Google services like Maps and Search have become increasingly important for small business owners to thrive in our always-connected age. In that vein, the company has made it a point to be as inclusive as possible. In 2020, Google added an identity attribute so merchants with a verified Business profile could show if they're Black-owned, a measure that came on the heels of heightened US race relations throughout the last several years. Now, to commemorate Pride Month, Google is adding yet another identity attribute to the list — this time, to highlight LGBTQ+-owned businesses.

As announced by Google, merchants will now be able to add an LGBTQ+ owned badge to their business profile, showing on any business found in Google Maps or Search. It joins the existing identity attributes — black-owned, Latino-owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned — and just like the others, it makes it easier for people to find and support these diverse businesses. As with the other attributes, you can use multiple: if you're a queer woman running a small donut shop, you can use both the LGBTQ+ owned and the woman-owned attributes in your business profile.

There are many of these diverse small businesses across the US and the world, and with Google being one of the main tools to find them, they need to be able to show it. That way, other members of the community, or even those external to it, can support them as they wish.

If you're an LGBTQ+ business owner and want to add this attribute to your verified Business profile, you should be able to find the option starting today.