The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting businesses all over the world. Whether your business has been mandated to temporarily close or you made the decision to close for safety reasons, you’ll want to make small changes to your Google My Business (GMB) profile.
Here’s what you should do.
Update Your Business Hours
Although this may be a temporary change, it’s still a change and Google would like you to update your hours to reflect current hours of operation. To update your hours:
- Login to your account at google.com/business/
- Click on your business location
- Click on Info on the left-hand navigation menu
- Find your listed hours of operation and click on the pencil icon
- Update your hours and click Apply
Post an Update
If you’re not already aware, you can create posts within your GMB account – similar to creating a post on Facebook.
These posts show up on your Google profile when someone performs a search for your business on Google and is a great way to provide updates to what is happening in real time.
For example, if you’re a restaurant in NY and you’re currently closed but can provide curb-side pickup or delivery for both food and alcohol, you can create a post highlighting exactly what you’re offering and post a picture of your menu. This helps people easily find the right information.
Here’s how to create a GMB post:
- Login to your account at google.com/business/
- Click on your business location
- Click on Posts on the left-hand navigation menu
- Click on Add Update
- Write your post and add any relevant images
- When finished, click Publish
Note: In order to publish posts, your GMB profile must be verified.
I recommend creating posts to only show the most up-to-date information at this time so that you don’t bury important information with less important information.
Provide Additional Details in Your Business Description
Updating your business description to inform others of actions that you are taking can also be helpful.
For example, are you taking extra steps to disinfect? Are you handling food differently? What assurances can you provide those who plan to still do business with you right now?
Providing specific information in your business description can help answer some of these questions. Here’s how to update:
- Login to your account at google.com/business/
- Click on your business location
- Click on Info on the left-hand navigation menu
- Scroll down until you see your Business Description, in-between Highlights and Opening Date.
- Click the Pencil Icon
- Input your edits
- Click Apply
Things to Keep in Mind
Making changes to your GMB profile may not take immediate effect as Google often reviews changes for quality before publishing them, so it’s best to make updates as soon as you have the information to do so.
We want to help! As we all work to get through this troubling time, we’ll be providing guidance in our free Facebook Group. To get updates, simply click here to join us.
