I am so fed up with Google!!!

[Dmacc]

I need to rant about this, and I know many of you will relate, so I’m doing it here.

I work with small to medium-sized businesses in Australia. Real people, trying to punch above their weight, not get drowned out and honestly, I feel like I’m not doing them justice because of the bullshit going with Google Business Profiles.

We’ve been experiencing a litany of issues with Google like scrutiny on “high-risk” industry categories, suspensions over minor changes, endless verification issues and despite doing our damndest to follow Google’s guidelines, we’re getting nowhere and no reply emails.

I was helping one of our clients who is currently facing two bugs you may be familiar with:

1. Cannot toggle address on their Google Business Profile. We suspect this is a glitch that Google will eventually catch onto where the toggle simply doesn’t work right now. We contacted Google but I received a no-reply email.
2. Service Area Business Map location bug – clicking on the business sometimes redirects users to the middle of the ocean, just below Africa. Which is a bad client experiencing seeing that and damaging to our credibility when its just platform of Google.

While I was there I decide to look into the competition, I come across blatant abuse: multiple listings, all live and registered at the same addresses. For example:

• 42 Manilla St East Brisbane QLD
• 16 McDougall St Milton QLD

Just two of many. Look at many businesses they have listed!!

It’s infuriating. Google mass-suspends legitimate listings and disables features for those following the rules, while others running black-hat tactics seem to thrive likely at a lower cost, too. No wonder marketing agencies opt to this as it’s cheaper, faster, and unfortunately, more effective than doing things the right way.

We want to play fair, but right now it feels like we're being punished for it.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Have you posted in the Google Business Profile community about these bugs? The first one I heard about yesterday on X and probably will get fixed fairly quickly.

 

[JS Girard]

1. Cannot toggle address on their Google Business Profile. We suspect this is a glitch that Google will eventually catch onto where the toggle simply doesn’t work right now. We contacted Google but I received a no-reply email.
2. Service Area Business Map location bug – clicking on the business sometimes redirects users to the middle of the ocean, just below Africa. Which is a bad client experiencing seeing that and damaging to our credibility when its just platform of Google.

I just had a colleague ask me about #1 earlier today! They were trying to hide the address and found it impossible. I thought it was a "google employee unilaterally blocked this change from being made" kind of thing, but after checking a few random profiles, this IS a general bug right now!

#2 seems to be working "as intended" right now, sadly, however, have you double-checked that this business actually displays a service area correctly otherwise? Something similar (the "Casey Antarctic Base bug") also happens if a service area includes only elements that are pins instead of being traced limits and google sometimes will outright refuse to let you use the version that has limits, or even switch from it to the pin one! it's maddening.

 

[Dmacc]

Have you posted in the Google Business Profile community about these bugs? The first one I heard about yesterday on X and probably will get fixed fairly quickly.

I have posted to the forums and noticed you actually replied to one of the community forums I am in. I sent you some examples there.

I am less concerned with the bugs as the bugs are fixable. Its mainly about these competitor marketing companies that register 200 GBPs to the same address.

While people who abide by Google's guidelines are punished. Its so frustrating!

 

[Dmacc]

I just had a colleague ask me about #1 earlier today! They were trying to hide the address and found it impossible. I thought it was a "google employee unilaterally blocked this change from being made" kind of thing, but after checking a few random profiles, this IS a general bug right now!

#2 seems to be working "as intended" right now, sadly, however, have you double-checked that this business actually displays a service area correctly otherwise? Something similar (the "Casey Antarctic Base bug") also happens if a service area includes only elements that are pins instead of being traced limits and google sometimes will outright refuse to let you use the version that has limits, or even switch from it to the pin one! it's maddening.

Yeah, I have been tracking the GBP community comments about how we are all experiencing the address toggle bug, and thank you for that article. The "Casey Antarctic base bug" is exactly what I am experiencing, I will try this remedy on some my profiles experiencing this bug.

