GMB becomes GBP: What does it mean for marketing?

Google’s decision to turn Google My Business (GMB) into Google Business Profile (GBP) has important implications for marketing teams. Here’s what you need to know…

We all love a time-saving acronym, whether we’re sending a DM to a friend with an IG link, or sharing a YT video that made us ROFL while we were WFH.

But Google’s recent announcement that GMB is changing to GBP is about more than a few different keystrokes. It will affect any business with a physical location, from car dealers and care homes, to vets and venues.

GBP is a key asset in any marketer’s portfolio for delivering leads.

In fact, data produced by Mediahawk shows that:

• GBP can generate up to 65% of all inbound calls
• GBP can generate up to 10% of all clicks to your website

With stats like these, it’s important to be on top of your GBP listing. Google claims its new approach will make everything easier.

Goodbye GMB console

For one-off listings, Google will be retiring the GMB console. Instead, you can manage your listing directly via Google Maps and Google Search. Individual business will be able to claim and verify their listing, which then allows them to make all the changes they currently handle – such as adding links, opening times, and phone numbers.

Over coming months, you can expect to see Google’s full rebranding exercise for GBP swing into action, and the migration of the functionality switch across to Google Maps and Search.

If you manage multiple locations — either as a business or as an agency on behalf of your clients — then Google will continue to provide a management interface based on the current GMB console, except it will be renamed Business Profile Manager.

But be aware that anyone will be able to make changes to a listing, upload their own images, and add content. This ‘community openness’ means that it’s essential to review your listings regularly and make sure that all your information is up to date and free from any tampering.

Getting the most from GBP

If you’re a location-based business, then GBP should be a critical part of your response strategy because of the amount of leads it provides.

You should monitor its performance by:

• Using a tracking number to identify calls that arrive via your GBP
• Add an interactive voice response (IVR) to the tracking number to identify the keystrokes behind the calls, so you can understand what proportion of calls relate to sales, compared to customer service or other requirements
• Tag your website URL to differentiate the clicks between natural search and GBP
• Use a dedicated email so you can easily identify messages from GBP visits
• If you have resources, turn on messaging

Need to know more?

You can find more information about GBP here as well as specific guidelines from Google.