Finally, it is here! You can connect your Google Brand page to your Google Location.
Google Location (originally called Google Places or Google Local) pages; were automatically set up by Google when discovering a bricks and mortar property. Google Brand pages were commonly set up by companies wishing to utilise Google+.
There came a confusion (due to lack of forward thinking from Google) and companies ended up with two Google+ pages. One verified Google Location page and one all singing Google Brand page.
The Location page came up on Google searches as a result via Google maps, but had no link to a Brand page.
Connect your Google Brand page to your Google Location
As long as the address on the Google Location exactly matches the address on the Google Brand page you can now connect your Google Brand page to your location, hurray!
This means your brand page will show up on Google maps.
How to connect your Google Brand page to your Google Location
Follow the instructions below to connect your Google Brand page to your Google Location:
Go to Google My Business. Click on your LOCATIONS, find the Google Location in question.
(What is ‘Google My Business’?)
Click MANAGE LOCATION.
Go to SETTINGS by clicking on the avatar, top right.
At the bottom of this page, under the PROFILE title there is a button called: CONNECT A DIFFERENT PAGE. It is not very noticable.
Click that button.
NB. This button only appears if there is a brand page set up at exactly the same address as the location.
The dialogue box lets you know that the location is currently connected to a certain page. To change that page use the drop down menu and change to the Google Brand page of your choice.
Click NEXT.
Check that you are happy for all the changes to take place.
Click CONFIRM.
The first time I went through the process, it hung for a while. I just refreshed and then started again. It worked the second time.
Almost instantly, in Google search results, I saw my brand page coming up on Google maps instead of my old Google Location page. Perfect.
Your old ‘Location’ page will now be listed under your Brand pages in Google My Business, as a backup.
Google Location, ‘backup page’
The only problem with the above process I can see at the moment is that my old Google Location page is still showing up in Google search results. I will keep an eye on that and see if it eventually disappears. I would of said that Google would be on to this seeing as they know the page is now redundant.
I am aware I can delete the ‘backup’ page through the Google My Business dashboard, but I am not willing to do that until the results disappear from the Google search page. I will come back to you on that one.
Geek update: Two weeks later the back up page comes up in Google search results. I typed in “kaydee web google page” and could actually view the page titled “Backup of Kaydee Web“. Serious blunder on Google’s part! I’ve deleted the backup page from my BRANDS in hope that the SERPs will stop picking it up.
Deleting your old Google Location page
If you want to delete the old Google Location page, be aware it is now listed as a ‘back up’ under BRANDS in Google My Business:
Go to Google My Business.
Click BRANDS.
Find the Brand backup page in question. Click MANAGE PAGE.
Go to settings by clicking on the avatar, top right.
Right at the bottom of this page, after the PROFILE section there is DELETE button.
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