Google Business Profile Editorial Summaries

What Are Google Business Profile Editorial Summaries?

Google Business Profile editorial summaries are concise, descriptive phrases that appear on Google Maps to give users a quick snapshot of what a business offers. Unlike business descriptions (which owners can edit), editorial summaries are created by Google's writers to provide objective, helpful information about businesses to potential customers.

These summaries typically appear directly on the map or alongside review and rating information in the "review summary" section when users click on a business listing. For example, you might see phrases like "Southwestern fare in a modern setting" for a restaurant or "Cozy boutique with vintage clothing" for a retail store.

Why Editorial Summaries Matter for Your Business

Editorial summaries serve as first impressions for many potential customers browsing Google Maps. They:

• Provide instant context about your business without requiring users to read through reviews
• Help differentiate your business from competitors at a glance
• Influence user perception and click-through rates
• Appear prominently in mobile and desktop search results

For businesses with physical locations, these summaries can significantly impact foot traffic and customer acquisition, making them an important element of your local SEO strategy.

Editorial Summaries vs. Other Business Summaries on Google Maps

Google Maps features three distinct types of business summaries, each serving different purposes:

1. Business Descriptions

• Created by: Business owners
• Can be edited: Yes
• Focus: Details about what the business offers, its history, and unique selling points
• Best for: Communicating your brand voice and highlighting key differentiators

2. Editorial Summaries

• Created by: Google's writers
• Can be edited: No
• Focus: Objective snapshot of business offerings and atmosphere
• Best for: Giving potential customers quick, neutral insights about a business

3. Customer Review Snippets

• Created by: Algorithmically generated from customer reviews
• Can be edited: No
• Focus: Highlighting common themes mentioned in reviews
• Best for: Showing prospective customers what current customers appreciate or notice

How Google Creates Editorial Summaries

Google employs writers to craft these summaries based on various factors:

• Business category and primary offerings
• Information from your Google Business Profile
• Photos of your business
• Customer reviews and common themes
• Physical attributes of the business location

The goal is to create an accurate, helpful description that helps users decide whether your business meets their needs.

Can You Change Your Editorial Summary?

One of the most common questions business owners have is whether they can edit their editorial summary. The simple answer is no—these summaries are created and controlled entirely by Google. However, while you can't directly edit the editorial summary, you can influence it by:

• Ensuring your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate
• Maintaining consistent business information across the web
• Encouraging genuine customer reviews
• Uploading high-quality photos that accurately represent your business

How to Optimize for Better Editorial Summaries

Although you can't control what Google writes in your editorial summary, you can take steps to help ensure it accurately reflects your business:

Complete Your Google Business Profile

Provide comprehensive information about your business, including:

• Accurate business category selection
• Complete services or product lists
• Detailed business attributes
• Operating hours
• Website link

Curate Your Visual Presence

• Upload professional, representative photos of your business
• Include images of your products, services, and atmosphere
• Regularly update your photo gallery to reflect seasonal changes or renovations

Manage Your Reviews

• Respond to customer reviews professionally
• Address negative feedback constructively
• Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences

Maintain Consistent NAP Information

Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone number are consistent across:

• Your website
• Google Business Profile
• Social media accounts
• Business directories and citation sites

What to Do If Your Editorial Summary Is Inaccurate

If your Google Maps editorial summary contains factual errors that misrepresent your business, you can request a review:

1. Contact Google Support through your Google Business Profile
2. Specifically explain why the summary is factually incorrect
3. Provide evidence to support your claim

It's important to note that Google only removes or changes editorial summaries in specific circumstances:

• The summary describes services your business doesn't offer
• The summary associates your business with unrelated information

Google will not remove summaries simply because they're unclear or present your business in a less favorable light than you'd prefer.

Place Topics and Review Snippets: Related Features

Google editorial summaries often work alongside other features like Place Topics and review snippets to give users a comprehensive understanding of your business.

Place Topics

Place Topics highlight recurring themes from your customer reviews. These are:

• Generated automatically based on common keywords in reviews
• Created only when your business has sufficient quality reviews
• Not manageable by business owners
• Clickable for users to filter reviews by specific topics

Review Snippets

Review snippets showcase the most commonly mentioned phrases from your Google reviews:

• Bold text highlights frequently used terms
• Shows the number of users who mentioned those terms
• May be created from Place Topics
• Can vary based on device, platform, language, or location

Both these features complement editorial summaries by providing additional context about your business from the customer perspective.

Hotel-Specific Review Summaries

Hotels have an additional review summary system. Some hotels display review summaries licensed from TrustYou, a third-party service that:

• Creates review summaries by aggregating scores from across the web
• Combines Google user reviews with third-party reviews in a unified section
• Helps users make more informed decisions directly from Google Maps

This system applies to hotels working with eligible third-party providers and doesn't require a Google Business Profile.

Best Practices for Business Owners

To maximize the benefits of Google editorial summaries and related features:

• Monitor your Google Maps presence regularly to see how your business is being presented
• Compare your editorial summary with competitors to identify potential improvements
• Address negative review trends that might influence your summary or snippets
• Flag abusive reviews that could create inappropriate Place Topics
• Encourage genuine customer feedback to build a representative review profile
• Optimize your business description (the part you can control) to complement your editorial summary

Conclusion

While you can't directly control Google Business Profile editorial summaries, understanding how they work allows you to indirectly influence how Google presents your business. By maintaining an accurate, complete Google Business Profile, generating positive customer experiences, and managing your online reputation, you can help ensure your editorial summary showcases your business in the best possible light.

These concise phrases may seem small, but they play a significant role in shaping potential customers' first impressions of your business. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you'll be better positioned to leverage editorial summaries as part of your local SEO and customer acquisition strategy.

FAQs About Google Business Profile Editorial Summaries

Can I edit my Google editorial summary? No, editorial summaries are created and controlled by Google and cannot be directly edited by business owners.

Why doesn't my business have an editorial summary? Editorial summaries are typically created for more established businesses with sufficient online presence and reviews. New businesses may not immediately receive one.

Will Google remove a negative editorial summary? Google only removes summaries that contain factual errors about services offered or that associate your business with unrelated information, not those that are simply unfavorable.

How often are editorial summaries updated? Google doesn't publicly disclose how frequently they update editorial summaries, but they typically reflect current business information and review trends.

Do editorial summaries impact my local SEO ranking? While not a direct ranking factor, accurate editorial summaries can improve click-through rates and user engagement, which indirectly benefit your local search performance.

Are editorial summaries different on mobile vs. desktop? The content of editorial summaries should be consistent across devices, though their placement and visibility may vary between mobile and desktop interfaces.

Can I request an editorial summary for my business? Google doesn't offer a way to request the creation of an editorial summary. They are generated at Google's discretion.