The "Costly" Struggle of Managing Multi-Location Brands
If you manage a brand with multiple outlets in Kerala, like a restaurant chain with branches in Kochi, Calicut, and Trivandrum, you know the struggle
For years, posting a simple “Onam Offer” or “Monsoon Special” across 10 or 20 locations was a nightmare. You either had to copy-paste the post 20 times manually (wasting hours) or pay for expensive third-party tools like Hootsuite or Localo just to get the “bulk posting” feature.
That changed in Kerala, Indian Market
Google has officially rolled out Multi-Location Publishing natively within the Google Business Profile dashboard. As a GBP expert in Kerala, I can tell you: this is a game-changer for chain businesses.
What is the New Update?
According to a recent announcement from Lisa Landsman (Global Business Development at Google), two major features have been released to help businesses save time.
The biggest one for us? Multi-Location Publishing. Google now allows you to “create a single post and apply it instantly to multiple business locations in one click”.
Why This is Huge for Kerala Businesses
Before this update, local SEO experts (myself included) often had to ask clients to increase their budget to cover software subscriptions. We needed external tools just to ensure your “Weekend Biryani Offer” went live on all your map listings at the same time.
Now, Google has made this free and built-in.
Who Benefits the Most?
This feature is a lifesaver for:
Chain Restaurants: Think of brands like Chicking or KFC. If they launch a “Wednesday Bucket” deal, they can now push that offer to every outlet’s Google Map listing instantly from a single dashboard.
Retail Showrooms: Textile giants or jewelry brands with showrooms across Kerala districts.
Service Centers: Multi-location clinics or vehicle service networks.
How It Works
The process is simple and mimics what we used to pay for:
- Create your Post: Write your update or offer (e.g., “New Year Sale – 50% Off”).
- Select Locations: Instead of posting to just one profile, you can now select all or specific locations linked to your account.
- Publish Once: Hit the button, and the update goes live across the state instantly.
The "Hidden" Benefit: SEO Consistency
Beyond saving money, this ensures NAP Consistency (Name, Address, Phone + Content). When all your locations are active and updated simultaneously, it sends a strong signal to Google’s algorithm that your brand is active and relevant everywhere. This helps rank your individual outlets higher in “Near Me” searches in their respective cities.
Google is making it easier for businesses to manage their presence without relying on paid tools. If you are still paying for a scheduler just to post to multiple locations, it might be time to cancel that subscription and switch to the native dashboard.
Need help setting up your location groups? Managing multiple locations requires a clean, verified structure to work correctly. If you need help organizing your location groups to use this new feature, contact me today.