What you need to know
- Google has announced a new profile attribute for Asian-owned businesses.
- The tool will allow business owners in the United States to identify themselves as Asian-owned.
- The attribute will be visible to all users across Google Maps and Search.
Google has done a great job of supporting Black-owned, Latino-owned, veteran-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses by displaying their corresponding badges in Google Search and Maps. The company is now extending that tool to Asian-owned businesses.
The search giant announced today that it is rolling out a new tool that allows business owners to identify themselves as Asian-owned through Google Maps and Search listings. The optional attribute will make it easier for users to find Asian-owned businesses nearby.
Merchants in the United States with a verified profile on Google will be able to edit their existing listing on Google and choose the attribute that indicates they're Asian-owned.
"As we were building this feature, we worked with hundreds of Asian-owned businesses to ensure the attribute celebrates our diverse and unique cultures," Leanne Luce, a product manager for Google Search, wrote in a blog post.
It's perhaps worth noting that the tool is optional, so businesses can choose whether to include the attribute on their profile or not.
In addition, Google will provide ad-supported publishers with the option to identify as Asian-owned in Display & Video 360’s Marketplace in the coming weeks.
Google also announced plans to expand its existing partnership with the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC) to help Asian-owned small businesses thrive. Through its Grow with Google initiative, the company will collaborate with the USPAACC to provide digital skills to 10,000 Asian-owned small businesses. That's on top of the more than 20,000 Asian-owned businesses that have already benefited from the alliance.
The latest announcement is an expansion of Google's support for marginalized communities. In June, it introduced new LGBTQ+ badges for businesses, allowing merchants to showcase their business as LGBTQ+ friendly.
