Google Places was Suspended and suffered a large Local SERP Drop

[obcted]

Hi All,

https://plus.google.com/115311210119010623464/about?gl=us&hl=en
From places Dashboard:

Law Office of Neil Burns
6 Beacon Street, Suite 600
Boston MA 02108
United States

I'm having a nightmare of a time. Just did a site redesign for a client www.neilburnslaw.com and two supporting blogs. Things were going great ran a rank report on the 28th was moving up in some terms - mostly due to Local improving. Then on the 29th after I verified the Places PIN via postcard and two days later the account was suspended and we fell a bunch in major rankings. Including from top 10 to out of the top 50 in some terms in organic. Traffic is down 50%.

I'm in panic mode. I had two listings in the places dashboard and thinking one was a duplicate I deleted one. I know now that was dumb. The new listing I entered is pending. Is there anything I can do? The drop happend two days ago at midnight on the 29th. I'm pretty sure the big drop was due to the Places suspension but can someone concur? Also on the 27th Webmaster tools told me the site was finally being indexed. A lot of pages are coming up as "Not Selected" I properly set up redirects on the old pages with different URL structure. I don't think that could be the cause but I'm not 100% sure. Basically I'm in trouble. I'd love some advice. This traffic hit is scary and I can't afford to lose this client.

Ted

 

[Colan Nielsen]

I'm in panic mode. I had two listings in the places dashboard and thinking one was a duplicate I deleted one. I know now that was dumb.

Ted

Hi Ted, can you give a little more detail? Were the 2 listings for the same business? Did they have identical stats? Did the account become suspended before or after you deleted it?

 

[obcted]

Hi Colan,

Thanks for the reply. The two listing were both the exact same. I got a PIN in the mail. Entered it but the PIN on worked on one of the listings. I went in and started optimizing the listing. Then a few days ago when I went to check the places analytics but I was redirected to the dashboard and had the suspended notice. Figuring it was a duplicate listing I deleted the one that wasn't yet verified. I think this was a huge mistake. A day later a randomly checked a rank for which I was previously improving and I feel sharply in local.

I have a listing that now says "Pending - being reviewed". Once this is approved (if it is - and how long will it take?) will my local be restored? I'm praying it will.

Ted

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Ted,

It's actually a violation of Google's guidelines to have multiple listings for the same business, ESPECIALLY if they are in the same account. So, deleting one of them was not a mistake.

I'm not 100% sure, but that could possibly be the reason your account was suspended.

If the account itself is suspended, there is little hope to have the listing come out of review mode. It's probably dead as far as that account is concerned.

The listing you linked to has the characteristics of an un-verified listing.

Did you at any point have the listing verified and active in that account?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Right now I'm backed up getting projects done for consultants that have hired me to help them with complicated listing issues, so I need to go play catch up. But I'll try my best to circle back around and help later tonight if I can.

BTW some of the other cases I'm helping on are Attys. There has been a big rash of suspensions over the past week. Some warranted but some were false positive that no one could find violations on. BUT many were attorneys who often have additional complications besides the obvious.

Q? When you say there were 2 listings in dash. Are you saying one was not even verified yet? Should never have more than one claimed but if one was sitting in dash that was NEVER verified then that should not cause suspension I don't think.

Bad news... that listing 'appears' to be following the pattern I've been seeing with all these suspended listings.

1) It now appears to be UNVERIFIED. I think it's dead in dash. Once that happens it loses description and sometimes images and cats. Then usually about a week later it totally disappears.

Since what's showing live I don't believe reflects that's in dash since I think it is reverting back to an unverified listing, please post a screen shot of edit screen so I can see what's inside and I'll check later when I have time. Have another suspended attorney I have a consult with and need to go work on their research now.

 

[obcted]

Hi Colan,

Thanks again. Yesterday sent out another PIN request for the places pages associated with the one I linked too. That is waiting for a PIN. I have another pending review for the same listing below. Should I delete the one pending review? At the top it says "Account Suspended". I did this before and verified it via the dashboard. That time their were two listings exact same listings that wouldn't take the same pin. After I entered the Pin the first time it said "Pending Review". Then when I checked back both were suspended. It still says "Account suspended" and one of the listings says "Pending review" while the other says "Not yet published" and has a place to enter a pin.

I'm thinking delete the "Pending Review" an when I get the PIN enter it and hope for the best (while optimizing the page)?

Ted

 

[Linda Buquet]

I'm thinking delete the "Pending Review" an when I get the PIN enter it and hope for the best (while optimizing the page)?

Ted NO hang on and don't do anything else. This is getting tied up in knots and every step you make, makes it harder to unravel. Plus the account as I said above is likely dead.

Let us get all the details and then advise.

I still can't follow exactly what's up. Cuz I thought you said you already got rid of one.

So in addition to the edit screen, please also post a screenshot of your locations page that has both of the listings on it - the full page so we can also see the suspended flag.