This post was more about the two addresses I linked. I have clients in Brisbane and have kept them as service area businesses because that's what they are meanwhile, you have marketing companies listing 200 gbps to an address location only for my clients to get suspended as they are high risk SABs. Makes me want to flag the whole address to Google but I know Google will just ignore me, GAH!

 

[fisicx]

The whole point of black-hat is to break the rules, make a quick buck then crash and burn. It's not and never will be a good long term strategy.

The problem with Google is it's a business only answerable to their shareholders. They don't care one jot about you, me or the millions of small businesses. Your organic listing and GBP don't make them any money other than the tracking data they collect and sell). If you were spending money on Google ads then you being to become a valuable customer. Spend more money and you might even get noticed by the Googleplex.

My advice is to look for alternate marketing channels. GBP is now run by AI bots. Before long there won't be any wetware involved - even on the community forums.

 

[keyserholiday]

I need to rant about this, and I know many of you will relate, so I’m doing it here.

I work with small to medium-sized businesses in Australia. Real people, trying to punch above their weight, not get drowned out and honestly, I feel like I’m not doing them justice because of the bullshit going with Google Business Profiles.

We’ve been experiencing a litany of issues with Google like scrutiny on “high-risk” industry categories, suspensions over minor changes, endless verification issues and despite doing our damndest to follow Google’s guidelines, we’re getting nowhere and no reply emails.

I was helping one of our clients who is currently facing two bugs you may be familiar with:

1. Cannot toggle address on their Google Business Profile. We suspect this is a glitch that Google will eventually catch onto where the toggle simply doesn’t work right now. We contacted Google but I received a no-reply email.
2. Service Area Business Map location bug – clicking on the business sometimes redirects users to the middle of the ocean, just below Africa. Which is a bad client experiencing seeing that and damaging to our credibility when its just platform of Google.

While I was there I decide to look into the competition, I come across blatant abuse: multiple listings, all live and registered at the same addresses. For example:

• 42 Manilla St East Brisbane QLD
• 16 McDougall St Milton QLD

Just two of many. Look at many businesses they have listed!!

It’s infuriating. Google mass-suspends legitimate listings and disables features for those following the rules, while others running black-hat tactics seem to thrive likely at a lower cost, too. No wonder marketing agencies opt to this as it’s cheaper, faster, and unfortunately, more effective than doing things the right way.

We want to play fair, but right now it feels like we're being punished for it.

I looked at both addresses, and I don't see what you are seeing. The first address is a co-working space, and the second address is an office building. It makes sense for multiple businesses to be listed at these addresses. The issue I have is that many of them are unclaimed. I have been seeing more and more of this. Google scraped and published GBPs with old and outdated information. My team and I removed thousands of unclaimed medical profiles two years ago. They were either missing a phone number, website, or both.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Cannot toggle address on their Google Business Profile. We suspect this is a glitch that Google will eventually catch onto where the toggle simply doesn’t work right now. We contacted Google but I received a no-reply email.

Google just told us this issue is fixed.

 

[keyserholiday]

I looked at both addresses, and I don't see what you are seeing. The first address is a co-working space, and the second address is an office building. It makes sense for multiple businesses to be listed at these addresses. The issue I have is that many of them are unclaimed. I have been seeing more and more of this. Google scraped and published GBPs with old and outdated information. My team and I removed thousands of unclaimed medical profiles two years ago. They were either missing a phone number, website, or both.

Here is a prime example of an unclaimed GBP without a website and phone number being listed. Google won't allow a GBP to remove both. Google created this GBP.

 

[Dmacc]

Google just told us this issue is fixed.

I saw they fixed this, seems to be working on all our clients profiles again.

 

[Dmacc]

Here is a prime example of an unclaimed GBP without a website and phone number being listed. Google won't allow a GBP to remove both. Google created this GBP.

Google guidelines said you cannot list your business accurately if they.

• Businesses can't list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff.

