New Set of Attributes for Google My Business Listing
Google has rolled out new attributes for its My Business listings with options to help highlight health and safety measures. The aim is to help businesses highlight the measures they are taking to protect customers during the pandemic and this can make all the difference in choosing one business over another.
The new attributes that businesses can add to their listings are:
- Appointment required
- Mask required
- Staff wear masks
- Staff get temperature checks
- Temperature check required
Searchers can now take precautions accordingly and can use these attributes to decide about where to visit and more importantly the ones to avoid.
These attributes have already started showing up on Google My Business listings on all platforms. Though the response to rolling out these attributes has been relatively slow from Google’s end, it is still an important one. The new health and safety attributes join an expanding list of attributes that were added by Google specifically for the pandemic.
Google added the following attributes beforehand. Let’s take a look at the attributes which were added before:
Attributes for Local Restaurants (Added in May)
- Curbside pickup
- No-contact delivery
- Dine-in
Attributes for Online Services (Added in June)
- Online Care
- Online Appointment
- Online Estimates
- Online Classes
Steps for adding attributes to your Google My Business Listing:
- Sign in to My Business Account
- Select and Open the Location that you want to make changes to
- Click on Info (from the Menu)
- Look for “Add Attributes”
- Click on Edit
- Search for the attributes or browse through the list of options
- Click on Apply once you are done.
Google Urges Businesses To Update Listings In Recent COVID-19 Outbreak
In the recent wake of Coronavirus outbreak a lot of precautionary measures are being taken to contain the spreading of this disease. Many businesses have been affected by the virus outbreak.
If your business has been affected by COVID-19 we suggest that you update the same on your Google My Business listing. Google recently placed a notice as a header on its Google My Business support pages. It read as follows – “If your business is affected by COVID-19, update your profile to provide the most accurate info. Learn more.”
Google is asking all businesses to update their description in Google My Business listings if they are affected by COVID-19. Google in its help document has suggested that businesses should update their business hours, phone numbers, business descriptions and they may also use Google Posts to share more helpful insights with their customers.
So you should update your business hours preferably if you are closing early. Change your phone number if you want customers to reach out to your home number instead of your business number. You may also add other necessary details to your description like precautionary measures that you are taking inside your business premises and if you would like your customers to follow certain guidelines before stepping into your store, etc.
The updates that you make will show on your Business Profile on Google SERP and Maps as well.
