Apple is slowly trying to pry eyeballs away from Google. While Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year to keep its search engine as a default for Apple products, Apple is slowly building out infrastructure to compete with Google directly. The latest development is Apple Business Connect, a tool that allows businesses of all sizes to claim their location place cards and customize the way key information appears to more than a billion Apple users across Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri, and other apps.
This move also severs the dependency on Yelp information by bolstering its own property for businesses on Apple Maps. Business Connect pages now support native reviews instead of relying on a feed from Yelp which may very well be the best part of the new design.
From Apple: “We created Business Connect to provide Apple users around the world with the most accurate information for places to eat, shop, travel, and more,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “Apple Business Connect gives every business owner the tools they need to connect with customers more directly and take more control over the way billions of people see and engage with their products and services every day.”
A Welcome Addition to Local SEO with Apple Business Connect
This is a great opportunity for businesses to get better information to consumers earlier in their path to purchase and the interface makes it easy to update and correct. While it does represent another property that is not owned by the business, it does provide a good place to promote your brand and should be included in your business Brand Stack (Google Business Profile, Facebook Page, Bing for Places, and Apple Maps)
We are currently updating all of our clients on this new feature and would love to help other local businesses in Northern VA.
If you are looking for help with your Local SEO and other marketing, contact us and let’s talk about growing your business.
