15 fake GBPs for the same service ranking in the Bay Area on the same keywords, including positions 1,2,& 3

[katandmouse]

By fake I mean, not real businesses. These are lead-gen businesses with corresponding exact match urls and business names with the same exact match keywords. Every one of them has a verified GBP. Most are in homes, but a couple even managed to get verified at business locations.

The same person built all these. I'm sure of it because the websites all use the same identical template and the copy is almost identical. They even share the same images in their GBPs. The reviews are CLEARLY fake.

They are ranking in 14 or 15 of the first 20 spots for a search on the best query in the best city. The top 3 are theirs. They have GBPS ranking as far away as an hour an a half! This is the Bay Area, California.

The websites are not good at all. Some don't even load and haven't for 6 months!! Just goes to show you that the website has little to do with Maps rank.

I submitted a many-page report to Google showing all the evidence I collected. They did nothing. Just now I suggested an edit on one that I have a business photo for that's not them, and Google took it down in 10 minutes. But the rest remain.

I'd sure like to know how they ranked them all. Looks to me like all you need is a exact match keyword business name and url.
I also want to know how they got verified. And I want to know how to get Google to pay attention. All we need it to do is force them to reverify with a video.

I also wish Google would just do a lookup on their business license and contractor license like they do for LSA ads. Simple, at least for some types of businesses.

Some may argue they are helping some businesses get leads, but the consumer is hurt here. This type of business requires a contractor license. That may very well what the consumer is NOT getting. And they are definitely being conned by fake reviews.

 

[ElizabethRule]

You submitted them all via the Business Redressal Complaint Form? I would try that a few times, and then you can also try to suggest an edit for the remaining listings and see if that works, you don't need to submit photos for them all.

If none of that works, hop over to the GBP Forum, post there and see if a PE will look into it and escalate to Google if it's truly egregious.

 

[Thompsonpaul]

By fake I mean, not real businesses. These are lead-gen businesses with corresponding exact match urls and business names with the same exact match keywords. Every one of them has a verified GBP. Most are in homes, but a couple even managed to get verified at business locations.

The same person built all these. I'm sure of it because the websites all use the same identical template and the copy is almost identical. They even share the same images in their GBPs. The reviews are CLEARLY fake.

They are ranking in 14 or 15 of the first 20 spots for a search on the best query in the best city. The top 3 are theirs. They have GBPS ranking as far away as an hour an a half! This is the Bay Area, California.

The websites are not good at all. Some don't even load and haven't for 6 months!! Just goes to show you that the website has little to do with Maps rank.

I submitted a many-page report to Google showing all the evidence I collected. They did nothing. Just now I suggested an edit on one that I have a business photo for that's not them, and Google took it down in 10 minutes. But the rest remain.

I'd sure like to know how they ranked them all. Looks to me like all you need is a exact match keyword business name and url.
I also want to know how they got verified. And I want to know how to get Google to pay attention. All we need it to do is force them to reverify with a video.

I also wish Google would just do a lookup on their business license and contractor license like they do for LSA ads. Simple, at least for some types of businesses.

Some may argue they are helping some businesses get leads, but the consumer is hurt here. This type of business requires a contractor license. That may very well what the consumer is NOT getting. And they are definitely being conned by fake reviews.

If you submitted your documentation through the Redressal Form and it's been ignored, I'd definitely put this mess up on the GMB forum as Elizabeth mentioned and get a Product Expert to escalate it to Google. Given that fake reviews are a legal issue in the US, and that Google is on record as suing fake/rank'nrent GBPs, they should be concerned about their legal liability here. It certainly seems to meet the threshold for "egregious".

 

[JS Girard]

I've had some success with repeated reporting (credit @Phil Rozek ), if you're willing to spend the effort of 3+ report per profile per week, but if these lead gens have reviews, it tends to be less effective.

 

[katandmouse]

I've had some success with repeated reporting (credit @Phil Rozek ), if you're willing to spend the effort of 3+ report per profile per week, but if these lead gens have reviews, it tends to be less effective.

I actually met a Google engineer in person at an event. He told me the same thing. He said they are inundated with requests to most get ignored unless you report it multiple times. I will try that. It's a lot of reporting to do though!! I reported them all in one report. Guess I'll do it one by one now.

 

[ElizabethRule]

I reported them all in one report. Guess I'll do it one by one now.

I would still do them all in one report, just send the report a few times over the course of a few weeks to a month. I find Google takes more action when the number of spam listings is greater.

 

[JS Girard]

I should note I'm not using the r3edressal form here! This is just the "suggest an edit" thing. Mind you I'm on the autism spectrum, so this sort of humdrum tasks doesn't bother me

 

[katandmouse]

I should note I'm not using the r3edressal form here! This is just the "suggest an edit" thing. Mind you I'm on the autism spectrum, so this sort of humdrum tasks doesn't bother me

Interestingly,

If you submitted your documentation through the Redressal Form and it's been ignored, I'd definitely put this mess up on the GMB forum as Elizabeth mentioned and get a Product Expert to escalate it to Google. Given that fake reviews are a legal issue in the US, and that Google is on record as suing fake/rank'nrent GBPs, they should be concerned about their legal liability here. It certainly seems to meet the threshold for "egregious".

Egregious is right! A couple disappeared after we suggested an edit. Others remain. Check out this review:

 

[katandmouse]

Interestingly,


Egregious is right! A couple disappeared after we suggested an edit. Others remain. Check out this review:

Google's review team should study how this company is getting past their filter.

 

[JS Girard]

Google's review team should study how this company is getting past their filter.

You're being very generous assuming google has a dedicated team.

 

[katandmouse]

I reported this in the forum a couple of weeks ago. No one has responded there. https://support.google.com/business/thread/286299287?hl=en&sjid=7031759874269963790-NC