Google has introduced a new feature that allows businesses to add links from their social media profiles directly to their Google My Business profile.
This means that businesses can now display their social media presence along with other information on Google Search and Maps.
Benefits of the new feature
By having social media links accessible on their Google My Business profile, businesses give customers more ways to connect, get information, and solve problems.
Details of the new release
A new Google support page indicates that businesses can now decide which social media links are displayed on their Google My Business profile.
Businesses can add one link for each social media platform. Supported platforms include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.
This service is being slowly rolled out and is available in specific regions.
How to use the new function
To add a social media link to a Google My Business profile:
1. Access your profile.
2. Click on 'Edit profile'.
3. Select 'Company Information'.
4. Then click on 'Contact'.
Within 'Social Profiles', you can choose the social media platform you want to link to and enter the web address.
To edit or delete a link, follow a similar process. If you want to edit a link, simply update the web address field for the designated social link. To delete a link, click the 'Trash' icon next to the social media profile you want to delete.
Sometimes Google automatically adds social media links to eligible business profiles. To modify these auto-added links, you can add a new link for the same social media platform by following the same steps.
What this means for businesses
The ability to add social media links offers another way for local business owners to optimize their presence in the Google ecosystem.
Today, consumers expect to find links from social networks and web pages alongside local search results. Now, small and medium-sized businesses can be on par with large chains in offering that seamless experience.
While businesses can add the same social media link to multiple business profiles, they cannot add different links from the same platform to a single profile.
This feature can be managed by each business in Search or Maps, or through the API to manage multiple locations at the same time.
It should be noted that Google does not provide performance metrics, such as click-through rates, for these social media links.
