Google is temporarily removing some features from Google My Business as a result of limitations caused by the COVID-19 situation.
“During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, we are taking steps to protect the health of our team members and reduce the need for people to come into our offices. As a result, there may be some temporary limitations and delays in support as we prioritize critical services.”
For the time being, these features will be temporarily limited or removed.
Reviews & Q&A
Google My Business will not be publishing any new reviews, review replies, or new Q&A until further notice. Existing reviews, review replies, and Q&A will still be visible.
Presumably, any newly submitted reviews, replies, and questions will eventually be published when Google has the resources to do so.
In a statement to Search Engine Journal, local marketing expert Bill Hartzer gave his thoughts on the decision to restrict these features:
“Most likely, Google is doing this because they want to make sure that the information provided is valid and from trusted sources. I can only imagine how quickly the Q&A could potentially get out of hand if they allowed anyone to answer questions.”
New Listings, Claims, and Verifications
During this time, Google My Business support team will prioritize reviewing new listings, claims, and verifications for critical health-related businesses.
That means, with Google prioritizing critical services, other types of businesses can expect a delay for publication of new listings, claims, and verifications.
Business Information Edits
Google’s prioritization of critical services will also extend to reviewing business information edits.
Based on actual data from your own campaigns.
This includes reviews for:
- Changes to open and closed states
- Special hours
- Temporary closures
- Business descriptions
- Business attributes
If your business does not provide a critical, health-related service then it may be some time before you see any edits go live on your Google My Business listing.
Google Posts Not Affected
As far as we can tell, Google is not restricting Google Posts functionality. That means, if you have new updates to share with your customers, you can still use your Google My Business listing to publish posts.
That may change as time goes on, however, as these are unpredictable times we’re living through. Take advantage of Google Posts while it’s still available.