A lot has changed over the past several months. Many of us have updated our lifestyles so that we spend more time at home, include face masks as a part of our outfits when we do go out, and perhaps wash our hands more often than we used to. There has been a large effort involved in trying to adjust to all of the changes that have come with the effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Of course, along with all the changes to our offline lives, there have been plenty of changes to how things are working online too. Google has brought their fair share of changes to their Google My Business and Google Ads products in an effort to adjust to changing business needs.

Our job here at iMarket Solutions is to make sure we keep you updated on what is going on with Google and how their changes and updates are going to impact your business.

3 Key Updates from Google You Should Know About

Here are some of the changes involving Google My Business and Google Ads in response to the current pandemic that we think you should know about:

Google Ad Credits for Small Businesses: Google announced in March 2020 that they would be allocating $340 million in ad credits for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to help them stay connected with their customers. Google first started to release these ad credits in New Zealand and after several weeks, began rolling these out to U.S. businesses last week. The maximum amount provided to small businesses will be $1000 per eligible company (so if you have multiple accounts, the grant will only appear in one of them.) If you receive funds from the Google Ads credits, the ad credit will be automatically applied to either a Google Search, Google Local Services or Google Display Account as determined by Google. The credit can not be moved to another Goggle account and must be used on the account applied to by December 31, 2020.

Google My Business Reviews Have Returned: Starting in March, Google halted the publication of new reviews and replies to reviews in Google My Business. This applied to any businesses that were not a part of the healthcare industry. Google has since resumed publication of reviews in Google My Business for companies in the home services industry. This is great news! The reviews submitted during this “pause” have now been published as well. Make sure you continue to request reviews from your customers—and don’t forget to reply to any new reviews that pop up, too. Remember that 82% of consumers read reviews for online businesses!

Updates to the Google Algorithm: Google didn’t skip a beat when it came to updating their search engine algorithm. This latest Core update started in early May and the rollout was completed around the middle of the month. The algorithm update will impact search engine results for content based on questions of quality, expertise, presentation, production, and comparison. Moving forward, it is advisable to check on-site content to ensure it conveys expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness as this will affect your organic leads and traffic, along with your keyword visibility.

If you already work with iMarket Solutions, then you know that we will continue to keep you updated on changes like these as they can affect your online presence. We work hard to be a reliable provider of COVID-19 resources for contractors. This includes keeping you abreast of anything that can impact your business.

Of course, if you have any questions, you can reach out to your marketing coordinator at any time. If you don’t already work with us, we would love to talk to you and become your go-to resource for your digital marketing strategy.

We are Dedicated to Contractor Success. Contact iMarket Solutions today to learn more.