Change always takes some time to get used but the big question is whether the New Merchant Experience makes it easier to manage business profiles. The answer is highly subjective and it will vary from one user to the next.
So far! the initial response isn’t all that positive but we’re used to seeing this kind of feedback immediately after changes.
In its current implementation! the biggest potential issue with the New Merchant Experience will be managing multiple business profiles – including multiple locations. You can still view all of your businesses/locations in Business Profile Manager but clicking on any of them will direct you to the in-SERP system.
You can click on the three-dot icon to access your other profiles! create a new profile and manage other settings
Clicking on Your Business Profiles brings gambling database up a dialogue box listing your other profiles. Once again! clicking on a listing will redirect you to the in-SERP system for that specific listing where you can make the required changes.
This back-and-forth implementation isn’t proving too popular with users who are managing multiple business profiles.
A Twitter survey posted by BrightLocal asked search marketers whether they find the new implementation easy to use and the response is telling: 83.3% of respondents said “It’s difficult to use”.
This is becoming something of a theme with recent changes to Google Ads! Google Business Profile and other products. Typically! these changes aren’t being received too well by agencies! search marketers and professionals who are more likely to manage multiple or large accounts.
That being said! it’s becoming increasingly clear that the recent changes are designed for these users.
Who is the New Merchant Experience designed for?
In recent years! we’ve seen Google even when you make the qualifying deposit take major steps towards making products like Google Ads and Google Business Profile easier for small business owners.
In 2018! Google rolled out smart campaigns in Google Ads to help small business owners run automated campaigns without worrying too much about bidding! targeting and other settings.
In the following year! Google rolled out smart shopping campaigns and other automated features in Google Ads to make the system easier for small business owners.
Then! in early 2020! it rebranded Google My Business as Google Business Profile! including the in-SERP system for claiming and editing business profiles. Instead of creating a Business Profile account and working in the back-end system! users can simply search for their business name and claim their profile from Google Search or Google Maps.
These changes make a lot of sense in terms of simplifying
The experience for small business taiwan lists owners who don’t want to manage ad settings or multiple business locations.
Google makes the majority of its income from ads and! collectively! small businesses advertisers are a major stream of revenue. Lowering the entry bar for smaller and single-location business owners makes financial sense for Google.
The potential issue is that recent changes may be improving the experience for one group of users at the expense of others – namely agencies! search marketers and business owners managing multiple profiles or locations.
Of course! it’s possible that Google could refine the New Merchant Experience to find a better balance. Alternatively! separate experiences for single-location and multi-location users could be another option! but there’s little point in speculating at this stage.
For now! the New Merchant Experience is here to stay.
Having trouble?
If you’re having trouble with the New Merchant Experience or managing your business profiles for Google Search! our local SEO team can help. Call us on 02392 830 281 to speak to our team or send us your details and we’ll get in touch.