numbers in GMB
June 22, 2018I heard lots of reports that Google switched out call tracking numbers on Google My…
READ MOREGoogle Adds Section About Confidential Information to the Google My Business Guidelines
June 21, 2018Google updates the Google My Business guidelines and clarifies that sharing confidential information is not…
READ MOREGoogle Launches Attribute for Watching Sports
June 14, 2018
If you allow customers to watch sports at your business, Google has released a “good…
READ MOREGoogle Stops Showing Local Results For Many Sex-Related Legal Queries
June 10, 2018
We don’t know the exact day in June that this happened but Google stopped showing…
READ MOREGoogle Now Emails You Confirmation For Flagging Reviews
June 6, 2018When you flag a review inside the GMB dashboard, Google now emails you to confirm…
Google My Business Launches a Dashboard for Agencies
June 5, 2018Google announced that they launched the new agency dashboard. Unfortunately, in order to set it…
READ MORE[Bug] GMB Edits Aren’t Working
May 29, 2018There is a bug currently that is keeping edits in the Google My Business dashboard…
Google Adds the Ability to Search for Keywords in Reviews
May 29, 2018
Google announced you can now search reviews on listings on the Google Maps app.
READ MOREGoogle Removes Anonymous Reviews
May 24, 2018If you noticed your review count drop recently, it’s likely due to Google no longer…
READ MOREGoogle Sues Marketing Companies Scamming & Updates Terms for 3rd Parties
May 23, 2018Well-Known scammers like Point Break Media & Beyond Menu are being targeted by Google as…
READ MOREGoogle My Business Launches Offer Posts
May 15, 2018
These have been in Beta for a while but as of today I’m seeing Offer…
Google Now Emails Customers Review Responses
May 11, 2018
Google is now sending notifications (via email) when a business owner responds to a Google…
READ MOREGoogle Posts Now Accept Videos
May 8, 2018You can now add a video to Google Posts. Google says in their help center: …
Google Adds a Clear Option for Attributes
May 3, 2018Google added a “clear” option to attributes. Rather than being forced to select ‘yes’ or ‘no’…
READ MOREGoogle Announces Users Will Need to Pay for Maps API
May 2, 2018This change is coming June 11th. Google says “Beginning June 11, you’ll need a valid…
READ MOREGoogle Announces They’re Launching a Google My Business Partners Program
May 1, 2018To be alerted about when it launches, sign up here.
READ MORE[Bug] Google Reviews Go Missing from Profiles
April 26, 2018This bug is now resolved but lasted for several days where reviews that a user…
READ MOREPosts Move to the Top of the Knowledge Panel on Mobile
April 23, 2018
As first noticed by Andy Simpson, Google Posts were given more visibility due to Google…
Google Adds to Guidelines for Restricted Content
April 17, 2018Google has updated the guidelines for restricted content such as alcohol, gambling & guns and…
Bug: Review Notification Emails Broken
April 13, 2018There is a bug with email notifications where clicking the “read review” button results in…
Review gating is now against the google my business guidelines
April 12, 2018Google has updated the review guidelines to clarify that review-gating is not allowed. They added the…
READ MOREGoogle Updates the Guidelines for Events
April 12, 2018
Google has added a section to the guidelines that clarifies the policies for events on Google Maps.
READ MOREGoogle My Business Adds Services Field
April 5, 2018
This is similar to the menu feature that was launched in February but now applies…
READ MOREBug: Delay in GMB Edits Being Published
April 4, 2018There is a bug that’s causing a delay in edits from Google My Business from…
Google My Business Adds the Business Description Field
March 27, 2018
Google has now rolled out the business description feature for Google My Business.
READ MOREGoogle Starts Sending Email Notifications for Q&A
March 26, 2018Google made an update to their notifications so that now businesses are notified via email…
READ MOREGoogle Launches Product Posts
March 25, 2018
This new type of Google Post is designed to highlight your products and has its…
Review Links Can No Longer Pre-Fill Five Stars
March 23, 2018This tactic that used to allow you to send a link to customers that would…
Google Launches Location Groups to the New GMB Dashboard
March 22, 2018
With this feature you can create a location group that groups together a bunch of…
READ MOREGoogle Launches Secondary Updates to the Classic GMB Dashboard
March 22, 2018
Google announced yesterday that they have now split the “updates” to your listing so that…
READ MOREGoogle Starts Removing Inactive G+ Local Pages
March 16, 2018Google has started sending out emails to businesses that have not been active on Google…
READ MOREBug: User Contributions Disappeared
March 15, 2018
All reviews and Questions and Answers from users disappeared. This is a known bug that…
Changes to the Heatmap in GMB Insights
March 14, 2018
This update will better allow you to track which areas customers request all forms of…
READ MOREAlgorithm Update
March 14, 2018On March 14, 2018 there was a big shift in the search results (both organic…
READ MORECore Algorithm Update
March 9, 2018There was an algorithm update that we’re just calling the “March 9th algorithm update” that…
READ MOREBug: Google My Business Insights Issue
March 6, 2018According to Google: Due to a logging bug, you may see a drop for customer…
Google Introduces a Women-Led Attribute You Can Add To Your GMB Listing
March 6, 2018
Google has added a “Women-Led” attribute to GMB in honor of #InternationalWomensDay
READ MOREQ&A is Now Visible on a User’s Profile
February 23, 2018
Google has added a tab for Q&A to a user’s public profile on maps. This…
READ MOREGoogle Adds in Top Questions from Customers for GMB Messaging
February 21, 2018
We noticed Google now has quick common questions from customers in the Messaging feature in…
Google Starts Showing Ads in the 3-Pack More Often
February 20, 2018Previously we were only able to trigger 3-pack ads when the person was searching really…
Google Adds Mall Directories to Shopping Malls Local Knowledge Panels.
February 18, 2018
On mobile devices, Google is now showing a directory tab on the Knowledge Panel for…
READ MORERestaurants Can Now Add Menu Items Directly in GMB
February 1, 2018Now, in addition to using the GMB API or 3P menu service, listing owners will…
READ MOREAdd an Opening Date in Google My Business
February 1, 2018
Google starts prompting businesses to add the date their business opened via the Google My…
READ MOREGoogle Updated the Review Filter
January 29, 2018This is a trend several of the Google My Business Top Contributors observed based on…
Driving Direction Requests by Zip Code in Google My Business
January 19, 2018It’s now possible to see where your users got driving direction requests from all the…
READ MOREGoogle Posts Now appear on Google My Business Websites
January 17, 2018If you have created a Google Website via your Google My Business listing, your Google…
READ MOREYelp Allows you to Add Users to Manage Your Business Account
January 17, 2018You can now add other users to your listing without sharing your owner login.
READ MOREGoogle Updates the Review Guidelines
January 8, 2018Google changed the wording to clarified that both positive and negative reviews from an employee…
READ MOREVideos Come to Google My Business
January 3, 2018
The option to upload videos to a Google My Business listing showed up in the…
READ MOREWhat We’re Tweeting About…
Our Achievements
Here are some of our achievements:
- Columnist on Search Engine Land
- Google My Business Product Experts
- Speaker at State of Search, Pubcon, & SMX
- Writer for Moz
- Faculty Member & Speaker at LocalU
- Owners of the Local Search Forum
- Moz Local Search Ranking Factors Contributors
