Google recently launched a COVID-19 Post type to help businesses quickly update their Google My Business (GMB) pages with coronavirus-related information that affects their operations. As a Google partner, we’re communicating closely with Google to answer our clients’ questions about the COVID-19 Post type. Here are some answers to questions you might have.
The Google Posts feature – technically known as Posts with Google – makes it possible for organizations to share dynamic content on their GMBs such as special events, changes in hours or the opening of a new location. The content appears in an organization’s knowledge panel – the information about a business that appears in a box alongside a search result, both in Google and Google Maps.
Businesses are using Google Posts to provide COVID-19 related updates, as discussed on Google’s support page. To make sure COVID-19 content is more noticeable to your customers, Google has created the COVID-19 Post type. This new post type makes it easier to update COVID-19 content and display it more prominently in Google Search. Instructions for using the COVID-19 Post type are here.
COVID-19 Post types will have a longer duration and prominence on the knowledge panel for a business. For example, if a COVID-19 Post was created via the GMB Dashboard yesterday and a new Event Post was created today (either in the dashboard or via API), the COVID-19 Post will remain first on the carousel.
(To learn more about how to respond appropriately to the COVID-19 crisis, access our COVID-19 Resource Page today.)
As of this writing (March 31), the GMB application program interface (API) does not support the COVID-19 Post type – but it is expected that API support will come at some point in the future. Until API support arrives, if you want to add COVID-19 type posts to your GMB profile, the only place to do so is within the GMB Dashboard.
If you are a multi-location business and need to quickly post to many locations at once via the API or through a platform that utilizes GMB’s API, we recommend the standard or Event type. If the business wants to create a COVID-19 specific Post, they’ll need to utilize the GMB Dashboard for the time being.
This is a rapidly evolving situation. We will update our blog with new content and revisions as needed. For help in the meantime, please contact Reputation.com.
Adam Dorfman, RDC Director, Product Management
The original version of this page was published at: https://www.reputation.com/resources/blog/the-google-my-business-covid-19-post-type/?utm_medium=social-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=blogpost-covid&utm_content=202001-the-google-my-business-post-type-covid-blog
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