is my competition Cheating? or I am just being a baby

[Carefree Connections]

Hi everyone,



Thank you for allowing me on the site!
I am a total newbie to websites and getting my site on google and or other search engines.
After 23 years of steady business, I am starting to feel a bit of decline of customers calling me. Unfortunately over the last couple years I’ve lost over 30 clients to Old age, Covid, Heart Attacks and this economy sure isn’t helping,,, gas is back to $4 bucks a gallon today.

So my thought was, I sure could use some new clients, and some extra cash !
with nothing better to do, I decided to watch about 2000 YouTube Videos and delete my old crappy website and start fresh.
Over the last 10 years, I stayed plenty busy and never gave my website a 2nd thought, It was pretty awful, but it said what It needed to say. Which apparently wasn’t much because I probably only got 1-5 call a year from it. (YIKES) I have been reading up on SEO tips for a couple months now and have a few questions that I have come up with google maps or GMB
As a computer repair service provider based in Phoenix, AZ, I have observed that at least three of my competitors have multiple listings on Google for surrounding areas. They have accomplished this by creating a regular website with standard pages for computer repair services, such as home page, services, contact us, etc. However, they have multiple home pages for the same website, for example:



www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Carefree
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Cavecreek
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Phoenix
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Glendale
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Scottdale
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Fountainhill
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Rioverde
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Mesa
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Tempe
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Chandler
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Gilbert
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near__Newriver
www.WHOEVERcomputerrepair.com/near_Anthem

Another competitor has around 20 similar websites with different names, such as phoenixWHOEVERcomputerrepair.com

tempeWHOEVERcomputerrepair.com
mesaWHOEVERcomputerrepair.com
carefreeWHOEVERcomputerrepair.com
and so on.

some competitors with the multiple listings use fake addresses. Like a post office, or apartment complex address
and so on.
If you click on any of these websites, you will see the same technician's picture and phone number. Moreover, they have 20 different listings on Google Maps with all those different names. As a result, when you search for computer repair in Arizona, they always appear in the top three search results on Google Maps because their name includes "near every city in AZ." Therefore, I am curious whether these tactics are permitted by Google. I am unable to suggest a name change as the competitors have created more than 20 different homepages that match the name.. but if you look at address some are fake (like a post office or apartment complex address and some are blank)
So how do I compete with the number one spot. when one guy has 3 listings on page one of map pack if I search Computer Repair in a certain zip code or city.

Do I just focus on better Content on my site, and hope for the best?

Do my future clients on Google looking for Computer Repair, see this activity and avoid him? Or does it get him more clicks?

Does the community think this is ok?

Should I just let it go? Is this just normal now? Do I do the Same thing?

The way I interepted the Google Guidlines and Rules, This seems to lack Integrity and is unfair to the other Businesses.

Would love to hear others ideas and opions..

Jeff

 

[PatrickP]

Hey Jeff,

As someone on the other side of things, I think you're dealing with two different types of competitors - one is playing by the rules, the other not so much.

The first competitor you describe has created landing pages for multiple cities, which is a standard tactic and generally considered okay. Google discourages these types of pages if they re-use the exact same content or contain spammy elements. But if a business takes the time to create these types of pages for each city they serve and update them with unique local content, Google is okay with that, and these pages can rank in organic results (i.e., Google's usual blue link results, as opposed to Google Maps).

The second competitor you describe, on the other hand, is definitely breaking the rules. Google has a firm policy of one Google business listing per physical location. If a business has multiple physical locations, they can have multiple Google profiles - one for each location. But if they only have a single location, they're only allowed the one profile. Using fake addresses, PO boxes, and virtual offices to fake multiple locations is against the rules. The same is true of setting up multiple websites if those sites only exist to trick Google.

I don't have a ton of experience with reporting violations on Google Maps, but I'm sure some other people on here can help you with reporting competitor #2.

As far as competitor #1, they're using a strategy you might want to consider in the future - provided you have the time to learn SEO on your own or the resources to hire someone else. If neither of those options seem realistic, I recommend shaking your fist at SEO jerks like myself.

 

[Professor M]

You are right and you should report them to Google, check this guide

[Ed. 2023] How To Find And Report Spam/Fake Businesses On Google – Professor M (Google Business Profile Expert)

Fake listings push real businesses further down the local search results, impacting your ability to reach customers and lose money. This guide will show how you can fight back.

professorm.org

I hope it helps

 

[PatrickP]

Quick follow up to my previous post in case I misunderstood the situation with competitor #1...

If competitor #1 has multiple Google Business Profile listings to rank on Google Maps, but they don't actually have multiple locations, that's against the rules.​

​

If competitor #1 has only one Google Business Profile listing on Google Maps, but they are using a bunch of "Near Me" pages to rank in regular Google Search results, that would be okay.​