Google announced on 4 November that Google My Business is officially being renamed to Google Business Profile. The change is more than cosmetic: Google is also signalling that the dedicated Google My Business app will be phased out during 2022.

Going forward, you manage your profile directly in Google Search and Google Maps, either by searching for your business name or via maps.google.com.

What changes in practice?

For business owners, the core functionality stays largely the same. You can still update opening hours, respond to reviews, add photos and publish posts.

What changes is where you do it. Instead of logging into a separate app or visiting business.google.com, you can search for your business directly in Google and edit the profile from there. It is faster and requires fewer steps.

Google is also introducing a new management panel for businesses with multiple locations, called Business Profile Manager: available at business.google.com.

Why is Google doing this?

The rename is part of Google's broader simplification effort. The Google My Business app had low usage relative to how many businesses actually have a profile. By integrating management directly into search and maps, Google lowers the barrier to keeping a profile up to date.

It is a sensible move. A profile that is easy to update actually gets updated.

What should you do?

Nothing is urgent, but this is a good moment for three things:

Check that the profile is current Opening hours, address, phone number, website URL. A lot may have changed since the profile was last reviewed, particularly after the pandemic, when many businesses adjusted hours temporarily without updating them back.

Hold off on uninstalling the app The Google My Business app still works. It is not disappearing overnight. But do not wait too long to get used to managing the profile directly in search: that is where it is heading.

Enable the messaging feature Google Business Profile has a messaging function that lets customers send you messages directly from the search result. Many businesses have it turned off or have never activated it. It is an easy contact point to set up and an easy one to overlook.

Local search visibility is still underrated

Since we wrote about Google My Business in 2017, the profile has become considerably more prominent in search results. For local businesses it is often the first (and sometimes the only) place a potential customer sees information about them.

A well-maintained Google Business Profile remains one of the most cost-effective marketing actions a local SMB can take. It requires no budget, just a little regular attention.

Want help going through the profile and making sure it is set up correctly? Get in touch.