Behold, The New GMB Services Menu!

Almost weekly now, Google My Business is dropping new tools to help manage online business information, interact with our customers, and expand our brand’s presence in Google’s ecosystem. Lately, it seems like we can’t go more than 10 days without seeing something new. So what are this week’s new tools?

This week, Google added a handy new feature called “Services” to your GMB profiles. 

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What ARE GMB Services?

The Services feature is a new panel that allows your business to list the individual services your business provides. For example, a dentist doesn’t JUST do teeth whitening. A CPA doesn’t JUST do tax preparation. And orthodontist doesn’t JUST do braces. The services menu allows you to show off all the services you provide along with areas your business may specialize in.

Services is a powerful feature that can highlight services that may help you differentiate yourself from your competitors. You can add service categories and then an itemized list of services provided within that category, detailed descriptions, and any costs associated with that service (If you want, you can leave costs off. This was originally designed for hotels and restaurants). This is, quite honestly, the kind of information that your customers and patients are looking for, so utilizing it is a good idea.

Wait! Doesn’t My Website Already Do This?

By now, I’m sure you probably realize that your website is often not the first touch point people have with your business or your brand. You probably also realize there’s little practical use for almost half the colors you’d find in a 120-count box of crayons. But aren’t you glad you have 120 options to tell your story?

Since Google results are often the first thing new customers and patients see before they get to your website, the benefit of having as much accurate information detailing the services you offer on your Google My Business profile is a no-brainer. Do we really care if the person is “converted” via your  Google My Business profile or our website? Not really.

Does This Effect My SEO?

Google literally didn’t say. None of their press releases, blogs, or help articles indicated that it would effect search results. If anyone is saying otherwise, it’s pure speculation. In fact, most search ranking experts aren’t even having this conversation. We also agree, there’s no direct search-based benefit.

However, as we often discuss with our clients, SEO is so much more than just pure Google rankings. Having a thoughtfully completed profile with valuable information is helpful for conversions! That’s a huge part of SEO. Additionally, Google gives us guidelines (see here) for how we should be using our the new Services Panel.

What Now?

Log into your Google My Business account and go to your Info Tab.  Once you’re on the Info section, you will see the Services section halfway down the page on the left-hand side. Click on it and start adding accurate information about the services you offer.

A few things to keep in mind:

• You can categorize your services into groups. Put your most relevant category first.
• You can add and edit as many services as you want, but try to be succinct.
• Make your service descriptions short and readable!
• Don’t Lie!