The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Google has made a lot of changes lately to its “local search” algorithm.  And, with Google’s marketing lingo, new names are being used that can be confusing for even the most savvy digital marketing expert.  We get lots of questions from clients about the difference between Google+ and Google My Business, and why these two names are important.  So, here’s a quick breakdown of the difference and why they should matter to you and your company.

We know we have told you before, but every business should have a Google+ page.  If want to search for your company’s Google+ page, just type into the Google search bar:  Your company name Google+. It should look like this:

Your Google+ page is a key component to your online presence.  It is an opportunity to provide Google with accurate information about your company, services, contact information, images, etc.  You can even post content on your Google + page, just like your other social sites.  And, of course, you can create Collections and join Communities” as we mentioned previously. Keeping your Google+ page current and relevant is vital for your overall search ranking.

• If you don’t see a Google+ for your business, it’s time to create one, ASAP.
• If you do see a Google+ page for your business, you need to “claim it”, then optimize it with all of the company details we mentioned above.
• If you see multiple Google+ pages for your business, you need to clean them up.  Google wants one and only one Google+ page per business location.  Have questions on how to clean up your Google+ listings?  Give us a shout and we can help you out.

Google created a really cool dashboard to help you “manage” your Google+ page.  It’s an all-in-one spot to edit your Google+ page information, review your insights and analytics, add company photos and even respond to reviews.

So, how do you get there?

Just log in to the Gmail account that “owns” your company’s Google+ page and click on the little square button at the top right.  It looks like this:

Then, click on the G+ or G My Business icon and you are ready to roll.  Stay tuned to our blog to learn more about where Google will be moving your reviews once the “new” Google is official.