SEO Wash-up Monday 23rd May 22

Google Update

Google Search local business listing tests “More About” button – Google is testing a new button in the local panel for business listings, which has a “more about” button. The button drives someone from the web search version of the local listing to the more detailed overview tab section of this local listing.

Free Google hotel listings expand to search & maps, adds reporting & controls – Google mentioned that the free Google hotel listing that was released a year ago is now expanding. Google will now show these free hotel listings in Google Search and Google Maps, along with some more reporting and hotel controls for management.

Google mentions that these free Google Hotel listings will show up on the SERPs and Google Maps. After clicking on these links, a traveller can complete their booking directly on the partner’s website.

Google has also added new click reporting in the Google Hotel Center that shows hotel partners how many people clicked on their free booking links. This will expand the report to include other insights, like free booking link impressions and booking value, in the coming weeks.  Furthermore, soon hotels can display their rates and availability on Google through Google Business Profiles. So at the beginning of next month, individual hotels that meet eligibility requirements can manually input their rates through their Google Business Profile to participate in free hotel booking links.

Google adds business profiles managers controls in web search – Google is continuously moving more and more business editing features and controls to the web search results and outside of the Google Business Profile Manager, which was formerly known as ‘Google My Business manager’. Well now you can also manage the managers and those who have access to edit your business profile in the web search results.

Google Image search lens tests search, text & translate options – Back in 2018, the search giant added a Lens button to the mobile search image results. That eventually came to desktop as Google more tightly integrated Lens into Image Search. Well now users are seeing Google test options for search, text and translate using Google Lens in Google Image Search.

There has been chatter and screenshots shared of the search, text and translate options for Lens in Google Images on social media. Although I cannot replicate or do not see these three options yet, but maybe Google is rolling it out now or maybe Google is testing it still.