 

[obcted]

Hi Linda & Colan,

Thank again. Here's a screen shot of the dash.



The places page now looks like an unverified places page.

https://plus.google.com/115311210119010623464/about?gl=us&hl=en

This the edit screen for the first listing as shown above:


Edit Screen from the second listing:



Sorry for the rash of posts. I won't take any action to either google+page or Places until I hear back. Thank you very much!

Ted

 

[Linda Buquet]

"The places page now looks like an unverified places page."

Yep that's what I said above.

Still need screenshot of the edit screen too.

 

[Marie Ysais]

Yikes! I am following along very closely as I have something very similar going on. Linda is right and slow down and don't do anything until everyone can see the full picture. I know how you feel and it isn't a great feeling! But, it will get figured out.
Just out of curiosity how long ago did the new website go live?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Sorry, can't read those pics at all.

Can you crop to trim white space not needed to make bigger so I can read?
I just mainly need to see cats and descr and NAP.
JUST the one that's pending not the one waiting for verification.

HANG ON! Something is brewing with suspended listings.
Waiting for answers. There may be some hope.
Just wait...

 

[Marie Ysais]

that sounds interesting!!!!!!!!!! will wait to hear all about it!! Thanks, Linda!

 

[obcted]

Here is the right side with the information you asked

Left side just in case

Ted

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks Ted, sorry got stuck in consults. Some observations on this listing below.

Then I'm doing a new post on the suspension issues at large.

Shared office maybe? More than one listing per location is a violation.

2 listings showing for that address.
6 Beacon Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA - Google Maps but the atty listing should not be cause for violation.

G+L says this practice is in same suite as your client?
https://plus.google.com/101793189445606731482/about?gl=us&hl=en
But his web site says different address, other city

SO check with him and see what the deal is with that atty. If he moved and is no longer there I'll tell you what to do.

BUT aside from that, like I said lots of suspensions have been hitting and many are listings that are totally fine and should NOT have been suspended.

Doing new post about the problem and what to do. Will come back here and link to it after I finish.

 

[obcted]

Great! Emailing the Client now. Thanks for the help. Was not even aware of the other listing. I look forward to your upcoming post. Thank you very much!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Here you go. Hope this helps and turns out to be a solution that helps you.

http://localsearchforum.catalystema...oogle-local-suspended-important-new-info.html

 

[obcted]

Hi Linda,

Thanks for that great post on Problems with suspended Accounts. I just heard back from my client and now know that the duplicate listing you identified was an attorney who no longer works at that office. Based on your previous post it seems the best course of action for me would be to use the Troubleshooter link you supplied from the last post and let google know of the duplicate listing at that address. I would provide a link to the other attorney's places account and website. As well as an explanation as to what happened.

Next in my dashboard I have the one listing Pending and one that "Needs Action" and is waiting for a PIN. I should probably delete that. Should this also fix my Google+Pages verification issue as well?

Thank you!

Ted

 

[Linda Buquet]

No hang on, I would not do any of the things you mentioned. They won't work and there are better paths. I need to play catch up with clients and all the other forum posts. Then need to dig back into this one and will advise. Sit tight.

 

[obcted]

Sounds good Linda. Thank you.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for that great post on Problems with suspended Accounts. I just heard back from my client and now know that the duplicate listing you identified was an attorney who no longer works at that office. Based on your previous post it seems the best course of action for me would be to use the Troubleshooter link you supplied from the last post and let google know of the duplicate listing at that address. I would provide a link to the other attorney's places account and website. As well as an explanation as to what happened.

DUPES - This is not really a dupe. Don't need to use troubleshooter either.

A NORMAL dupe is same or similar NAP. Usually just a scraping mistake made by Google because there should only be one - it's really the same company.

In your case this is a different practice - NOT same NAP. BUT since at same address Google could think there is funny business because you can only have one listing per location and it's a violation to have 2. In fact guidelines state SPECIFICALLY for attys and Drs you can't set up multiple listings for each specialty. And I'm afraid to the algo it could look like that's what's going on here.

So on that bad listing - click edit details or report a problem. Select permanently closed. In comment box indicate they moved and the new address from the other web site. Google will mark it closed and moved which will pull it out of search so it won't compete with or hurt your listing. And then it also won't look like a violation any more because will not be at your client's address.

Should this also fix my Google+Pages verification issue as well?

No fixing the verification issue on this account. THIS ACCOUNT IS CURRENTLY DEAD.
Unless you can get Google to re-instate it.

EDIT just realized you said G+ verification. You can't verify/merge with a Place page that has data issues and suspended means it's borked. So no can't verify til Place page problem is resolved either by reinstatement (OR if that fails, deleting and starting over in new acct.)

I would go ahead and delete the one that's waiting for Pin. Then submit to troubleshooter, listing is missing as I explained here: SUSPENDED in Google+ Local? Important New Info

I need to start billing Google for all the free consulting I'm giving out to try to help fix their problems!!!