GMB Business name beats all!

[Caroline]

Hi,

A business came to me about how they have dropped off Google Maps for keyword "piano lessons location" since there has been an influx of GMB listings with names such as John Smith- Piano Teacher or Piano Teacher Location. For the search "piano lessons location" the guys with the keywords in their business name jump to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regardless of how poor their website is or anything else. It is a bit frustrating that people can still get away with it. I don't want to ruin anyone's business by telling Google when these guys probably don't know they are doing anything wrong and are trying to make a living. There are literally loads of them so it would need many listings to be removed which is impossible. Has anyone else seen this type of thing and apart from notify Google, been able to trump the business name keywords?

 

[Tim Colling]

I don't want to ruin anyone's business by telling Google

That's very kind of you. My approach is different, though. For my clients, this is war, and we use all the legitimate weapons available to help our clients win. As they said in some of the Monty Python skits, "cruel, but fair".

 

[Caroline]

Yep, maybe you are right!

 

[whitespark]

This is a great example of why spam fighting is so valuable. It’s worth the time to do it.

 

[Cherie Dickey]

I agree with the others. But you don't necessarily have to report the listing as spam though if you'd like to take a kinder approach. If there is a website with a different business name linked to the listing, then I'll report the business name as being incorrect along with the correct business name.

 

[Tim Colling]

If there is a website with a different business name linked to the listing, then I'll report the business name as being incorrect along with the correct business name.

Fair point. You can use the "suggest an edit" tool for that. I often do it that way, unless it looks like the spammer is egregiously spamming in other ways too, or if they keep on coming back over and over again with changing the title back to the spammy version.

 

[Tyson Downs]

Hi,

A business came to me about how they have dropped off Google Maps for keyword "piano lessons location" since there has been an influx of GMB listings with names such as John Smith- Piano Teacher or Piano Teacher Location. For the search "piano lessons location" the guys with the keywords in their business name jump to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regardless of how poor their website is or anything else. It is a bit frustrating that people can still get away with it. I don't want to ruin anyone's business by telling Google when these guys probably don't know they are doing anything wrong and are trying to make a living. There are literally loads of them so it would need many listings to be removed which is impossible. Has anyone else seen this type of thing and apart from notify Google, been able to trump the business name keywords?

Caroline, if it is an independent music teacher, chances are, they don't have a business name or a DBA. Maybe they have an unofficial business name that they perhaps go by, but it isn't registered with the state. In this instance, I don't see anything wrong with John Smith: Piano Teacher

Otherwise, if it was just John Smith, it would kinda be hard for a person to know if they have the right listing when they see it show up in the search results.

(My wife is a private cello teacher, and she doesn't have a GMB listing. But on her website, we have an 'unofficial' name- Jenny's Cello Studio). I'm not sure which direction I'd go if she ever decided she wanted more business and needed to get more leads from the internet.

 

[Caroline]

Hi,

Yes I know what you mean. But these guys only appear on the GMB, their organic ranking is way down and so it is only luck that they have a GMB name with the keywords in it. It just doesn't seem fair when regular businesses put a lot of effort into their website, hosting, SEO, social media etc and really all it takes is a few keywords into GMB and you've hit the jackpot!

 

[Cherie Dickey]

unless it looks like the spammer is egregiously spamming in other ways too, or if they keep on coming back over and over again with changing the title back to the spammy version.

Oh... the gloves definitely come off when this happens, haha

 

[Tim Colling]

But on her website, we have an 'unofficial' name- Jenny's Cello Studio). I'm not sure which direction I'd go if she ever decided she wanted more business and needed to get more leads from the internet

I would suggest that having a title like "Jenny's Cello Studio" would be ok but not "Jenny's Cello Studio - Boston" or wherever you are located.

Does she have a city business license (I'm assuming she gives lessons in your home)? What business name does it display on that document?

 

[Tyson Downs]

Right, we wouldn't stuff a city in the title in a case like this. If it's a multi location business, yes, you can do that. In this instance, no. No business license. She goes to other people's homes to give lessons.