Back in June I wrote about Google’s plans to let its Gemini AI help run your Google Business Profile, and the frustrating news that UK businesses would have to wait. So it makes a pleasant change to write about something where we’re actually near the front of the queue.
Google has started testing something called Google Business Home. Google’s own help page confirms that it’s a closed beta “available only to select business categories in the US and the UK”. In short, it’s a single dashboard that brings together your Google Business Profile, Google Ads, YouTube and Merchant Center (the tool for listing products on Google Shopping). Google describes it as “a growth partner built with Gemini models”. Gemini is Google’s AI assistant.
If you’ve had a Business Profile for a while, you may remember that Google moved away from a separate dashboard and had us edit our profiles directly in Google Search and Maps. Business Home looks like a return to a proper “home” for your business, with a lot more bolted on.
What can it do?
According to Google, the first version covers four main areas. You can create content for your profile using AI writing and photo tools, while keeping control over what gets published. You can manage your locations, including updating opening hours and replying to reviews. There’s “growth guidance”, which Google says turns your data into “prioritized, actionable steps”. There’s also AI-powered customer messaging using RCS. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a newer form of text messaging that supports pictures and buttons. Google also says that over time it wants Business Home to spot things like sudden surges in demand and help you publish seasonal offers, including on social media. That’s a promise rather than something you can use today, so I’d take it with a pinch of salt for now.
Can I get it?
Probably not yet, unless Google invites you. There’s no sign-up form. Google is emailing invitations to eligible businesses, with a button to “View your business home”, and it has been rolling these out slowly over the past couple of months.
To be eligible, you need to be based in the UK or US and be in one of the selected business categories. Google hasn’t published the list. You also need to be the owner or manager of a verified Business Profile with fewer than ten locations, and run just one type of business. Accounts that look after two quite different businesses, such as a café and a clothes shop, aren’t supported yet. You can connect one YouTube channel, one Google Ads account and one Merchant Center account.
For most of the small businesses I work with, the Business Profile is the most valuable free marketing tool they have. It’s also the one that gets forgotten. Anything that makes it easier to keep up to date, post regularly and reply to reviews is welcome, and having everything in one place should help.
I do have two thoughts. First, AI-written posts are only as good as what you give them. Google’s tools can save you time, but they don’t know your customers or your town the way you do, so always read what they write before it goes live. Second, this is still a beta. Features will come and go, and things may change quite a bit before it reaches everyone (if it ever does).
A word of caution
Whenever Google launches something new, scammers follow close behind. If an email claims to be your Business Home invitation, don’t click straight through without thinking. Check that it really came from Google, and if in doubt, sign in to your Google account the usual way rather than through the link. And remember that Google does not cold-call small businesses, so it won’t ring you to “activate” anything.
What to do now
You don’t need to do anything until an invitation arrives. In the meantime, the best preparation is the same as ever. Make sure your Business Profile is verified, your details and opening hours are accurate, you post now and then, and you reply to reviews. If Business Home does land in your inbox, you’ll be ready to make the most of it.
Need a hand?
If you’d like help getting your Google Business Profile in shape, or you’ve had an invitation and want a second opinion on whether it’s worth switching on, get in touch. I help small businesses in Rugby and across Warwickshire get the most from Google, and I’m always happy to have a chat.
