Google has some of the most useful tools and services to benefit your business in the digital age than anyone could have predicted. Just like how I was confused when I first heard about Google Plus and Google My Business, there are many people looking for answers and trying to understand the difference between these two amazing tools. This guide will hopefully help you understand not only how these two tools are entirely different services offered by Google, but how you can use them to the advantage of your business

Google My Business

To put it simply, as per Official Google my Business Page, “Google My Business connects you directly with customers, whether they’re looking for your business on Google Search, Google Maps or Google Plus” Here’s an example of the screenshot of how Web Choice UK is listed in Google my Business listing.

Formerly known as “Google Places For Business”, is about connecting your business to your visitors through Insights, Maps, Search, Google+, and Analytics. It is the interface between you and Google local search activity. Google my Business is your online dashboard for your business and it shows you different channels that define your business on Google.

The first thing you’ll notice after setting up your company on Google my Business is Google’s location feature. Usually, when you look up a business in Google, you’ll see a range of information in a beautifully laid out card on the right-hand side of the listing page. It includes the business name, photos, a map, reviews, contact details, and operating hours. This gives visitors more information and assures them of the reputation of the business. This is increasingly becoming a snippet that users are getting familiar with about the authority, reputation and authenticity of a business.

And the good news is of this can be managed in your Google My Business account. You can choose which photos visitors will see and what details to share and update your business. Once you create a location, Google will send you a verification, either by a return automated phone call, an email or a postcard within 4 days to confirm that the location is real. Once you input the code from that postcard, Google will list your location on the search engine and bingo, you stand to reap the benefits of the amazing Google My Business Page Listing!

One of the most amazing benefits of Google My Business is that it gives you key data with insights, analytics and reviews. Insights show how many views and click your website may get whereas reviews show the world what your customers say about you as a business, the products and services your business offered.

Google my Business also gives you the option to access your business’s analytics account where, you can manage your presence on Google’s social network, and yield important data on who your visitors are, and how they interact with your website.

Google Plus

Google Plus, on the other hand, has a massive difference. It is a social networking platform very similar to Facebook when it comes to its core features. With Google+, you can share links, videos, pictures, and other content with people who share your interests, just like how you would do on Facebook.  But the major difference is, this information acts as a power source and influence for your business SEO. It is understandable if Google slightly favours businesses with a strong Google Plus presence in giving a better placement and ranking!

So, What’s the difference?

Google Plus as Part of Business

While Google+ is its own thing, Google my Business allows you to link your accounts together, furthering the point that Business acts as a dashboard for your business online. Google+ is just one aspect of Google my Business, which contains a number of other features.

The Social Element 

Google my Business is everything to do with how people find your business and how they get there. Google+ is about what kind of things people talk about your business. Google my Business is more like a powerful dashboard which allows you to see different kinds of information that relates to how your business is found on Google. Google+ is a social network, that allows you to more closely connect with your visitors online.  

Getting Found Easily with a Full Side Listing on Google Search Results Page. 

If you only have Google+ set up, only your social network will show up when you search online for your business, with your posts and number of followers associated with it. However, if you have Google my Business set up, you’ll have access to those additional business details on the side of the listings, from a full citation (Name, Address, Phone Number) to your business hours, to your website URL. Google my Business provides a far more detailed and comprehensive look into your business as a listing.

What Google Says about the Difference Between Google My Business and Google Plus.

“Google my Business is a dashboard that helps list your business on Search and Maps. It is specifically for business listings. It’s the information that comes up when customers search for your business.” “Google Plus is one kind of element attached to Google My Business which represents your company on Google’s social media website. Every time you search for a person or a business, you can see their followers, photos, and videos. It’s your business on Google’s social network.”