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Add a Book now button to Google, Apple Maps and Facebook

Copy a link from QR codes and links in your portal, one for each place, then paste it into your Google, Apple Maps and Facebook profiles. Google and Apple review changes before they show, so a new button can take days to appear. Facebook's own Book now button may not take your link.

Before you start

  • Your sign-in for the portal, with Online booking turned on and tested. If it isn't, start with turning on bookings.
  • Google: the Google account that manages your verified Business Profile.
  • Apple Maps: an Apple Business account for your organization, signed in at business.apple.com, with your business added as a location and a role that lets you manage locations.
  • Facebook: a Facebook account that has Facebook access to your business Page.

Each place gets its own link, so QR codes and links can count how many people used each one. These are the three places' own screens, and they change their wording now and then. If a button below is named a little differently on your screen, pick the closest one, and email me if you get stuck.

Steps

Step 1: get your links from the portal

  1. Sign in to the portal and press Account at the top. Under Links & software, pick QR codes and links.
  2. Find the campaign named Google profile. You should see a short link under its name, with a Copy button.
  3. If it isn't in the list, press + Add a campaign. Type Google profile as the Campaign name, choose Booking on your web page under Where it goes, then press Create campaign.
  4. Press Copy. Keep the link ready to paste in the next part. Do the same for Apple Maps and Facebook page when you reach those parts.

Step 2: Google (Business Profile)

  1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile, then search Google for your business name.
  2. On Google Search, select Booking. On Google Maps, select Edit profile, then Booking.
  3. Select Add link. If you already have booking links, select Add another link.
  4. Paste your Google profile link into the URL box, then select Save. You should see the link listed under Booking.
  5. If you have more than one booking link, select Set preferred link, choose the Google profile link, and select Save. It then shows as "Business preferred".

Google reviews your changes before they go live on your profile, and it decides when the button shows. If another company's booking link is already on your profile, you can remove it: on Google Search select Booking then Remove Provider, or on Google Maps select Edit profile, Booking, then Remove Provider.

Step 3: Apple Maps (Apple Business)

  1. Go to business.apple.com and sign in to Apple Business.
  2. In your browser, choose Brands, then Locations. Search for your business and select it. If it isn't listed, select Add in the top right and follow the screens.
  3. Next to Actions, open its menu and choose Add.
  4. From the Action menu, choose the action closest to booking an appointment. Apple offers different actions for different kinds of business, so the list on your screen may look different from someone else's.
  5. Paste your Apple Maps link into the address box, then select Add, then Save.
  6. Check the place card preview on the right. Your new action should appear there.

Apple must approve an action before customers see it, and says that can take up to three business days. Customers see actions on an iPhone or iPad only if it runs iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or later. The button sits at the top of your place card or under More, and it may carry a different name than "Book now". You can have one action for each action type.

Step 4: Facebook Page

  1. Log in to Facebook, then click your profile photo in the top right.
  2. Click See all profiles, then select your Page.
  3. Click your Page in the left menu.
  4. From your Page, click Options, then click Add action button. If there is a button already, you will see Edit action button instead.
  5. Look at the list of buttons Facebook offers. Pick a button that asks for a website address, then click Next. Follow the instructions on the screen, and when it asks for a web address, paste your Facebook page link.
  6. Click Save.

Facebook decides which buttons your Page can have, and what each one does. Facebook's own Book now button may lead to Facebook's scheduling tool, not to a web address you paste. So if you pick Book now and the next screen offers only Scheduling tool, with nowhere to paste a link, click Back and pick a button that asks for a website address instead. The button you end up with may be named something other than Book now. If the list has no button that asks for a website address, skip Facebook. Skipping it does not change the Google or Apple Maps steps. I can't change what Facebook offers.

It worked when

Your Google, Apple Maps or Facebook profile shows the button, and tapping it opens your online booking page. Each place can take days to show a change, so check again the next day before you redo a step.

Related help

Still stuck?

Tell me your business name, which place you were adding the button to (Google, Apple Maps or Facebook), and what your screen shows after the step that went wrong. A photo of the screen helps. I'll check what I can.

Email harley@kwicklyanswers.com

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