Claiming 100 locations on Google Maps - what's the best approach?

[piotrek.gab]

Hello,

I am helping a company to gain access (claim) to around 100 locations on Google Maps. These locations were added to Google Maps by other people (not related to this company), some of them are claimed and some of them are not. I am wondering what would be the best approach here.

I am planning to do such things in such order:
1. Bulk verify their account (they have more than 10 locations on their GMB account right now)
2. Add to their GMB account all locations that are on Maps but are not yet owned (claimed) by them.

2a. If a location is not already verified by someone else I assume that it will be automatically verified while adding to their account (because the account will be bulk verified).​

2b. If a location is already verified by someone else I would request access from a current owner.​

3. Add any missing locations to Google Maps (by bulk import using a spreadsheet).

Does it look like a good way to do this? Or maybe I should do something different or in a different order? Also in step 2a am I right in my assumption that such location will be automatically verified when added to bulk verified GMB account? Could steps 2a and 2b be done in bulk or via API?

 

[krystaltaing]

Hello piotrek.gab

You are absolutely correct! You will want to begin with bulk verification as soon as possible but in some cases, Google may require at least 10 unverified locations to begin. If you don't have this many in your account I would import a few that do not exist yet on maps to your account and then begin.

If you run into any challenges during the process feel free to comment back here and i'd be happy to help!

Thanks,

 

[Eoghan_Aircam]

Yes, steps 2a and 2b be be done via API to an extent. You'll be able to query which of your locations have ownership conflicts and then package those up and ship through GMBs Partner Support channel. With some escalation, you can get Google to set a time limit for location owners to add you or you seize the listing.

You need access to GMB API and Partner Support to make this happen. Same play for any listings that get suspended from time to time.

From there - get as many fields filled out as much as possible, stay on top of the data suggestions Google makes, get posting, responding to reviews, posting photos and you'll be on the right track to seeing as much traffic as possible for your client from GMB!

 

[piotrek.gab]

Thank you for your replies @krystaltaing and @Eoghan_MomentFeed. They were very helpful.

I have one more question about bulk verify: should I add all locations of this company to Google My Business Panel before applying for bulk verification? I have read that if not all locations are added earlier then bulk verification might be delayed. Is this true or it is okay to have for example 10-20 locations?

And if this is true - is it ok to (1) import all locations to GMB Panel via bulk upload or should I rather (2) claim existing locations on Google Maps? Many locations are already on Google Maps but they contain outdated information, addresses are incorrect and they were added by somebody else. Bulk upload is much faster and I think this is the correct approach here, however, it will create some duplicates and mess on Google Maps. This can be of course cleaned up later but I wanted to consult if my thinking is correct .

 

[krystaltaing]

Yes, if possible, include all locations before applying for Bulk Verification (except for duplicates and closed locations). You can bulk import everything and if it's already on maps, it will show as an ownership conflict.