Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile
This guide will walk you through managing your Google Business Profile with PinMeTo, from initial setup and verification to managing posts, reviews, and understanding your performance.
Table of contents
Section 1: Key Benefits of Connecting
Section 2: Setting Up & General
Section 1: Key Benefits of Connecting
Essential for Visibility: With the overwhelming majority of the search market share, Google is the world’s leading search engine. A well-managed profile improves your ranking in local search results, helping customers find you more easily.
Direct API Connection: As a certified Google Partner, PinMeTo offers a two-way, direct connection. We push data to Google as soon as you make changes and can verify what information is live.
Section 2: Setting Up & General
This section covers the process of connecting and managing your profile settings.
Part 1: Connecting Google
Our Customer Success Team will support you in this process.
Part 2: Add New Locations to Google
Once you have successfully connected Google to PinMeTo, you can add locations to the network in multiple ways.
Please read more on our Listings guide.
Part 3: Verifying your Locations on Google
Google Verification confirms the accuracy and authenticity of your business.
There are two ways to verify your locations:
① Manual Verification
If you add a new location or make significant changes to an existing one (e.g., name, address), you may need to re-verify it. To do this, click the Get Verified button within the Google Business Profile interface and follow the steps.
② Google Bulk Verification
If you manage 10 or more locations, you can apply for a bulk-verified account. Once your account is approved, any new locations added will be verified automatically, saving significant time. You can apply yourself (more below) or contact our Support team for assistance.
Google Bulk Verification – How & Why
For businesses with 10 or more locations, Google Bulk Verification for Business Profiles 🔗 is a one-time setup that automates the verification process for all current and future locations. It transforms location management from a manual, repetitive task into a simple, efficient system.
How to Apply:
- *You can read through Google's Guidelines & Documentation 🔗 for Bulk Verification to Apply yourself.*
- You can reach out to our Support team to have PinMeTo assist you with the application process.
Key Benefits:
- Automatic Verification: Once approved, any new locations you add are verified automatically, eliminating the need for postcards or phone calls for each new opening.
- Enhanced Efficiency: It streamlines the entire process, removing the administrative burden and potential for errors that come with manually managing dozens or hundreds of locations.
- Guaranteed Consistency: It ensures your brand’s information is accurate and consistent across all profiles, which is a key factor in building customer trust and improving local search rankings.
- Improved Searchability: Verified business details are prioritised by Google, making it easier for customers to find your locations on Google Search and Maps.
Part 4: Google Information Fields
With Google, there are many information fields you can fill in that are unique to Google to improve your visibility and help your ranking. This includes services, attributes, profile images, and more.
Learn about all available fields for Google in our Listings Guide.
Part 5: How the Connection Works
- Connection Type: This is a two-way, direct API connection. PinMeTo pushes data to Google as soon as changes are made, and we can verify what data is live on the network.
- Update Frequency: While changes are often visible on Google Maps and Search within a few minutes, it can sometimes take up to 3-days for them to be fully processed and reflected.
Section 3: Social
This section covers supported content sharing via your Google Business Profile
Posting
You can post to your Google listings using our Posts Tool. These posts appear prominently in Google Search and Maps when customers find your business.
- Post: Post to one or multiple Google listings at once. We support select types of Google posts. We do not provide support for Google ads or other paid content.
- Import: Import Google posts that were created and published on the network itself. This allows you to get an overview of activity.
- Insights: Google does not provide insights on posts. However, you can monitor overall activity and break it down by location or filtered group of your choosing (e.g. all locations in one neighbourhood or city).
Why should you post to Google?
- It significantly boosts your local SEO by signalling to Google that your business is active and relevant.
- More importantly, it drives immediate customer action by allowing you to include direct calls-to-action (like "Call Now," "Book," or "Learn More") with your promotions.
Learn more about all you can do with Google posts in PinMeTo.
Section 4: Reviews
This section covers how to manage customer reviews and questions.
Google Reviews
You can read and respond to Google reviews as well as monitor trends in your overall ratings as a brand or as individual listings.
Google Q&As
You can read and respond to customer questions. Google Q&A is a public, crowd-sourced FAQ section on your Google Business Profile where anyone—including you—can ask and answer questions about your business. The most helpful answers are often upvoted and featured prominently.
How
Once Google is connected, as long as you have our Conversations or Reviews product, questions from Google's Q&A will show in your inbox.
Why
- It allows you to directly address customer pain points and remove barriers to purchase by answering common questions.
- It ensures that the customer has the correct answer as other user-generated responses may have inaccurate information.
- Proactively managing it also boosts your local SEO, as the user-generated questions and your answers have specific keywords that can help you rank in more niche searches.
Reviews When Merging Locations
If you merge a duplicate location into your official one, the reviews from the duplicate profile will be transferred to the primary location. You will not lose your reviews in this process.
You can confirm this by double-checking that the same reviews are being shown under the official and published locations on Google.
Learn more about all you can do with Google Reviews in PinMeTo.
Section 5: Google Insights
PinMeTo displays performance insights for your Google Listings.
Listings
Go to our Listings guide for definitions
Dashboard
Aggregated
- 30-Day Feedback
- Data Completeness
- Total Conflicts
Insights > Overview
Aggregated
- Rating Trend
- Response Rate
- Visibility*
- Actions
- Top Locations
*Visibility in Google indicates a "View."
Insights > Google
- Views
- Actions
- Top Listings
Insights > Rating
Aggregated
- Rating Distribution
- Rating Performance
- Unanswered Reviews
- Response Rate
- Top Locations
Insights > Keywords
Ranks search terms by key indicators.
Conversations & Reviews
Go to our Conversations & Reviews guide for definitions
Insights > Reputation Insights
- Average Rating (Aggregated)
- Reply Rate
- Rating Distribution
- Google Average Rating
- Location Rating Summary
Posts
Go to our Posts guide for definitions
Insights > Google
- Posting Activity
- Posts Published
FAQs
Q: A location is incorrectly marked as a duplicate. What should I do?
A: If a location should be active but is marked as a duplicate, you need to contact Google support. In your Google Business Profile Manager, click the support button and then Contact us. Explain which location is the duplicate and provide storefront pictures of both locations to prove they are distinct.
Q: How do I merge two locations on Google?
A: Find the location you want to remove on Google Maps and click Suggest an edit. Select Close or remove, then choose Duplicate of another place. Select the correct location to merge it with from the list and click Submit.
Q: Why can't I add certain services to my profile?
A: The services available depend on your business categories. If you can't find a service you offer, try adding more specific secondary categories that relate to that service.
Q: What specific location data is sent to Google?
A: To see which data fields are sent to each network, please refer to this section of our Listings guide.
Supported PinMeTo Products
Product |
| Information |
|---|---|---|
Listings | ✅ | This connection syncs all your vital location data like name, address, phone number, and hours. |
Posts | ✅ | You can create, schedule, and publish Google Posts. |
Reviews | ✅ | You can read and reply to Google Reviews and answer Google Q&As. |
Conversations | ✅ | Manage reviews and Q&As within the Conversations inbox. |
Keywords
Google Business Profile, Google Maps, Google Posts, Google Reviews, Local SEO.
Updated on: 04/11/2025
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