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en#zippy=,address

Out of curiosity, I called some of these businesses and asked if I could come to that address to speak with them, and they said they are service area businesses with no address. Clearly a tactic to try and rank with relevancy. Unsure how or why Google is creating all these businesses GBP but there must be a higher black hat tactic being pulled him. i.e an agency creates a business a website with an address listed and then registers it through the GSC? spitballing or they create it, verify it, then delete their own access to it and create a new gmail account.

Either way, it's just frustrating that I am struggling to get businesses to verify post-video verification submission and it sometimes immediately suspends, but then I had one client film their desk for 15 seconds, submit, and it verified. What?!?!

There's no consistency, and it feels like the GBP game is run by clever marketing agents who can utilise these black-hat techniques and can recover fast. Maybe this what we should consider to be technical local SEO. Spam as much as possible with NAPW information that clients can utilise.

 

[keyserholiday]

Google guidelines said you cannot list your business accurately if they.

• Businesses can't list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff.

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en#zippy=,address

Out of curiosity, I called some of these businesses and asked if I could come to that address to speak with them, and they said they are service area businesses with no address. Clearly a tactic to try and rank with relevancy. Unsure how or why Google is creating all these businesses GBP but there must be a higher black hat tactic being pulled him. i.e an agency creates a business a website with an address listed and then registers it through the GSC? spitballing or they create it, verify it, then delete their own access to it and create a new gmail account.

Either way, it's just frustrating that I am struggling to get businesses to verify post-video verification submission and it sometimes immediately suspends, but then I had one client film their desk for 15 seconds, submit, and it verified. What?!?!

There's no consistency, and it feels like the GBP game is run by clever marketing agents who can utilise these black-hat techniques and can recover fast. Maybe this what we should consider to be technical local SEO. Spam as much as possible with NAPW information that clients can utilise.

Again, you are making assumptions that are not based on facts. How do you know an agency created these GBPs and not the businesses themselves? Do you know how many agencies or business owners I speak to who don't know any of Google's TOS? Yesterday, I read 25 things that can trigger a GBP suspension. Only one of the listed items was correct. People don't know the policies or read misinformation. I feel that you are letting your anger cloud your judgment. BTW, you don't need to quote Google's TOS to me. I know what's allowed and what's not allowed.

 

[Dmacc]

Again, you are making assumptions that are not based on facts. How do you know an agency created these GBPs and not the businesses themselves? Do you know how many agencies or business owners I speak to who don't know any of Google's TOS? Yesterday, I read 25 things that can trigger a GBP suspension. Only one of the listed items was correct. People don't know the policies or read misinformation. I feel that you are letting your anger cloud your judgment. BTW, you don't need to quote Google's TOS to me. I know what's allowed and what's not allowed.

Fair. I opened this as a rant, not an audit. I’m frustrated not just because we’re doing our best to follow Google’s guidelines and getting nowhere, but because the system seems to punish compliance while enabling others.

I wasn’t implying you don’t know the TOS. Quoting it was just to show where I’m coming from. I’ve had live calls where verification was denied purely because another business was already listed at the same site, even when they were separate, legitimate entities.

The point about agencies wasn’t gospel. It’s based on patterns we’re seeing, and yes, I’m speculating. But that’s what I’m left with when clients ask, “Why are we suspended for uploading a legitimate verification video, while another listing with no signage, no hours, and no customer access gets verified instantly?”

I understand what’s ethical. But right now, it’s hard to tell what fair play even means in the context of GBP.

 

[fisicx]

I understand what’s ethical. But right now, it’s hard to tell what fair play even means in the context of GBP.

You are dealing with an AI driven automated process. It's never going to be fair or correct in all cases, all you can do is hope to tick all the boxes. The harsh reality is Google really doesn't care about you or your listing.

Do your clients run Google Ads? Are the paying Google for sponsored listings? Maybe if you add to Google's bottom line your GBP might tick a box that opens the door to verification. Google will tell you the two aren't connected but some studies show there is some correlation.