The search giant, Google, that completed 25 years of existence has constantly been innovating in terms of delivering the most comprehensive results to its users. With Google ushering in social media posts into Google Business profiles, this tech behemoth has just added a dab of ‘social’ to search. Starting this month, if you type a brand’s name into the Google search bar, your Google Knowledge Panel will be blessed with not only the brand’s website and social links but also a preview of the brand’s social media posts, alongside your search results.
With this update, Google offers its users a holistic view of a business’ products or services. A distinct section dubbed as ‘Social Media Updates’ houses the social posts pulled from digital platforms. This feature comes as a boon for businesses seeking improvement in customer engagement, providing them an invaluable opportunity to unleash the power of social networks on their Google Business listings. Along with amplifying brand credibility, businesses can also seamlessly connect with potential customers, showcase their offering in a wholesome manner and ultimately attract traffic to their websites.
This update succeeds the announcement of social links debuting on Google Business Profiles in October 2023. Though Google experimented with adding social media links to Business Profiles way back in 2016, the feature was later stalled, thanks to discrepancies in matching the social URLs with the right profile – a plausible reason why Google didn’t create a stir with the rollout of the social media post integration. Doing away with the official announcement, Google stealthily slid titbits about this update into the FAQ section of their ‘Manage Social Media Link’ page (https://support.google.com/business/answer/13580646#zippy=%2Cwhy-does-my-social-media-post-show-on-my-business-profile ).
This news made rounds on the platform X after a user, Stefan Somborac spotted this feature and took to the platform. He wrote, “If you’ve added your social media URLs to your Google Business Profile, Google may start to display your social posts on your Business Profile!”
So, how do businesses make the most of this opportunity? To get the ball rolling, your company’s digital platforms must be connected to GBP. Google provides businesses with the option of including one link per social media platform among Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter rechristened), LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok. As of now, Threads and SnapChat have been excluded from this list but it would be worth waiting to see when they will make their grand entry into the Google family.
Once the social media association is successful on Google Business Profile, recent posts from the brand’s social network will begin to automatically surface on Google Search and Google Maps along with your company’s official listing. Currently, social media posts can be found only on the mobile version under the business information.
Here’s how you can add, edit and remove social media links:
For adding:
- Navigate to your Business Profile.
- Click on “Edit profile” > “Business information” > “Contact.”
- Choose “Social profiles” > “Add social media link.”
- Select the social media platform and input the link.
- Hit “Save.”
For editing:
- After accessing your business profile, click on “Edit profile” > “Business information” > “Contact.”
- Choose “Social profiles.”
- Modify the web address field for the social media link that you wish to update.
- Hit “Save.”
For removing:
- In your Business Profile, click on “Edit profile” > “Business information” > “Contact.”
- In “Social profiles,” click the trash icon next to the profile you want to remove.
- Click “Save.”
If you are a business looking to enhance your digital presence, then this is a sign that it’s the right time to do so. Look no further than Social Krowd to amp up your social media game!
To know more, send us an enquiry on https://www.socialkrowd.me/contact-us/send-inquiry
Mahima Jose
The Krew
