For businesses that take appointments or reservations online, making the process seamless for their customers is critical. 

Thankfully, Google has a free and easy-to-use platform called Reserve with Google that allows customers to find a local business, reserve service, and pay for their bookings or tickets online.

Launched in 2017, Reserve with Google allows businesses to appear on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Assistant with booking buttons to allow clients to reserve appointments with the company directly.

Once businesses have enabled their Reserve with Google booking feature, customers will see a booking button on the company’s Google Maps business listing. Customers then fill in the form, sending the information to Google and the business’s reservation booking system. 

Customers can book appointments and reservations directly through Google up to 30 days in advance. 

Reserve with Google generates email notifications to confirm the reservation or cancellation of a reservation. They also deliver a modification email whenever any booking is changed and a follow-up email after the appointment.

Reserve with Google provides a seamless experience for customers to create, cancel and reschedule appointments directly from a Google search. 

Reserve with Google’s easy-to-use system eliminates the traditional and clunky booking processes that often make users visit several websites, open new windows, and tabs and log into third-party tools to make a reservation or appointment.

Reducing booking barriers and conversion breaks by offering self-scheduling appointments means higher conversation rates for businesses. 

On top of making it easy for customers to book their reservations with you directly, appearing on Google search results with a booking button means you’re more likely to get noticed by clients who want to book appointments for services in your area.

This increased visibility is excellent for SEO as the integration with Reserve with Google can help your business rank higher in Google search results. Around 86% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps. And with over 3.5 billion searches made per day using Google worldwide, ensuring your business and services stand out from the competition with an effortless booking system has never been more critical.

The service is available to businesses in certain countries/regions. Currently, Reserve with Google is supported in Canada, the U.S., the E.U., and more. 

Reserve with Google works with businesses that accept online reservations and bookings, including restaurants, event venues, hair and beauty salons, and gyms. Qualifying businesses must also work with Reserve with Google’s supported scheduling providers, like Zomato, Bookatable, and Booksy. 

Earlier this year, Google announced they were sunsetting Reserve with Google to businesses that provide tours and attractions and moving them to their Things to Do platform, part of Google Travel. However, other reservation-taking companies such as restaurants, salons, and bars can still use the Reserve with the Google platform. 

1. Ensure you have a Google My Business account set up – if you don’t, you can create an account here. 
2. Once you’re logged into your account, in the menu on the right-hand side, click Bookings. If you don’t see this tab, then bookings aren’t available for your business category or region.
3. Sign up with your scheduling software provider of choice. 
4. Your scheduling provider account will be automatically linked to your Google My Business account within one week. After you link your accounts, you can schedule bookings through Google.
5. Share your booking link so customers can easily book anywhere they find your business. You can add it to your Instagram, Yelp, and Facebook profiles and your website. 

Once you’ve turned on bookings and a potential client searches for services in your area, the search results will display a booking button alongside your business details, ratings, and map directions.

If you want to learn more about how to leverage the power of Reserve with Google, we can help. We’ve got a team of digital and search experts who know the Google ecosystem inside and out and can ensure you get the most value possible out of your Reserve with Google integration. Get in touch with Creative Guild today to find out more.