Google+ Local Wall of Shame

[Linda Buquet]

Last week I posted Funny Google Local Listings & Reviews featuring the "Genital Dentist".

Today I thought I'd start the Google+ Local Hall of Shame highlighting spammy listings & bad practices.
So for your viewing pleasure - here are a couple good ones to kick things off.

Just WOW on so many levels

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Note: This is ripping on a pretty big Local SEO company that many of you have likely heard of. Not only is it sad that there are companies in our industry that are really scammy, but it's kinda scary that Google would let someone get away with adding this listing too. (And it's been live for 2 years.) Fake business name, fake phone, fake reviews. Someone went to a whole lot of trouble to make this company look bad.

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Can you say "Malicious User Edit"?


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I had to show map search view because that uber long butchered business name does not display on the G+ L listing. Granted you should not have such bad service that you make customers this irate. But also Google should not allow user edits like this and I'm surprised the name change was approved.

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OH WAIT - It Gets Better! The BOT Did it!


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Yep looks like this was not user edit. A BOT did it. That's all I'm even going to say!

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Last but not least... Think carefully about what images you use on your listing


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I work with Dentists and understand patient psychology pretty well. Yes, patients want to improve their smile. Yes 'some' tasteful before and after pictures are OK (but I'd use on the site, not on a listing.)
But NO ONE wants to see Dental images that ugly. They just really don't!

OK I know you guys run into all kinds of crazy stuff out there on the wild wild web!
Feel free to add to this thread but please no business names, direct links to listings,
just screen shots.
<meta property="og:type" content="article"><meta property="og:title" content=""><meta property="og:description" content="ADD SNIPPET">
<meta property="og:image" content="">

 

[Colan Nielsen]

WOW, some crazy stuff. Frightening and fascinating all at the same time.

I'm a little confused about the first example. What exactly is going on there? Is that just an example of how you can create a fake Google+ Local page?

 

[Linda Buquet]

I'm a little confused about the first example. What exactly is going on there? Is that just an example of how you can create a fake Google+ Local page?

Well no not really. Partly to show how a company is so scammy someone would want to do this in the 1st place. Partly to show that a fake business listing was be set up for the sole purpose of discrediting a company - and was ALLOWED!

What if this was a company in another industry that was a good company but a disgruntled X-employee or X-wife did it just to discredit the company? What if the allegations were unfounded?

But more than anything, just entertainment. I just find so many crazy listings I thought I'd start sharing.

 

[MiriamEllis]

Eww, ewww, ewwwww! That dental photo has totally freaked me out, Linda.

Amazing stuff you've come across. I wonder what the 'well known' Local SEO company is doing about what happened to their page. There must be a story behind this....

 

[Colan Nielsen]

That gross dental pic reminds me of some of the warning pictures they put on cigarette packs here in the Great White North.

 

[Linda Buquet]

What do you guys make of the Map Maker Bot changing to that long scammy business name in image 3???

The Google Automated Syncer SANK that business!

 

[Colan Nielsen]

ummmmmm way to go bot!!!

I find the "Listings Editor" that deleted it originally pretty interesting. I haven't seen a "listing editor" before. Wonder what that is exactly??

---------- Post Merged at 08:13 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:10 PM ----------

It's as if the BOT disagreed with the "Listings Editor" and was like "no, sorry I want it to say "AutoBody Epair or Extreme Auto Body -= SCAM Artists. DON''T BRING YOUR CAR HERE! Warning!"

 

[Andrew Sawyer]

What do you guys make of the Map Maker Bot changing to that long scammy business name in image 3???

The Google Automated Syncer SANK that business!

Since that is 'Syncer 3' it existed in the Places database before the bot created it. All Syncer 3 did was bridge orphaned Places pages & GMM features together. That's some pretty blatant spam (feel free to delete it from GMM using the Spam/Abuse and I'll get to it when I'm by a computer.