Google Business Profile connects legitimate businesses with the people searching for them. Most of the time, it does that remarkably well. However, a platform operating at this scale inevitably produces unusual edge cases, conflicting signals and unintended consequences. Some create frustration for business owners. Others confuse users, reward manipulation or make accurate information surprisingly […]

Search for Vacation Rentals and Google Business Profile, and you will still find loads of articles telling you how to create a profile for your holiday home. Some of them then add the rather important caveat that, at the time of writing, vacation rentals are against Google Business Profile guidelines. So you search Google for […]

Things move quickly in politics. With Andy Burnham just in office, bond yields going through the roof and government debt apparently requiring increasingly creative solutions, you would be forgiven for thinking the Treasury might be looking down the back of the sofa for a few quid. It appears somebody at Number 10 has gone one […]

There is no getting away from it. Google Business Profile verification has become a bit of a nightmare. Phone verification sometimes never calls. Video verification can feel like you’re filming a documentary. The camera angle has to be perfect, the evidence has to be perfect, somebody walks into view, and suddenly you’re rejected. Then come […]

Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) allow businesses to engage with customers through reviews. While positive reviews can boost credibility, harmful or inappropriate reviews can be damaging. Fortunately, Google provides tools to help you report and remove reviews that violate its guidelines.   How to Report a Review for Removal Google has streamlined the […]

There is one thing I see repeatedly with local businesses when discussing local SEO and online marketing. The moment you mention content, their eyes glaze over. Many still believe local SEO works by some magic. Create a homepage, add a service page, verify a Google Business Profile and somehow Google sends customers flooding through the […]

I am old school. I still call it online marketing, whilst the cool kids call it digital marketing. Call it what you want, the principle has not changed. You are putting your business in front of people who may need what you offer. The difference now lies in where it happens, how quickly it happens, […]

Online marketing has matured. Local SEO has evolved. AI is changing search behaviour. Yet the mistakes I see today are often the same ones I saw ten years ago, just wrapped in new terminology. Most local businesses are not failing because Google is against them. They are failing because the basics are missing, rushed, or […]

If you’ve found a verified Google Business Profile for your business but no longer have access to it, perhaps a previous staff member verified it, or login details have been lost, you’ll need to request ownership of the verified profile to manage it moving forward. Do Not: Attempt to create a new listing. This will […]

A hotels knowledge panel is generated via the hotels Google Business Profile, however unlike a non lodging category profile, there are limited items that a hotel can control directly within the GBP profile. So what can you control directly from profile?   Hotels Business Knowledge Panel     1. Hotel Image Images can be controlled […]