Google Business Profiles formerly know as Google My Business are an essential tool or a mighty tool for any business looking to establish an online presence, digital presence or a strong web presence. With massive community that is over 5 billion organic searches conducted on Google Search Console every day, having a strong business profile can greatly improve your visibility and attract potential customer base.
However, with the constant updates and changes to the platform, it can be overwhelming for business owners to navigate and understand all the features and functions. That’s why we have turned to the official Google Business Help Forum to get expert insights on the top FAQs regarding Google Business Profiles.
In this article, we will dive into the most common questions asked by business owners and provide comprehensive answers straight from the source.
From managing online reviews to optimizing your profile for local searches, our experts will provide management benefits, minimum resolution, valuable insights and tips to help you make the most out of your marketing success on Google Business Profile. So, whether you are just starting with your business profile or looking to improve your existing one, this article is a must-read for all business owners looking to enhance their online presence on Google.
Significant Transformations
The Google Business Profile has recently undergone significant transformations in the past few months. These changes include a new name, introduction of fresh features, and enhancements in managing business profiles.
However, staying up to date with these modifications can be quite a task for business owners and marketing agencies. Moreover, given the dynamic nature of this platform, it is inevitable that all users will face issues or concerns at some point during their usage.
In certain instances, these problems or queries can even become major obstacles. To address these concerns, we have compiled five commonly asked questions from the Google Business Profile Help Forum, along with their corresponding solutions.
Even if you believe that these customer service questions may not apply to you, it is still worthwhile to continue reading as you never know when you might encounter one of these challenges.
1. How Do I Start Managing My Business Profile In Google Search?
It is highly likely that you have come across the conspicuous blue banner positioned at the uppermost part of the “Info” section in your Business Profile Manager, which serves as a prominent prompt for you to take charge of your Business Profile directly on Google Search.
Alternatively, you may have encountered a gentle reminder, known as a “nudge,” displayed in the “Home” section of your dashboard.
Regardless of the approach chosen, familiarizing oneself with managing their Google Business Profile on Google search is crucial for most business owners.
For those who have a single business or location, it is essential to note that the ability to manage your Google Business Profile will soon be narrow to either the Google search platform or the Google Maps App.
A new pop-up notification has recently put in place when accessing your Business Profile Manager, alerting users to this upcoming change.
For agencies or businesses handling multiple Google Business Profiles, the Business Profile Manager is a valuable tool for management. Nonetheless, it is important to familiarize yourself with managing profiles in search as well.
By managing your profile on search, you gain the ability to perform the same tasks available in the Business Profile Manager. However, it is worth noting that initially, you may need to navigate and explore various fields and options until you become accustomed to their locations.
How To Start Managing Your Business Profiles In Google Search
To ensure access to your Google Business Profile, please ensure that you are open the account that will identify as your profile management.
Next, conduct a search on Google using your business name. In some cases, it might be necessary to include your city and/or state in the search. Alternatively, you can search for “my business.”
Upon successful execution, you will be presented with your Knowledge Panel on the right-hand side, go along by the Merchant Panel on the left.
Allow me to demonstrate the appearance of the management area.
Within this area, you will find your Business Profile/Knowledge Panel, as well as the Merchant Panel where you can perform most of your editing and management tasks.
The Merchant Panel encompasses the Menu, which houses various options for updating your Business Profile, along with the Chips feature. These Chips are essentially prompts from Google, suggesting additional actions you can take to enhance your profile.
You have the ability to efficiently handle your Business Profile through a range of diverse menus.
Edit Profile
This platform provides you with the opportunity to modify crucial details pertaining to your primary business operations, encompassing but not limited to your contact particulars, website address, hours of operation, and comprehensive business description or information regarding your organization. Additionally, you possess the capability to incorporate or remove various products and services, while also being able to seamlessly upload both photographs and videos.
Please take note that information that conflicts with the details provided by business owners or changes suggested and approved by users can be found in the Edit menu within Google. If any modifications have been made to your profile, an email notification will be sent to you.
