The dropping of the Google+ account requirement for leaving business reviews is only the latest in a number of recent changes to the platform. Here are five more ways the recent enhancements to Google+ are changing how your dealership info is viewed and managed.
1. More similarities between Pages and Profiles
While G+ once followed a model similar to Facebook with a clear distinction between profiles and pages, the platform is now moving closer to a Twitter model where there is a bit more ambiguity as to whether you are viewing a business page or a personal profile. Brand pages look nearly identical to personal profiles other than the information presented in the “About” window.
2. Fully managed through Google My Business
If you’re logged in and attempt to edit your Google+ business page you will be redirected to the Google My Business dashboard where you can manage all pertinent business information such as address, phone number, hours, etc. However, while you’re able to input all of this information, only limited business details will surface in the "About" section of your Google+ page.
3. A more limited "About" section
With the redesign, only limited business info will be available in the "About" section. Only address, phone, and URL appear to be consistently displayed. Hours and business category have now been removed.
4. Review information removed
Google+ is separating itself as a true social channel and divesting itself of review content on pages. This information will now live within Google searches (as part of the Knowledge Graph) and Google Maps.
5. Photos and YouTube tabs removed
Photos were previously aggregated from all of your G+ posts into a “Photos” tab on your profile. Google is serving its photo-focused users by building out a more robust photo platform in Google Photos. In doing so, it is removing the “Photos” section to keep photo sharing and editing functions centralized in this new tool. Additionally, the YouTube link that you may have set up for your business still exists in My Business. This allows you to aggregate Insights from YouTube and G+ into one interface. However, the YouTube tab that once allowed all of your YouTube videos to surface in a single repository on G+ is now a thing of the past.