{"id":11932,"date":"2019-11-22T09:40:33","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T15:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/?p=11932"},"modified":"2019-11-22T09:40:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T15:40:33","slug":"google-service-area-change-impacting-google-business-profile-listings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/google-service-area-change-impacting-google-business-profile-listings\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Google\u2019s Latest Service Area Goof-Up Impacting Your Clients\u2019 Google Business Profile Listings?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you may or may not be aware, Google announced on November 5 that Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) listings<\/a> will now have a limit of 20 total service areas. This means any listings with more than 20 service areas specified will need to update their listings.<\/p>\n

\"Consumer<\/a><\/div>\n

Within the announcement, Google stated<\/a>, \u201cBusinesses with more than 20 service areas will receive suggested updates to their service areas to cover the same geographic area while only using 20 areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first glance, you may think, \u201cThanks, Google, for making these suggestions for us,\u201d<\/em> and if so, you\u2019ll definitely want to think again. Keep reading to find out why.<\/p>\n

The Google Business Profile Service Areas Goof-Up Is Causing Concern<\/h2>\n

The goof-up I am referring to above is tied to the service areas Google is suggesting. For one of the franchises we manage Google Business Profile (GBP) listings for, Google has pushed out their suggestions and the service areas don\u2019t make sense. Some are not even close to the businesses\u2019 actual service areas. For one location, they are recommending a school district as the service area. This is a big goof-up and an even bigger concern.<\/p>\n

So, What\u2019s This Google Business Profile Service Area Change-Up Mean for Businesses?<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. You need to audit the GBP listings for all the service-area businesses you represent right away.<\/li>\n
  2. You should probably make sure your local business customers realize you are aware of the change and that you are on top of the issue.<\/li>\n
  3. You need to put a plan in place to review all your clients\u2019 GBP listings on the regular.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The proof is in the pudding, and Google is proving once again that while they think they know what is best, this isn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n

    Are You Taking Full Advantage of Google Business Profile?<\/h2>\n