BREAKING! Google My Business Update: Review Notifications and Lots More

[Linda Buquet]

Google just launched a very cool update that I've been excited to be able to share with everyone.

Lots of new treats in store for you guys! All these new features further solidify Google's commitment to continuing to evolve and improve Google My Business.

<img src="http://marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/GMBupdates.jpg" alt="GMBupdates" width="45%" />​

Remember back in Sept when I broke the news about the new "Click to Call" phone call tracking in Google My Business? It was accidentally launched prematurely, so was rolled back.

Well that's just one of the new features that just went live with this update, but there are many more.
Here they all are:

▶ NOTIFICATIONS for new Google reviews YAY!

▶ "Click to Call" phone call tracking

▶ Hot! Heat Maps for Driving Directions

Working on getting a screenshot of this, but will be very cool to add to your client reports to show them what areas people are coming from to find them!

▶ Respond to reviews in mobile app (Android, iOS coming)

▶ AdWords Express Mobil App


OFFICIAL GOOGLE ANNOUNCEMENT

Brief forum post: <a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/business/announcements/wcvTz_pHnBs">Updates to Google My Business and AdWords Express apps</a>

Help doc for review notifications: Enable or disable review notifications

MORE LINKS AND INFO COMING SOON...

HELP NEEDED: If anyone has a client with lots of driving directions, please share the heat map below. It won't show any client info, so if you crop right you won't have to block anything out. (Since I no longer have clients I don't have a dash I can log into. And the test account Google gave me is a fake business, in the Nevada boondocks, so surprisingly has had no direction requests. )

What do you think? Pretty awesome???
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[Scott Rawlins]

Very interesting! Will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few days.

 

[Linda Buquet]

The post above was just all the initial info I got.

Now I'm adding more details as I get it or figure it out.

The review notifications I assumed were going to be email alerts, but they are not.

Per the help doc

"Every time you get a new review on Google, you'll get a notification in the top right corner of Google My Business. You’ll also get notifications on your phone if you’ve installed the Google My Business app."

So you need the app for instant notification, or if you log into desktop you'll see in your GMB dash.

 

[Cori Shirk]

This is awesome! Looks like a lot of the driving directions requests for one of my clients' hotels come from the airport (makes sense )



Here's another example of the heat map:

 

[cdawg2610]

Hey Linda - not all of mine had the heat map yet but found one

 

[Scott Rawlins]

Thanks for sharing Cori. Visuals always help.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Whoohoo! Thanks for the screenshots Cori and cdawg!

Think those are so cool and was dying to share, but I just didn't have one I could show.

 

[SmilesbyPayet]

OK, so it's nice that they have Review Notifications. Why can't they add NORMAL notifications like with a G+ Profile or Page on desktop? And why can't there be a "Stream" view and "Page" view like the regular mobile G+ apps have? I want to look at my Page in the GMB app the exact same way I can see my Profile.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for the feedback Chip. I'm sure Google will be watching this thread and see it.

 

[Linda Buquet]

One of our members Owen Kane just sent me a screenshot that shows the heat map and Call Insights.

​

Thanks Owen!

 

[Michael S. Doran]

I am glad to see any new features to the local listings. Now if only they would return the keywords we get found for.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

I'm a big fan of the ability to see the calls by time of day. Nice insight!

 

[steven]

I looked at the link for the review notifications on the app, but it says there's a menu icon at the top right, which I don't see on my phone (android). Has anyone else set up already?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Steven,

I haven't played around with the review notification feature on the App, but I can say that all the accounts that I have checked on desktop automatically have the review notification feature turned on.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Steven,

The app update could take a couple days to roll out to everyone and it does require an update.
Did you do an update???

I have not even had a chance to try it on mobile yet and probably won't until this weekend.

 

[steven]

Hey Linda!

I did jump into google play store but didn't see that any of my apps needed an update on my phone. Maybe it just hasn't rolled out to me yet. I'll keep an eye out...

Thanks!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hey all you iPhoneys...

The mobile app is now rolling out on iOS too.

See the post at Google+ Your Business.

 

[steven]

Ok, so I found out how to turn on notifications on my phone. While the support link says that you have to look in the top right hand menu and find "settings", I looked and there is no settings there. But in the regular part of that column that has my business, business info, google+, reviews, photos, managers, help & feedback... Right after that is a settings option, and from there you can choose which listing you want to turn notifications on and then just switch it on.