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        Fighting spam on Google Maps

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        • Jason_Taylor
          Jason_Taylor last edited by

          "Suggest an edit" on Google Maps works occasionally and so does Google's Redressal Form. Sending a DM to @GoogleMyBiz on Twitter does too. But it seems like the vast majority of spammy businesses that I report, go unnoticed by Google. I'd really appreciate hearing from some other SEOs on how they remove crap from the map, with better results. Thanks.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Ben_Fisher
            Ben_Fisher last edited by

            So there are a few points to clarify here.

            1. You cannot report spam on social to GMB anymore.
            2. Your Local Guide level will not impact your results, it is all about the quality of edits. (look at your ratio of applied/not applied)
            3. The turnaround on sam removal is 1 -2 weeks. Anything not removed has been either missed or deemed valid. (Submit it again)
            4. You can't submit spam to the GMB community, it will be removed due to privacy concerns.

            Check out this article I wrote on getting stellar results from spam fighting https://www.brightlocal.com/blog/how-to-use-googles-spam-redressal-form-to-level-the-local-playing-field/

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Jason_Taylor
              Jason_Taylor last edited by

              No, I haven't reported anything to the Google Help forum in a while. Got a link?

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • MiriamEllis
                MiriamEllis Subject Expert @Jason_Taylor last edited by

                Good follow-up questions, Jason. I did the work in that article from a non-Google Local Guide account, so it would not be biased in any way. I also did all of the reporting myself, without asking for any backup support from folks suggesting additional edits, though that technique can sometimes be helpful. So, in this case, I don't believe my success was unusual or based on some unique factor.

                Like I said, many Google processes are running really slowly right now. Have you reported the spam to the Google Help forum?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • Jason_Taylor
                  Jason_Taylor last edited by

                  Miriam,

                  Thanks for sharing the two articles. I'm curious to know what your Google Local Guide Level is?  In your Moz article, it appears you had very good results. Currently my guide level is a 5 and I'm thinking that has something to do with why I don't see the kinds of results you're seeing. Also, I am pretty much a team of one. Do you have a team of others who also click the "suggest an edit" button when you've identified spam?

                  MiriamEllis 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • MiriamEllis
                    MiriamEllis Subject Expert last edited by

                    Hi Jason,

                    Good topic! The pandemic has resulted in lowered responsiveness from Google in many areas, so that's one thing to keep in mind right now. Persistence is the best strategy for fighting entrenched local spam. You sometimes have to report things repeatedly, and when that doesn't work, if you uncover what appears to be a large network of spam, publicity can sometimes move Google to action when nothing else will.  Here are a couple of good articles, in case you've not seen them:

                    https://a-moz.groupbuyseo.org/blog/simple-spam-fighting

                    https://www.sterlingsky.ca/ultimate-guide-fighting-spam-google-maps/

                    But you are so right that Google doesn't have a realistic approach to managing spam in their index. The problem is large, ongoing, and poorly addressed. Good luck!

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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