By Tolulope Akinyele, Google Partners & SMB lead, Nigeria
Small businesses are crucial to our communities. As cities and economies start to reopen, people are looking for ways to support their favorite small businesses. This week, as we celebrate Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Week, we’ve compiled four Google Maps tips anyone can use to help small businesses during the pandemic.
Report a place as re-opened on Google Maps
Business owners may not have the time or resources to keep the information on their online listing updated. If you know a business has reopened to the public, but it’s still marked as closed on Google Search or Maps, you can report it as re-opened. Click on the “Temporarily Closed” banner on the business and select “Suggest an edit” to let us know that the business has reopened. And for businesses that have reopened with different hours, you can also submit updated open hours information too.
Spread the word with reviews, ratings and photos
Share your experience. Writing about a restaurant’s well-executed takeout window or adding photos of the menu or dish you ordered in your Maps review can help businesses you love attract more customers.
Answer questions and check the facts
You can share useful insights about places that you’ve visited by answering easy questions that pop up on Google Maps. You can also verify information about places that other people submit before it’s published on Google Maps.
Order delivery or takeout
Many restaurants and cafes that are closed for dine-in service have pivoted to takeout and delivery. If you’re not in the mood to cook, treat yourself while supporting one of your local restaurants. Use Google Maps to find restaurants around you that are offering takeout or delivery.
Use Plus Codes to help people find small businesses
Is one of your local businesses in an area that doesn’t have a street name? You can help people find them by using Plus Codes. Simply drop a pin on Google Maps and share the alphanumeric code with friends and family who then use the Google Maps search bar to get directions to the business.
How to start?
We encourage you to join the Local Guides community (g.co/localguides) which includes millions of people from around the world that continue to share their experience on Google Maps in order to help businesses they love attract more customers. With each contribution, Local Guides earn points which allow them to move up through Levels #1-10. With each new level comes new opportunities to earn such as badge distinctions within Google Maps, early access to new Google products and access to exclusive perks.
