Here are common questions about using managed business listings.

What happens when someone else suggests a change to my hours?

Google relies on both consumers and businesses to keep your information up-to-date. The Google Guides program incentivizes consumers to answer questions about businesses they visit to help feed and validate listings. For items like photos and reviews, user-generated content is often a great thing to increase your listing’s visibility! Properties like hours of business or physical location on the other hand, are often less welcomed.

If a user suggests an edit to hours or location, the changes can be made live on your listing almost immediately. However, if your business has managed listings with Reputation.com, your source of truth will overwrite those edits during the next automatic audit (typically every 24 hours).

How do attributes affect search?

Attributes let customers see what your business has to offer, such as whether a restaurant offers Wi-Fi or outdoor seating, or if your business is women-led. Adding relevant attributes beyond your business category helps you stand out to your customers that find your business on Google. For example,

“Hey Google, where’s the nearest eye doctor that’s wheel-chair accessible?”

Your business category determines the attributes available for your listing. For example, you might see attributes for acceptable payment types, accessibility options, or whether the business is LGBTQ-friendly.

Can I ask my own questions/answers in the Q&A section?

Yes! It’s perfectly acceptable and smart for a business to seed your own Q&As. Figure out what questions your customers post often ask you about or even services that you *don’t* provide. Post the question in your customer’s voice but answer your own voice (business). Make sure they are easy to understand—this should not be considered a marketing opportunity.

Questions/Answers with the most likes appear first, so make sure to like good answers provided by other users. If you and a user answer the same question and have the same number of likes, all ties favor the consumer answer, so it will show first.

How do I use GMB social posts?

Google has reserved a HUGE amount of Knowledge Panel real estate for your business through GMB posts. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to catch someone’s eye during search.

    

GMB posts function slightly differently than traditional social giants.

• Use simple, colorful images with no text. High quality is best (750px x 540px minimum). Text on the image is allowed, but it may get cut off on mobile devices. Best not to use text overlays. Videos aren’t supported.
• Concise, informative descriptions. You’re allowed 1,500 characters, but best to stick to 100-120. Descriptions get truncated on SERP.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA). Add variety to your posts using these options: Book, Order Online, Buy, Learn More, Sign Up, Get Offer. Use click tracking (UTM) in your URLs to track success.
• Use actionable headlines (events only). All GMB posts expire after 7 days maximum, but event post types have a start and end date. When you post through the platform, you can post to <10 locations per post. You must have unique credentials in the platform for each location.

How do I get a review removed?

If you know that a particular review was mistakenly given to your business (i.e., meant for another company) or contains slander/inappropriate language, you can report a violation. Within the Google Review window, you can hover next to a review to see a Flag.

Remember, you should not pursue a review removal request unless the review meets the site’s violation policies. In other words, do not request a review removal just because you don’t like it. Some review sites are starting to show when a business owner has requested review removal that doesn’t violate guidelines.