How Google is Helping Small Businesses Stand Out During the Holiday Season

The holiday season is a critical time for small businesses, and Google is stepping up its efforts to support these merchants on its platforms. In a recent blog post, Google announced several new features aimed at helping small businesses stand out and connect with holiday shoppers. These features include AI-powered product image generation, enhanced business information panels, and labels identifying “small business” listings. Let’s explore these new features in detail and see how they can benefit small businesses during the holiday season.

1. Introducing “Small Business” Labels in Search and Maps

To make it easier for shoppers to find and support small businesses, Google is adding a “small business” label to qualifying companies’ Search and Maps listings. This label will help distinguish small businesses from larger players and highlight their presence to potential customers. Businesses can identify themselves as small businesses in Google’s Merchant Center and Business Profile platforms. Additionally, Google will automatically add the label based on factors such as the number of products offered and web traffic. This new feature aligns with the growing consumer preference for supporting local and small businesses.

2. AI-Powered Product Image Generation with Product Studio

Another exciting feature introduced by Google is the expansion of its AI-powered Product Studio tool. This tool is now available to all U.S. Merchant Center Next users and Shopify merchants using the Google & YouTube app. With the AI-powered product image generation feature, merchants can create compelling visuals for their products by describing an imagined scenario. Google’s text-to-image AI model then generates images that align with the merchant’s description. Merchants can easily customize and reuse effective prompts to consistently generate on-brand, creative images. This tool saves merchants time and effort, allowing them to create diverse social media and e-commerce images faster than ever before.

3. Displaying More Business Info Directly in Search Results

In an effort to build consumer trust and confidence in small businesses, Google is displaying more key business information directly in Search results. This includes details such as deals, shipping policies, and customer reviews. These expanded panels showcase authoritative business information from across the web, providing potential customers with valuable insights about small businesses. The addition of this information aims to bridge the gap between unfamiliar but legitimate small businesses and consumers. Similar expanded panels have already proven successful in driving over 2.3 billion free connections like calls, directions, and reviews for local businesses on Google Business Profiles in 2022.

4. The Importance of the Holiday Season for Small Business Sales

The holiday season represents a major sales opportunity for small businesses, making it crucial for them to stand out and attract customers. Supporting small and local businesses has become an essential value for many consumers. However, Google has faced criticism in the past for favoring larger players over small businesses. With the introduction of these new features, Google aims to level the playing field and provide small merchants with the tools they need to succeed during the holiday season. By helping small businesses stand out, Google can address some of the concerns raised about its support for smaller merchants.

5. Leveraging AI-Powered Visual Generation in Product Studio

The expansion of the AI-powered Product Studio tool offers small businesses a unique opportunity to differentiate themselves from the competition. By leveraging this free tool, merchants can create visually appealing and on-brand images for their products. The AI-powered feature allows for easy customization, removing backgrounds, improving image resolution with just one click, and generating images based on prompt descriptions. This enables small businesses to showcase their products in creative and eye-catching ways, attracting the attention of potential customers. Utilizing these AI tools in Product Studio can give small businesses an edge over their competitors.

6. Optimizing Google Business Profile and Merchant Center Listings

To fully benefit from the new features introduced by Google, small businesses should ensure that their Google Business Profile and Merchant Center listings contain accurate and up-to-date information. This includes providing details about deals, customer service, and shipping/return policies. By optimizing these listings, small businesses can take advantage of the expanded business information panels and increase their visibility to potential customers. Accurate and comprehensive information builds trust and confidence, making it more likely for shoppers to choose small businesses over larger competitors.

7. The Impact of Supporting Small Businesses

Supporting small businesses has become increasingly important for consumers. According to a survey, 84% of people say that supporting local and/or small businesses is important to them. By adding the “small business” label to Search and Maps listings, Google makes it easier for shoppers to find and support these businesses. This increased visibility can lead to higher sales and sustained growth for small merchants. Additionally, by displaying more key business information directly in Search results, Google helps consumers make informed decisions and builds trust between small businesses and potential customers.

8. Conclusion

With the introduction of new features, Google is taking steps to support small businesses and help them stand out during the holiday season. The addition of “small business” labels, AI-powered product image generation, and enhanced business information panels all contribute to creating a level playing field for small businesses. By leveraging these features and optimizing their Google Business Profile and Merchant Center listings, small businesses can increase their visibility, attract more customers, and drive sales during the critical holiday shopping season. Supporting small businesses is not only important to individual merchants but also to the overall economy and local communities. By choosing to support small businesses, consumers can make a significant impact and contribute to the growth and success of these vital economic contributors.