New: Google adds short names – here’s what you need to know
Google recently began rolling out “Short Names” for Google My Business (GMB) profiles. Here is everything you need to know about the new GMB Short Names and how to get your own.
What is a Google My Business Short Name?
GMB Short Names are a shortened URL unique to your GMB listing. It looks something like this: “g.page/[yourcustomname]”. Customers can then find your business listing by using this unique link. Any verified business on GMB can get a short name but this feature is still rolling out so it may not be available for all businesses.
Why Create A GMB Short Name
Creating a GMB short name is a great way to connect your customers with each of your business locations on Google Maps. You can use this link on your location pages, social media accounts, business cards, or anywhere your business contact information is located. Whether users access the short name URL on desktop or mobile they will be directed to your GMB listing on Google Maps.
We’ll be honest, Google adds and removes features all the time so it can often take a while before we see if a feature is really worth it. In this case, we suggest grabbing a short name as soon as you can. Whether or not we find short names to be an important factor for GMB listings, you’ll want to reserve your short name before someone else does.
How To Create A Google Short Name
To create a GMB short name simply follow these steps:
- Sign into your Google My Business account.
- Open the location you want to create a short name for.
- From the menu click “Info” then “Add profile short name”.
- Enter your short name (up to 32 characters).
- If your name isn’t available you’ll receive an error message.
- Click “Apply”. The name will show as pending until approved then it will show on your business profile.
Unfortunately, this feature is not yet available through the API or for bulk uploads. Chatmeter users and other multi-location businesses will need to do this individually for each location through their GMB account.
What Should My GMB Short Name Be?
When creating a short name for each of your individual locations make sure to be consistent and strategic with the names. Businesses can only change their short name up to 3 times a year but we recommend picking a name and sticking with it. If you already have location-based social media accounts, you might want to use the same name to make it easier for customers to recognize the short name and the name is most likely not yet taken. Google recommends using the location in the name, for example, DickeysSanMarcos. This is the perfect solution for multi-location businesses.
We’ll keep you updated on the API status of this new Google feature and let our customers know once short names are available to update in bulk.