Updated Instructions on how to use Google My Business App

<<<<<I updated the information on this page to correspond with the current version of Google My Business App and is now including the features that are on the Google My Business online version.>>>>>

If you have a business, you probably have signed up or claimed your business on Google. Here are the instructions on how to do this through “Google My Business.” But, have you reviewed it out recently and updated your information? From the desktop, you can go to Google My Business to modify your information. This step might have been a site you forgot about which is the reason for my post. When we set up our business, we tend to forget about how and when we did these tasks. Then, we may wonder years later, why you are not getting business from Google searches or why people aren’t visiting your site more.  I’m here to remind you that task is necessary to do at least once a year.

And, today I will be reviewing a more natural way to modify your Google Business information, photos, insights, and reviews.  Google introduced the Google Business App on iOS and Android, and I just love the usability of the app. If you haven’t set up your business yet on Google, bookmark this page and return after you do the verification process. Don’t worry; I will wait for you…………

OK, ready? After you confirmed your business on your desktop, you can now install the Google Business App (iOS) or Google Business App (Android).  Enter your username and password.

On the Google My Business App home page, it includes the following information.

• “Photos” on your device. This area is where you can upload the photos you took of your business. By clicking on the images that you want and press photos, it will add it to your business’ photos section. This section is handy if you take lots of before and after pictures for your business and use your phone. The photos will show up on Google Maps, Search, and Google+. If you want step by step instructions from Google about how to upload photos, use this link. Note: the photos section online allows you to post to different sections: At Work (various posts that you shared), The Team (share members of your business), and Identity (whick is your logos) if you want to do that.
• Further down is the “Reports” section, it shows share information on how users find and interact with your business on Google. You can change the date range from one month, one week, and one quarter.  In addition to the Report section, on the top of the main page you will see “views”, “Searches”, and Activities for the past 28 days.
• Another section is the “Offers” section where you can share your deals and coupons to help new customers take action.
• In the “Events” section, you can also promote shows and events too.
• Updated: The Videos section doesn’t appear in the app any longer. However, if you go to your computer and go to the online Business.Google.com, you can upload videos to your Google My Business page.
• There’s a section called “Reviews” where people can 5 star your company. And you can respond to the review as well. Press the button “Manage Reviews”. You then are in the Customers section where you can Ask for reviews and set up alerts when customers leave a message. Respond to them in this section. And, see who is following you.
• You can also Try Google Ads on this app if you want.

In the Profile section in the overview section, you can edit your business’ information. 

You can change things like address, service area, phone number, website, hours of operation, special hours, and mark as a permanently closed business. It does mention that your edits may take several minutes to go live. But at least you can change it right away and not have to hunt down the items online. That’s handy.

Online Version of Google My Business Vs. My Business App. 

There are some options on the online version that are not on the app verison. I listed some of them here.

The Insight section is on the online version not the mobile version. It shares some of the information that is in the report section on the My Business App.

On the online version, there is a Services section where you can write your services there. It is not available on the My Business App. But it is handing for people to know what your services are while searching.

If you have more than one location, the Add new locations is on the online version not the mobile version.

There is a section of Google My Business and it is called “Posts”.  

First, you need to log into your account.

Press the +Post at the bottom right and select Add update. Here’s how I use it and how you can use it too.

At the top of the Create post section, select What’s New, Event, Offer, and Welcome Offer.

Start writing your post. Start out by importing an image to your post. It only allows you a small space so using a partial image worked for me. (See below.) Write your description of what you want the post to be about. Don’t forget to add a call to action statement.

If you don’t want people to go to a different page, like your website, you can just click on Preview. If you’re going to add a button, follow these steps. Turn on the Add a button toggle then select the type of button you want. I like to use the Learn More button for posts that are just information. They give you many options to choose from so pick the best one that works for you and your post. You can also select the date range you want the post to show in your business information section.

Now, it’s time to see the preview. This is how the post appears. If you like it, you can press “Publish” and you are done. You can even Preview it before you publish it.

Since I have two blog sites at the same address, I like to add both site’s posts to this business section. That way, people can visit all of my business’s posts and sites instead of just the main one. Google only allows you to associate one website with your Google My Business page. I called them on this to confirm.

Another great feature is when you revisit your app or business page, you will notice that there will be an eye near the bottom. This shows you how many people have viewed the post since the last time you posted it.

I hope this section helps you get inspired to update your information often. If you want more tips on this section, feel free to check out this post by Moz that talks further about these steps.

Now, if you have issues with these items not showing on the Google My Business section of search, you may need to contact Google directly about it.

Contact a Google My Business specialist by using this link.

I hope these tips help you keep up-to-date with your information on Google Search. I hope this has encouraged you to download the app and make updates today.  If you already have the app, please leave a comment on any tips you may have for using it. I would love to hear from you.

Feel free to visit this post regarding why you should stay on top of your Google My Business page.

Is Your Small Business Leveraging Its Google My Business Page?

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