Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Using Hashtag for Google My Business
-
I was told by a Google My Business representative to include #{keywords} in my description. I was told this would boost my rankings. Has anyone else heard of this?
-
Hey John,
Hmm, what a strange answer this is:
Answer In regards to the hashtags, you can either use them or if you prefer only the related keywords to be used, that works as well. Also, you can follow the tips I have shared in my previous email.
I am totally in the dark about why Google would even mention this. Maybe I've missed something
-
So below is a recent email chain with Google I thought I would share.
Question Good morning! I have spoken with a Google representative that informed me that I should used hashtags in my GMB descriptions, and that these hashtags will help push my business result up in the results. She said the hashtags could include key search terms or the category I want to be known as. For example, #keyword and #keywords. I'd like to confirm that this information is accurate before I implement it in my listings.
Answer My name is Sophia, following up on your query for adding related keywords in the business description.
Yes, this is a good idea and you can also add the city name with the most searched terms and this also plays important role in pushing up the ranking of a business page. However, we cannot promise that it will get effective overnight as the search results are something which is automatically pulled up by algorithm. Additionally, here are some tips which will definitely help in getting better ranking of your business on Google search :
- Enter complete data: Make sure you’ve entered all of your business information in Google My Business and keep it up-to-date. For example, your physical address, phone number and category. Learn how to edit your business information
- Manage and respond to reviews: Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback they leave about your business. High quality, positive reviews from your customers will also help improve your ranking. Learn more about responding to reviews
- Add photos: Accurate and appealing pictures can show potential customers that your business offers what they’re searching for.Learn how to add local business photos
Prefer to watch a video? We have one for you here. And don’t forget to get insights for your business’ online presence via your Google My Business Account (more details).
I hope that you will find this information helpful. In case you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you grow your business!
Question To confirm, we should just use the keywords in the description without the pound symbol (hashtag)?
Answer In regards to the hashtags, you can either use them or if you prefer only the related keywords to be used, that works as well. Also, you can follow the tips I have shared in my previous email.
-
Yeah, sounds like an untrained rep to me. That does happen. Unless - bwahhahaaa - Google just gave away the secret sauce! But ... I kinda don't think so.
Glad you asked about it though!
-
We called in to Google and asked a few questions. This is when they provided this "suggestion." I think at this point it was an untrained rep that didn't know what they were saying. If there were any legitimacy to this, I think others would have some insight to it.
-
Hi John,
Are you 100% positive you were talking to a Google rep? Did you phone them or did someone phone you? While there was the 2013 G dashboard update that permitted use of rich text in the description (with the warning that it could take longer to get approved) I do not recall ever seeing mention of the use of # in descriptions. I'm very curious about someone telling you this, and feel a little nervous that you may either have been speaking to an untrained Google rep or, possibly, a scammer misrepresenting themselves as a Google rep. Seems a bit odd.
As Eric mentions, Google has treated the description very strangely in recent years. It doesn't show in most place.
Can you shed any more light on the origin of the conversation you had?
-
They meant the description. However we have since had a conversation with a different representative they didn't agree. Sounds like Google is doing some stellar training for their representatives.
-
There aren't any rules how the description should be formatted in Google's Guidelines - https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en - however it's worth noting that the description you list in your dashboard may not show up for customers searching for your service/company. Google made the shift a little while back to show a limited amount of information (NAP, website, hours of operation, reviews) which doesn't normally include the description. I haven't seen anything to suggest adding more keywords in the description will boost ranking, especially since it's a hidden element for that page.
Local SEO Guide did a great study on Local SEO ranking factors - http://www.localseoguide.com/guides/2016-local-seo-ranking-factors/
Read through that to get an idea what to test & try to get your page ranking better.
-
That would look pretty spammy to someone viewing the business page. Are you sure they did not mean on your google my business brand page?
Best!
Matthew
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Google Business Listing with no physical office location
Hey, everyone! As a business owner who works from home and doesn't have a physical office location. Is setting up a Google business listing without location going to hurt my local search ranking? Should I get a virtual office so I have a physical location? Thank you!! 😃
Local Listings | | ichorstudios0 -
Can I use the same interior photos for multiple stores in Google My Business?
