At the time of writing, we are approaching the second week that COVID-19 has impacted our personal and professional lives. While we’ve all learned to process, react and adapt to what’s happening, how are your customers and clients adapting to the evolving landscape?
How are they getting information when searching for you?
Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool that helps businesses manage their online presence and appearance in Google Search and Google Maps. Since the business listings appear first on the right side of the results page, this is where updates and information about the business can be displayed.
This post will explore ways to share the latest information pertaining to your business for customers to see during this COVID-19 situation.
Operating hours
This is where you can update and adjust your business hours based on operational needs. Just click the pencil icon and adjust as needed. On days where a business may need to operate on an irregular schedule, you can edit specific dates where you may only be open for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. This option may be most ideal since things are evolving rapidly and we don’t know what is allowed and what is not permitted on a weekly basis. You also have the option of marking the business as temporarily closed, although this will appear in Google with reduced visibility.
Manage your information
Business owners can explain whether or not business operations are affected and share information about extra precautions the business is taking. Information on service and product limitations or changes in product offerings can be highlighted here.
An example would be restaurants that are serving limited menus and are only available for pick-up or delivery orders. It can also be a business in the medical or health industry that is experiencing a shortage or a surplus of supplies people are looking for.
COVID-19 Posts
COVID-19 update posts are where detailed and timely updates about what’s going on with the business can be shared. These posts show up near the bottom of the GMB listing like a card and include a call-to-action for users to obtain more information. The post shows the date of the post so users can be sure they’re getting the latest information. In a climate where news is changing daily, these posts would be the most effective in sharing and communicating the latest updates or links with customers.
Note that just like the rest of the world, Google is facing limitations caused by the COVID-19 situation. They also need to take steps to protect their staff and as a result, you may see delays in response and approvals for some of their services.