Google is automatically adding a large “Request a Quote” button to eligible business listings in search results.
Joy Hawkins was first to spot this feature and she shared a screenshot on Twitter:
Whoa…the "Request a Quote" button is now showing on branded searches on desktop and it's HUGE. pic.twitter.com/efGv29wSOK
— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) July 24, 2019
The button also appears in mobile search results when the business name is searched for.
I, along with others, can replicate this feature which means it’s not just a test. However, it is limited to certain business listings.
Specifically, businesses that have opted into the Google My Business messaging feature will have the “request a quote” button added to their listing
You can turn on messaging for your business listing by following the steps below:
- Open the Google My Business app.
- Open the location you’d like to manage.
- Tap Customers.
- Tap Messages.
- Tap Turn on.
Messages received from customers can be viewed and responded to from the Google My Business app. Users will receive messages on their Google Maps app.
This has the potential to generate more leads for businesses. Although it also does what Google has been often criticized for doing – which is keeping people in Google.
Searchers can now request quotes from businesses without ever visiting the business’s website. It can all be done within Google’s services.
Clearly, that’s not great for traffic. But the purpose of a business website, for the most part, is to generate leads.
So is it a bad thing if Google sends leads without the traffic?
That’s up to the individual business owner to determine. But it’s one of the more interesting aspects of this update that isn’t getting talked about.
