Updating your Google My Business listing is a really important factor in continually managing and optimizing the information that existing and potential customers can see. Understandably, a lot of business owners come to see my sage advice about exactly how long it takes for those edits to go live!
In this quick guide, I’ll run you through everything you need to know about Google’s usual turnaround time, why things may take a little longer to go live, and why your edits may get rejected.
Google’s Turnaround Time For Edits
If you’ve checked out any of my other Gorilla-Approved™ guides, you’ve probably seen me make this disclaimer:
“It can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for any changes to your profile to go live.”
For those with an eye for the finer details, you may have noticed this disclaimer at the bottom of many GMB update screens:
And, if you’ve checked out Google My Business’s guide on submitting edits, you may have seen their disclaimer:
“Note: It typically takes several minutes to see accepted edits publicly in Search and Maps.”
Now, in my experience – edits most commonly take between 24-48 hours to go live. In some cases, I’ve seen edits go live in a couple of minutes or hours. In other situations, such as more in-depth changes to your profile (like the address), changes can take up to 3 days to go live!
As with most things in life, the time it takes for certain things to happen can vary. However, it’s safest to assume that your edits will not go live immediately. By taking this delay into account, you can stay on top of your profile by making important changes before the last minute.
Why Google May Take Longer to Publish Your Edits
Although the usual time it takes edits to go live on a Google My Business profile is anywhere from 12-48 hours in most cases, this timeline has really shifted over the last year.
Ever since our worlds changed in 2020, Google has gone through the same changes that many other businesses went through. Now, GMB is more short-staffed than ever, with much of Google My Business’s team working from home.
As a result, their turnaround time for edits may take longer than usual to go live! Even when you submit a ticket to GMB, they note that they may take much longer than usual to respond due to changes with their staff.
So, when you need to make a change to your profile, make sure you do it sooner rather than later since some changes may take much longer than 12-48 hours to go live!
Google Can Reject Edits: Here’s Why
As you’re making changes to your profile, it’s extremely important that you pay attention to Google My Business’s Quality Guidelines.
If you make any changes that go against their policy, your edits may get rejected. This is also the case with GMB Posts, images, and videos that you try to upload to your profile, too!
While getting an edit rejected may not cause any long-term problems with your profile, if you make any egregious violations of Google’s policy, you may actually lose access to your profile.
Lost in the Jungle? Let the King of the Jungle Help You
When it comes to managing your profile, you don’t have to wander through this dark, digital jungle alone. Let the Gorilla step in to guide you to the top of the food chain. Learn more about our easy onboarding process and simple management package.