However, when it comes to Google search, you may need to explore the various menus in order to identify any alterations made to your business’s hours, name, website URL, address, products, services, and more. This process can be comparable to an exciting easter egg hunt.
Rest assured, any changes made by Google will be visually highlighted in a distinct blue color.
Promote
The Promote menu offers various functionalities to enhance your Google Business Profile experience. Gain valuable insights about your profile, generate a concise URL to solicit customer reviews, effortlessly share photos and videos, create engaging posts, and explore an array of additional features to optimize your business presence.
Customers
The Customers menu offers multiple functionalities for managing customer interactions. It allows you to effortlessly access and review the feedback you have received, enabling you to promptly respond and address any concerns.
Additionally, if you have activated the call history feature, you can easily access inbound call information for a comprehensive overview of your customer interactions. Furthermore, the menu provides a convenient platform to read and respond to messages, ensuring effective communication with your customers.
Moreover, it facilitates seamless engagement with your audience by enabling you to promptly answer any incoming questions posed to your business in the Q&A section.
Advanced Menu
The advanced features can be located by simply locating the trio of dots positioned adjacent to the main menu.
This menu offers an array of advanced functionalities that empower you to enhance your business profile. Unlock the ability to effortlessly add or remove managers and owners, unveil your unique Business Profile ID, customize labels, store codes, and explore various advanced settings. Additionally, you are empowered to conveniently mark your business as permanently closed or cease managing the profile.
In addition, users have the ability to oversee notifications and incorporate a fresh business profile, alongside a multitude of other noteworthy functionalities. If you encounter difficulty locating a particular feature within the standard menus, it is highly probable that it can be found within the advanced menu.
Chips
Additionally, the Merchant Center presents informative “chips” for your convenience.
These chips provide valuable insights to enhance your profile optimization and facilitate various other actions.
It is important to remember that you have the ability to make specific edits and utilize various features on your Knowledge Panel. This is an opportune moment to enhance your skills in utilizing Google search to effectively manage your Business Profile.
2. My Google Business Profile is Suspended. What Do I Do?
Encountering the alarming notification that your Google Business Profile has been suspended is an unparalleled and highly undesirable experience.
Many small and medium-sized businesses heavily rely on Google Business Profile as a primary marketing tool, which may not be the wisest strategy to solely rely on. However, when you invest all your resources into one platform and face an unfortunate circumstance of that platform being suspended, it can lead to significant consequences.
There are two types of suspensions that businesses may encounter: a “soft” suspension and a “hard” suspension. In the case of a soft suspension, your business’s Knowledge Panel will still appear in search results, but you will not have the ability to make any modifications to your profile.
Essentially, it gives the impression that your business is no longer verified, limiting your control over crucial information displayed to potential customers.
In the event of a severe suspension, your Business Profile becomes completely untraceable on Google and remains inaccessible to the general public.
Offers Limited Information
Google offers limited information regarding the reasons for suspending your Business Profile. It is your responsibility to investigate the cause.
So, what can you do if your Business Profile gets suspended?
To begin with, carefully examine the Google Business Profile Guidelines and restricted content to determine which rule (or rules) your profile has violated.
Often, people overlook the fact that Google frequently updates these guidelines. It is crucial for you to stay informed about the rules and ensure compliance.
I recommend reading the guidelines meticulously, comparing them against your business information as you go through them.
Once you have identified the issue(s), take necessary steps to rectify the problem with your profile. Following this, submit a reinstatement request.
Important: Refrain from submitting multiple reinstatement requests.
Provide a Comprehensive Explanation
In order to successfully request reinstatement, it is essential that you provide a comprehensive explanation of the issue you encountered and inform Google that you have resolved the profile problem. Furthermore, it is crucial to furnish evidence that establishes the legitimacy of your business. This can be done by uploading the following documentation:
- Photographs depicting your permanent business signage, both internally and externally.
- A copy of your official business license.
- Proof of registration with the appropriate governing body, such as the Secretary of State or other business licensing authority in your country.
- An image showcasing a company vehicle adorned with your business signage (applicable for Service Area Businesses).
