Adding service names to GMB Name leads to showing up on map pack

[giannid]

So I noticed a competitor added service names to their GMB name and was showing on in the map pack where they normally did not. So now that's it my down season, I'm a seasonal contractor, I tried it also. This was a few weeks ago and it now looks like my listing is starting to come in the the 3 map pack where it normally did not. My company name doesn't show any of my services or keyworks. Now my GMB name is listed as, {name of company removed by request}. Is this a bad thing to do and will it hurt things in the long run? My company name is {name of company removed by request}. Seems to be working right now I'm just not sure how long it will last. Those services are also checked off under categories except for basement waterproofing as there isn't a category for it. Thoughts?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi giannid,

Google guidelines state you can't add any words to your biz name so adding keywords is considered spam and is a violation.

However the reason lots of companies do it is that unfortunately it does help boost rankings. AND currently there is really not any policing or penalties from Google.

FYI many of us in the industry have been advocating for penalties or suspension for people who violate this guideline as it gives the honest businesses that play by the rules a disadvantage. There are also a lot of SEOs that are spam fighters. If one of them happens to be working for one of your competitors they will report you and at the very least, get your keywords removed leaving just the real company name.

So in a nutshell that's it. I'm sure others will weigh in as well.

 

[giannid]

Seems like others are doing it in my locality and it's working well for them. I haven't been able to get on the map pack in my local city for some of the services we provide. Another contractor is in the map pack in my city for a service that's almost an hour away because his company name has the service included. I'm going to try it and see if it helps for awhile.

 

[Eric Rohrback]

Linda gave you a pretty good warning about this practice, and I'll reiterate. This tactic does work, but only until you get caught. Once someone catches you, then you could be out for 6 months-1 year or more (assuming Google actually reviews your reconsideration case). If its a slow season, then competition may be taking it easy as well. Be careful once things ramp back up.

I see this happening in markets my clients are in. What I end up doing is editing names to be correct, or flagging for spam. People pay us (SEOs) to keep an eye out and make sure someone else isn't "cheating" to steal revenue that could be our clients revenue.

Just because it works for you now, doesn't mean it will forever. Especially if you're not experience with this practice. Keen an eye on it and be aware that it could draw some attention from competitors. Decide whether going against the guidelines in your market is worth the risk of either showing in the pack or not having a page present at all during important times of the year. As long as the reward outweighs the risk, then good luck testing it in your market.

 

[elwalker]

How would we report such a violation to Google if see a competitor doing this shady practice?

 

[Linda Buquet]

How would we report such a violation to Google if see a competitor doing this shady practice?

You can click "edit details" right on the maps listing, below their phone #. Google is so busy tho that that type of edit often does not go through unfortunately, but we keep pushing them to make it a violation or at least do the edits.

 

[MeganR]

To bolster what Eric states about businesses paying SEOs to report competitors' spam...

I have reported a number of my clients' competitors that are keyword stuffing business names in GMB, but the majority of the time my edits are "Not Approved" even though this is clearly not their name.

Some of the competitors are extremely aggressive with this practice keyword stuffing multiple listings for multiple locations. I hope that Google eventually disincentivizes this practice by reducing exact match importance for ranking algo, as well as serving up penalties.

How does Google currently penalize violators? Suspend the one spammy listing in the GMB account, or suspend the entire GMB account/all listings? I'd love to know that my continued edits are making a difference.

 

[JoshuaMackens]

Linda gave you a pretty good warning about this practice, and I'll reiterate. This tactic does work, but only until you get caught. Once someone catches you, then you could be out for 6 months-1 year or more (assuming Google actually reviews your reconsideration case). If its a slow season, then competition may be taking it easy as well. Be careful once things ramp back up.

I see this happening in markets my clients are in. What I end up doing is editing names to be correct, or flagging for spam. People pay us (SEOs) to keep an eye out and make sure someone else isn't "cheating" to steal revenue that could be our clients revenue.

Just because it works for you now, doesn't mean it will forever. Especially if you're not experience with this practice. Keen an eye on it and be aware that it could draw some attention from competitors. Decide whether going against the guidelines in your market is worth the risk of either showing in the pack or not having a page present at all during important times of the year. As long as the reward outweighs the risk, then good luck testing it in your market.

Eric, have you ever seen someone get suspended 6 months - 1 year for this?

 

[Linda Buquet]

How does Google currently penalize violators? Suspend the one spammy listing in the GMB account, or suspend the entire GMB account/all listings? I'd love to know that my continued edits are making a difference.

Eric, have you ever seen someone get suspended 6 months - 1 year for this?

I haven't heard of anyone getting penalized. At best they actually edit the name.
We keep pushing them to make it a violation or at least do the edits.
But so far does not seem like a priority, sadly.

I'd keep making the edits Megan even if some don't go through. Why? Google tracks everything and prioritizes based on need/frequency of request. Right now the # of SEOs making this type of edit is minuscule compared to other types of spam and editing problems. Consumers likely aren't going to care enough to edit a name like that. So keep trying and we'll keep trying on our end.

If you get one that's really problematic and blatantly obvious and they won't change it, you could try posting in the Spam section at the GMB forum.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Yes, I've seen several lately where the listing becomes suspended and the owner loses the right/ability to manage the listing and add the keywords back.

It's happened to several that I have escalated over at the GMB forum.