Google is releasing a new label for Google My Business listings highlighting when a business is owned or led by a veteran.
Sean O’Keefe, data scientist at Google and a former Staff Sergeant in the US Army announced the new attribute this week while also highlighting the millions of American businesses that are owned by veterans.
“More than 2.5 million businesses in the U.S. are majority-owned by veterans, and one way that I stay connected to the veteran community is by supporting those veteran-owned businesses. It’s something I can do all throughout my day, whether I’m grabbing a coffee or recommending a local restaurant to a friend.”
The tag is easily enabled and will highlight veteran-owned businesses in both Google Search listings and map results.
The label is similar in appearance and function to other attributes like “Has Wifi” or “Outdoor Seating.”
Currently, there is no verification process. All a veteran business owner has to do is follow a couple steps to enable the “Veteran-led” attribute for their own listing:
- Sign into your Google My Business account
- Select the location you are managing
- Select “Info” from the menu
- Find the “Attributes” section and select the Pencil icon
- Search or select the “Veteran-led” attribute
- Select “Apply”.
The new attribute is just one of many steps Google is taking to provide support for veterans, including curating search results for veterans looking for jobs and encouraging IT training. You can find out more about the initiative here.