- A phone bill that clearly displays your business’s name and address.
By furnishing these documents, you will enhance your reinstatement request and provide Google with the necessary information to verify the authenticity of your business.
It is Crucial to Demonstrate to Google
In order to regain access to your Google Business Profile, it is crucial to demonstrate to Google that your business is legitimate and meets the criteria for eligibility.
Once you have submitted the Reinstatement Request, the Google Business Profile Support team will carefully review the information you provided. Please be aware that this review process typically takes around three days.
Following their evaluation of your reinstatement request, you will receive an email from the support team containing their decision regarding the reinstatement of your profile.
It is important to maintain ongoing communication with the Google Business Profile Support team by responding to their emails. You will find a case ID in the subject line of these emails, which should be of note for future reference.
Furthermore, if you require additional information on what steps to take if your Business Profile becomes suspended or if you wish to gain deeper insights into resolving a suspended Google Business Profile, there are additional resources available for your reference.
3. Service Area Business Moves From One State To Another State – But The Business Profile Still Shows Up In The Old State’s Search Results
This occurrence, although rare, has the potential to create significant disruption. Allow me to explain the sequence of events:
Imagine a Service Area Business (SAB) relocating from one state to another, say, from California to Texas.
The business owner takes the necessary step to update their Business Profile, changing the address to the new location in Texas.
Following the guidelines, they proceed to delete the old address and select the appropriate service areas in Texas.
One would expect everything to proceed smoothly, right? In most cases, this is indeed the outcome.
However, in certain instances, the Service Area Business continues to appear in search results for the old location rather than the new one.
To illustrate this, consider the scenario where a business has moved from California to Texas. Despite the change, if one were to search for their business category in the old service area, the business would still be displayed.
Upon conducting a search for the business in its recently relocated site in Texas, it is apparent that their Business Profile cannot be located.
Despite conducting a targeted search for DJ Services and the precise company name, along with specifying their new business location in Schertz TX, it is rather peculiar that the company’s Knowledge Panel fails to appear. Surprisingly, even The Knot, a renowned platform, acknowledges their presence in Texas.
In Accordance with Google’s Guidelines
It is important to bear in mind that in accordance with Google’s Guidelines, if you operate as a Service Area Business and relocate to a different state, it is necessary to update the address on your Google Business Profile. Additionally, you must delete the previous address, as Service Area Businesses are not permitted to publicly display their addresses on their Business Profiles.
Instead, you should indicate the specific service areas you cover.
In the event that you are not prompted to verify your Business Profile after changing the address, you may find yourself confronted with this peculiar situation. Should such an occurrence arise with your Business Profile, it will be imperative to contact Google for manual assistance in updating the address on their end.
In order to effectively address this matter, it is highly recommended to navigate to the Google Business Profile Help Forum. Once there, kindly furnish comprehensive details regarding the situation, including the following crucial information:
- Name of the business.
- Recent change in address along with the previous address.
- Website URL.
- Business profile ID.
Your active participation in providing these particulars will greatly assist in resolving the issue promptly and efficiently.
To resolve your issue with Google, it is advisable to seek assistance from a Gold Product Expert or someone with a higher level of expertise. They will have the ability to escalate your problem and arrange for a manual resolution by Google.
It is important to note that the response time from Google in these situations may be longer, so it is necessary to remain patient throughout the process.
4. How Do I Add Managers Or Owners To My Google Business Profile?
Enabling the inclusion of managers or owners in your Business Profile provides the opportunity for additional support in managing your profile effectively.
Prior to granting access to others, it is crucial to establish a sense of trust, particularly when providing access to digital marketing agencies.
However, it is important to note that designating someone as the Primary Business Owner should solely be reserve for the actual owner of the business.
Furthermore, it is essential to recognize that only owners have the authority to add or remove users.
To add managers or users, navigate to the advanced menu located in the Google search Merchant Panel. Locate the three dots adjacent to the main menu and proceed accordingly.
Next, proceed to the section labeled “Business Profile Settings.”
At this location, you will find the Managers section, providing you with the opportunity to conveniently add, modify, or delete Business Profile managers.
