All You Need to Know About Google My Business Short Names

Google continues to revolutionize the way small businesses market their solutions through online advertising, search engines, and Google My Business. Google My Business is a free platform launched in 2014, whose purpose is to give businesses more control of what appears when someone searches for them online.

Through Google My Business, small businesses can indicate what time they're usually open, location, address, contacts, add photos or videos, and more. In April 2019, Google started rolling out "short names," an addition on Google My Business to help businesses enable more accessibility to their pages. Here's a breakdown of the new feature, as well as how it works.

What is Google My Business Short Name?

A Google My Business short name is a short or customized name that you can add to your Google Business profile to allow users to find your listing easily. The short name can be up to 32 characters and has to be unique, meaning no other business the world over can have the same short name as you. Because each short name has to be unique, it's advisable to select your short name as soon as possible.

Once you have a short name, you can start using g.page/shortname to drive traffic to your Google My Business listing. Try it out by navigating to g.page/IgnitingBusiness which is our selected short name.

Eligibility for Short Name

If your business has a verified Google My Business account, you're eligible to create a short name.

How to Create a Short Name

To create a short name on your computer, simply:

1. Sign in to Google My Business
2. Select your location
3. On the left side of the menu click "Info" then click "Add profile short name."
4. Add your no more than 32 characters name
5. Click "Apply."

Your short name will appear as "Pending." When it's ready, it will appear on your business profile.

If you're creating a short name via a mobile device, follow these steps:

1. Go to Google My Business App
2. Go to "Info," followed by "Add profile short name."
3. Save changes

The short name will indicate as "Pending" until it's processed, then it will show on your business profile.

Can I Change My Google My Business Short Name?

Yes, you can change your short name up to three times per year. We don’t recommend changing your short name frequently. However, if you selected the wrong short name, or rather have a different short name more optimized for marketing purposes, we recommend you update it as soon as possible as there is no guarantee your desired short name will be available in the future.

Benefits of a Google My Business Short Name

A short name is a great way to quickly connect people to your location, so they can learn more about your small business easily, get directions, or leave a review. You can have the link on your social media pages, business cards, and any other places where your business is listed. When a customer calls you, you can direct them with your short name, enabling more interactions with your business.

Claiming and using your short name is the first step. Long term, we anticipate that Google will continue to add on more functionality for Google My Business short names in the future.

Do you have questions about Google My Business short names? Contact us to discuss further with a member of our SEO team.