Monthly Archives: October 2017

Editing Your Google My Business Listing Just Got Easier!

Editing your Google Business Listing? If you have a verified business in Google My Business, you can now update your business info directly from Google search engine result page, provided you’re logged in to your Google My Business account.

Here’s how it works. Just type your business name in the Google search box and you will see a menu right above the search results. Again, you need to be logged into your account in order for this to work. Upon clicking the edit info button, you will find all the editable fields highlighted.

Google-My-Business-Screenshot

 

You can upload photos, see the number of views, check and respond to the reviews and even access detailed information about your site metrics and Google My Business metrics. And the best part is, you can do it from any device, be it desktop or mobile.

To provide accurate and updated information to the users, Google heavily relies on the business owners. Google knows that if they want valuable content for free, they have to make the process simple and easy.

And, who better suited to provide accurate content than the business owner, right? Google’s perfect plan to outsource the business info-update process just got a little more efficient. This not only maintains the value, it increases it for Google, businesses, and customers. A win-win situation for everyone!

YouTube-Logo

YOUTUBE LAUNCHES “BREAKING NEWS” SECTION TO KEEP ITS USERS UPDATED

YouTube, has introduced a Breaking News section on its homepage, it shows a collection of videos pertaining worldwide news and events. The feature appears on both mobile, as well as desktop devices.

The Barcelona attack being the very recent major incident happened across the world, the Breaking News section was showing videos related to it. The section shows region-specific videos displayed in horizontal scrollable format, the section includes options like ‘Recommended’, ‘Watch It Again’, and ‘Recently Uploaded’.

If users do not wish to see the Breaking News section, they can remove it from their homepage, by clicking on ‘X’ if using a desktop or ‘Not Interested’ if using mobile.

Still, it is not clear if the ‘Breaking News’ will appear daily or only when some major incident occurs. The feature is live on live on the iOS and Android YouTube apps, as well as the desktop site.

Google-Maps-Icon

You Can Now Add Videos To Local Listings In Google Maps

You can now add videos to local listings in the Google Maps using any Android device. Google is rolling it out slowly, so you might or might not see it right away. This feature is not only good for the business owners but the users as well. Because pictures tell an altogether different story while video remains close to reality. “Close” because of all those filters available for the videos.

Meanwhile, if you are a local guide and willing to earn some extra points, while helping the folks out here, start uploading videos of the business and local places. It is available only for local guides and Android users but can be seen and searched by anyone. You can take a 10-second video from the Google Maps app or can upload a 30-second video.

You can add videos to local listings in Google Maps:

  • From a place’s page
  • From “your contributions”
  • Via Google photos and Gallery app

How to upload a video to your local listing on Google Maps:

  • Search and select a place on Google Maps
  • Scroll down and tap “Add a photo”
  • Tap “Folder” and select a video. Only the first 30 seconds of a video can be added.

Visit the Google Help Center to learn more about sharing videos.

Google’s Q&A for Local Search Could Be The Next Big Thing

Google started rolling out Questions and Answers (Q&A) feature for local search in the
beginning of August. As with all the testing, it was initially available, exclusively for
Android users via the Google Maps App, but eventually, they made it available to
everyone searching from a mobile device using either Safari or Chrome browsers.

Google’s Q&A could be a very useful tool for local businesses to help save time and trouble by providing simple answers to common questions.

The main motto behind introducing the Q&A into local search is to get the most
updated and relevant data about businesses and places. Q&A is always been one of the
best sources to get fresh content. Amazon has already tested it and employing it the
way it should be.

Here’s what Google Questions & Answers looks like on a mobile device.

Google-Q-&-A-Mobile-Device

However, the fear of spamming is real! The competitors, or even just a single angry employee
can ruin the entire Q&A section. Also, if a business has the authority to edit it, then it’s going to
be as genuine and real as the “testimonials and reviews” that they put on their own website.

Here’s what Google says:

“To make sure “Questions & answers” contains the most accurate and useful local info
possible, business owners can add frequently asked questions and answers as well. In
addition, when you (a customer) ask a question about a place, we notify the business
owner and other in-the-know users to see if they have knowledgeable answers to
contribute. When your question is answered, we notify you too.”

Let’s see how Google is going to tackle these issues. Meanwhile, you might want to start writing
content for the Q&A section. Reason being, Google has just launched it and is hungry for
content (data), they will hardly filter it out and will most likely accept just about anything you
post. You can actually benefit from the desperation of Google and ignorance of your
competitors.

Remember, the early bird gets the worm!