To include a Manager or an Owner, simply select the option “Add” which will redirect you to a dialogue box. From there, you can effortlessly send out invitations to the individual you wish to join your Google Business Profile.
Individual You Wish to Grant Access To
Please provide the email address of the individual you wish to grant access to, and indicate the desired role: Owner or Manager.
Assigning the Owner role grants extensive privileges, such as editing capabilities, the ability to add managers, and even transferring ownership of the Business Profile. Therefore, it is crucial to exercise caution when selecting users for this role.
On the other hand, the Manager role is more restricted and ideally suited for either a digital marketing agency or an in-house staff member responsible for maintaining and updating your Business Profile.
Upon adding an individual as a Manager or Owner, an email will be promptly sent to them, requesting their acceptance and confirmation to assume responsibility for overseeing your esteemed Business Profile.
Upon their acceptance, the bestowed individual will gain the ability to effectively administer and manage your profile with utmost professionalism and proficiency.
5. My Postcard PIN Won’t Work
If you find yourself in a situation where the PIN on your Google Business Profile postcard doesn’t work, there could be a few possible reasons behind this issue. One common reason is that the PIN verification code becomes invalid after a period of 30 days.
In case it has been more than a month since you requested the postcard, the PIN code would have expired. To resolve this, you should request a new code and patiently wait for the arrival of the replacement postcard.
During this waiting period, it is advisable not to request another postcard or make any modifications to your Business Profile to ensure the smooth processing of the verification process (you’ll understand why in a moment).
It is important to note that there might be other factors contributing to this problem. Each PIN verification code is specifically set to your business and the address you put when requesting the postcard.
Therefore, it is crucial to double-check the accuracy and compliance of your physical location with Google’s address guidelines before initiating the postcard request. If your address does not meet these guidelines, unfortunately, your business will not qualify for a Google Business Profile.
Various Factors
There are various factors that could be causing your PIN to not work as expected.
For instance, if you requested a new postcard while waiting for the first one to arrive, or if you made significant changes to your Google Business Profile, such as modifying your business name, address, category, or other essential information, during the PIN postcard delivery process, Google will automatically cancel the code on the original postcard. This precautionary measure is put into action to safeguard the integrity of your profile.
Consequently, you will need to request a new postcard.
To clarify, only the PIN code that was ask for and sent for the specific address listed in your Business Profile will be valid. If you happen to alter your business address before the PIN code verifies your Business Profile, the PIN will no longer work, and you will need to request a fresh code.
Another crucial point to note is that you must be cautious not to enter an incorrect PIN code more than five times. Exceeding this limit will result in a permanent verification failure, requiring you to remove your Business Profile from your Google Account and create a new one.
Essentially, this means starting the verification process from scratch.
Furthermore, it is important to understand that Google imposes a restriction on the number of verification attempts a business can make within a specific timeframe. Until you successfully complete the verification, you will be unable to update the name of your Business Profile.
These are the primary reasons why PIN codes may not be functioning correctly.
In the event that you have requested a second postcard and it does not arrive within approximately 14 days of your resend request, we kindly ask you to fill out the Google Business Profile support form for further assistance.
Lots Of Questions
Google Business Profile is undergoing significant transformations, demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement. Numerous enhancements are being establish, amplifying the user experience or customer experience and providing additional avenues for profile management.
However, as these changes materialize, it is natural for concerns, inquiries, and intricacies to arise. Staying informed about the guidelines, adhering to established protocols, and remaining up to speed with the latest features and potential bugs are essential practices for optimal utilization of this platform.
In Conclusion
Through the official Google Help Forum, we have gained valuable insights on the top FAQs surrounding Google Business Profiles. From verifying ownership to managing reviews, these answers provide useful tips and tricks for businesses looking to make the most out of their online presence.
With Google being the go-to search engine for customers, it’s essential for businesses to have a strong and accurate Google Business Profile. By utilizing the resources provided by the Help Forum, businesses can stay ahead of the game and effectively showcase their brand to potential customers.
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