Hi, The company I work for has many store locations across the country. Getting good/quality interior pictures has become very difficult for us. We recently good a Virtual Tour from Google for one of the locations, and they took some really pictures. According to Google, the "Photos should represent the actual business" and "Represent the real-world business location". My question is: since our stores are VERY similar in the interior, can we use the same pictures for them while we get more pictures? Would Google penalize this? Thanks!
Local Listings | | StantonOptical0 -
Business Name Not Showing Up in Google's Maps
I have a client whose name in not currently showing up on Google maps. Their business location only shows once their name or related keywords are searched, but their business name does not show when you only look for it on the map regardless of how far zoomed in you are to the actual location. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this, or knows of a way to fix this. I have already contacted Google multiple times, and they told me that “business’ names are just randomly pulled”. The client is an HVAC store front business with good rankings and a fully optimized Google profile, so these reasons did not answer the issue. Client’s GMB profile: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=rothheating oak creeek&oq=rothheating oak creeek&rlz=1C1JPGB_enUS685US685&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5919j0j4 DBZfF
Local Listings | | JohnWeb120 -
Another Business is Using My Client's Address
This morning my client contacted me that another business is using their address as their own! They received a Google verification postcard with pin number on it, but luckily had the foresight to not give it to the person when they called. After some research, we also found out that they are using our address on Facebook and LinkedIn as well. The kicker is: this business is another SEO firm! You would think they would know that using our address would cause NAP issues for their own business. Has anyone dealt with another business trying to hijack their address for local rankings? Any advice on steps to take to report this abuse would be appreciated. Since this person is obviously unscrupulous, we don't want to provoke them into taking any other negative action online that could affect our business.
Local Listings | | IlluminousGwen0 -
Why would a website link disappear from a Google Place listing?
Hi, a local non-profit recently re-branded their name from MacDonald Center to Maybelle Center. When they updated their business information their website link disappeared. They've updated from within and dashboard to no avail. We've requested edits/updates via Google Map maker but it says Denied. Here's a URL for the SERP result. Note the button for "website" would normally appear by the button for "directions" https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=maybelle center portland&oq=maybelle center portland&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59j69i61.4316j0j7
Local Listings | | Flock.Media
Can someone please explain why this is happening and how we can fix it? They are a great community organization who's about to receive some media coverage and we'd really appreciate it if users hearing about the group be able to easily access their new website.
They are aware of their duplicate listings but, typical of non-profits, have limited time and funds so are prioritizing to address more urgent issues first. However, I don't believe duplicate listings would cause such an issue but please let me know if I'm wrong here
0 -
Google My Business - bulk location upload vs. single upload
Hi there, I have a question regarding Google My Business listings: We currently have a business with few offices (less than 10). Each office has it's Google listing under the same Google account.
Local Listings | | OrendaLtd
We plan on opening new offices at a certain pace, let's say two a month, which means we'll have more than 10 listings in the near future.
As far as I recall, Google allows up to 10 listings per account, which means it won't suffice. On the other hand, We do not have 10 offices at the time being, which means we're not eligible for a bulk upload. Any ideas how to handle this situation?0 -
How to deal with wrong location in Google SERP
Hi, If I understand correctly, Google provides search results based on the location of the user. That's fine, because most of my clients are local. But if I look at my own search results, Google thinks I'm in a totally different town. Most likely based on my IP address. Of course I can solve that for myself, but the same goes for my potential clients. Is there a way to deal with this, from an seo perspective? For instance find out where most of the the IP providers are located and target that location?
Local Listings | | Houdoe1 -
2 Businesses + Same Address = Not a Problem?
Imagine someone who has 2 separate businesses with the same (home) address. Both are verified Google My Business G+ pages, each with its own separate website. Essentially the old business that is being de-emphasized is a guitar lesson teacher's studio. This G+ page is set as a storefront where people come to. The new business is similar, it is music lessons (private in-home instruction). This G+ page is set to have a service area - this goes along with their new business model. We all know that consistent NAP is essential BUT do you think these are competing against each other because they share an address even though the businesses are separate?
Local Listings | | Rich_Coffman0