Time to read: 5 minutes
Back in 2019, spam fighting became a huge focus for our marketing agency. And now, it’s still something we do to continue to ensure businesses have a fair chance of ranking on Google Maps and in the local pack.
And according to various industry experts, the importance of local SEO is not going away anytime soon. One of the biggest topics as of late has been spam submissions on Google Maps.
With keyword stuffing in titles, duplicate listings, and businesses that just flat-out do not exist, there are various spammy aspects you can find in Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business, which went through a rebranding in 2022).
By reporting these aspects to Google as spam submissions, you can help improve your own local presence. Keep on reading to learn what constitutes a spammy listing and the three best methods for making changes.
Before We Start, How Can You Tell If A Listing Is Spam?
Ask yourself these questions when you look at a Google Business Profile:
- Does the business name contain extra keywords or locations that are not part of the legal name
- Are there multiple listings using the same address, phone number, or website, but slightly different business names?
- Does Street View or an in-person visit show something different than what the listing claims (empty lot, home in a residential-only area, virtual office, UPS store, etc.)?
- Does the category or description clearly misrepresent what the business actually offers, just to rank for more searches?
- Are there obvious signs of fake behavior, like a flood of short, generic 5-star reviews or reviews that mention a different business altogether?
If a business is showing any of the above criteria, it might be wise to submit it for spam. Let’s review the process below:
Method 1: Suggest an Edit (Change Name or Other Details)
Use this method when you notice incorrect information on a profile, but the listing itself is real and belongs to a business. When you are viewing listings on Google Maps, there will be a button to “suggest an edit”:
Once you click that button, you will see this “Suggest an edit” screen. Here, you can suggest corrections to basic business information.
This is an easy way to recommend name changes (often regarding keywords), changing the business category, and so forth. Google does not permit businesses to stuff keywords into their names that aren’t in their official business names.
For instance, to follow this rule, a local dentist should not call themselves “Cleveland’s Best Dentist” (although they may believe it) when their real name is Dr. Joe Smith DDS to try to game the system. Any businesses that do so are subject to getting a spam submission.
Mind you, these edits have the ability to get passed through the owner of the GBP profile first, so anything you submit could be denied. Beyond the name, you might edit their address, hours of operation, phone number, or even their web address.
Method 2: Suggest an Edit (Place is Closed or Not Here)
Follow the steps above, but instead of editing the business details, click “Place is closed or not here” at the bottom. This option is for duplicate listings, businesses that are permanently closed, spam, nonexistent companies, and more. You will see this option in the same area where you see the option mentioned above. Here are your choices:
Usually, since these changes are more advanced, they are typically pushed to Google for review. However, we have found that with listings that are unclaimed, suggestions more often than not will get published right away.
Note About Editing Suggestions
In some cases, your edits get published right away, and you are also emailed the changes you made immediately after. However, as spam fighting has gotten more popular, and also used as a black hat SEO method on profiles that are not breaking the rules, your edits may not be accepted, even if they are truthful:
Then, in your Google account, you can navigate in Google Maps to see your contributions and edits, which helps you see which of your suggestions have been denied:
Method 3: Google’s Redressal Form
As a last resort in getting rid of spam on Google Maps/Google My Business, you can send details of your request through this handy form.
This is a great method because not only is the form getting directly in front of the eyes of someone who works at Google, but you have the option to explain what this business is doing wrong. You can show proof, too.
Sadly, unlike the first two methods, you are not contacted about the status of your request and cannot track your changes and submissions.
Need Help with Local SEO?
At Sixth City Marketing, we are local marketing experts, and would love to work with you to help your business enhance your presence in your desired area through content creation, keyword optimization, website development, and more. Contact us today to get started.
This post was originally published in December 2019 and has been updated to reflect changes to the spam submission process.
