March 2021

New Google My Business Messenger for Desktop: What Tire and Auto Service Dealers Need to Know Before Using it

Google recently rolled out Google My Business messaging on desktop. Before this update, you were only able to manage the messaging service from your mobile phone through the GMB app - and before that, through SMS.

Why you should care that Google My Business Messenger is now on desktop

The Google My Business Messenger service will help you connect directly with your searchers faster than ever to answer their questions and attract more in-store visits and conversions. While you’re at the shop, you’re utilizing a desktop computer, and let’s admit it – it’s so much faster (and more convenient) to type on a full-size keyboard. Having Google My Business Messenger now on desktop will definitely make the process of responding to your customer inquiries easier and more efficient.

How to turn on your GMB messaging:

  1. Sign into Google My Business
  2. Click Messages - Settings
  3. Turn on Messaging
Google My Business Messaging

After completing these steps, you have the ability to utilize Google My Business Messenger service on your desktop computer. Now your customers can message your Business Profile on Google Search and Google Maps, making it easier for them to connect with you.

It’s worth noting that you will need to respond to a customer’s inquiries within 24 hours, or your access to the Google My Business Messenger service could be revoked. This is because Google takes its user experience seriously, and by giving your company a set amount of time to respond, Google can ensure quality companies are using the Google My Business Messenger service.

However, if you do happen to lose access to the Google My Business Messenger Service, you can easily go through the opt-in process again.

One perk to the Google My Business Messenger service is the ability to customize the automated welcome message that customers will get when they message you. However, these automated responses won’t count as a “real” response within that 24-hour window.

Your typical response time will be published on your Google My Business listing, so there’s even more incentive to respond in a timely manner. When potential customers search for your tire and auto services business on Google Search and Google Maps, they are able to see your messaging response time, which can be categorized as one of the following:

  • Usually responds in a few minutes
  • Usually responds in a few hours
  • Usually responds in a day

While utilizing Google My Business Messenger is a great way to optimize your Google My Business listing, we’ve compiled other ways to further optimize your listing, which improves your search rankings – bringing more digital traffic to your tire and auto services business. Other than messaging, here's how you can optimize your Google My Business listings to improve your local search rankings.

It takes time, resources, and effort to optimize your Google My Business page for local SEO, but the return on investment is terrific. Contact us today through the form below and see how we can be your partner in optimizing your listing.

Along with the best- in-class tire shop software, ASA Automotive provides a full spectrum of integrated digital marketing services, including: social media, listings management, reputation building, integrated websites, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and consumer-facing products to help drive traffic to your shop.