Mateo

🔍 Google integrates AI into Google Business Profile to summarize customer reviews. SEO expert Todd Hayes spotted the feature that highlights an establishment's strengths and overall customer sentiment. Over 92% of consumers consult reviews before selection, making positive ratings crucial for visibility on Google and influencing consumer decisions.

🛒 In 2024, Google removed or blocked over 240 million non-compliant reviews on Google Maps—a 40% increase from 2023. The system also blocked or removed over 70 million non-conforming modifications and eliminated more than 12 million fraudulent business listings. Google reported a 41% increase in fake review removal compared to 2023, while the number of fake profiles removed remained similar. Google has introduced alerts on Google Business Profile, impacting 900,000 establishments, to signal recently removed suspicious five-star reviews, starting in the US, UK, and India, with global expansion planned for the next month.

📈 Google is testing new, detailed customer experience questions on Google Business pages for a limited number of restaurants. American SEO expert Claudia Tomina reports that only a few establishments currently have this feature. The beta-phase questions cover wait times, noise level, group size, seat types, and establishment details such as vegetarian options and wheelchair accessibility. Google's AI, Gemini, may use this data to enhance local search rankings and recommendations. Optimizing Google My Business profiles now is crucial for businesses to meet Google's criteria and improve their platform positioning and reputation.

📈 Google is integrating artificial intelligence into Google Business personalization. Announced by Google employee Victoria Kroll on the Google Business Profile Forum, the feature is in testing and accessible only in select regions. It enables automatic AI-generated backgrounds for product images in Google Posts to enhance product attractiveness. A recent IFOP study shows that 92% of consumers read reviews before purchasing a product or booking a service, highlighting the importance of a complete Google Business profile for merchants.

📰 Google has updated the content of its emails on Monday to clarify why a Google Business profile video verification is rejected, detailing the three main criteria: displaying the environment to confirm the geographic location, proving the existence of the business with visible signage, and establishing the user's ownership status by showing actions such as unlocking the business. An IFOP study for Guest Suite in 2023 found 92% of French consumers rely on online reviews before making a choice.