Skip to content 
Google has announced that it will change the name of Google My Business to Google Business Profile, amid a series of further developments within the local business management tool. What does it mean for local businesses?
Local SEO experts have been quick to react to the update and in this post, we want to tell you what’s new with Google Business Profiles.
Admins can now easily edit their profiles without leaving Google Search. To manage a listing, the owner can simply type their business name into Google Search. They will then be presented with the control panel to edit the GBP profile (Google Business Profile).
In 2022, Google plans to fully retire the Google My Business app to encourage merchants to take full advantage of the improved Search and Maps features.
What About Companies With Multiple Locations?
For those with multiple locations to manage, the existing GMB interface, now known as Business Profile Manager, will continue to be the place to manage these listings.
Google has also announced that additional tools will soon be available to help businesses understand and improve their local search performance.
What Can You Do Inside The GBP App?
Claim a business listing, verify the listing, send and receive messages to customers, manage questions and answers, interact with the customer. Lastly, a call history feature will show “which incoming calls from customers came from your business profile on Google.” Available in the US and Canada for verified profiles, it will record history, performance, and total count of answers and missed calls.
Is it a fundamental change to the local SEO platform or just a name, change with a few extra features? Local experts have reacted to this change:
Chris Cantell (CEO of Stealth SEO Solutions) said:
“This change might not be that helpful for business owners. Google has continually promoted its “engagement” with small businesses to help them promote their own businesses, but this change seems like a step in the opposite direction. Not all business owners are local search professionals.
Amy Toman, SEO Specialist at Digital Law Marketing, said:
“This should improve the ability of small business owners to control their listings. By having your listing editing controls front and center in Search and Maps, it will be easier for them to update without having to go through the extra step of logging into the dashboard.
It seems like change is always going to happen. Usually, when change comes from corporations such as Google, the focus is going to be on their own revenue. Often it is a good thing, but not always. I suppose we are just going to have to see how much benefit this is going to be for the business or if it is simply going to be an update to assist Google’s revenue in the long term.