Do you remember when we asked you if you felt like Google My Business was replacing the local business website?

The fact is, fewer and fewer consumers are leaving search results to find the answers to the questions on the tip of their tongues. Whether the question asks What time is it in California? or Where is the closest wine bar?, or simply ask their voice assistant to Find a plumber, the answers are right there in search results. 

These answers are sometimes displayed as a featured snippet, the local pack, or an answer back to them from their voice assistant highlighting a Google My Business (GMB) listing. These results all come from Google, and the consumer never clicked to a website to get their answer. This is a zero-click search.

There are ways you can optimize a business’s website content to get more click-through, but these efforts will not be enough in the very near future.

Google is rolling out more new features, many just announced last week, that will keep consumers even longer on a business’ GMB listing. Here are the features that you should set up now:

1. The short URL is available to the majority of GMB listings.
2. We can now upload a logo and set the cover image within a GMB listing.
   
3. Listings can feature a welcome offer that is only visible to new followers.
   

There is also a “Local Favorite” badge and a dynamic photo module, too.

Google has been making great strides to keep consumers coming back to their search engine. This week, we’ll feature some specifics to help you with this.

If you need help optimizing a business’ listings, GMB or others, our team can help you. Request a tour to learn how to get started!