Just Reported: Verify your GMB Page via Google Hangout

[Linda Buquet]

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Another new way to verify. HANGOUTS! Were you aware Google is starting to let you (or testing) verifying a GMB page by Google Hangouts?

Lance Moore at our G+ Pros Community shared the message below he got from Google.

"We will connect you through hangout and connect through video and see your business location, business card ,street address and business logo.

You can either use your Mobile or Laptop."

Again, not sure if it's just a test or is really rolling out for certain types of businesses.
But I think it's an awesome use of Google's own technology.

What do you think?

Will it fly with SMBs?

Do you think it could be easily gamed?

Thanks for sharing Lance! (You guys can also follow the upcoming discussion on G+.)

 

[Blake Denman]

I wonder how many spammers will walk into a business to verify. It's easy to grab a card and just hang out inside. Show the location, address, and card, then the listing gets verified. Then the spammer owns the listing and can do virtually whatever they want.

It may not be that easy, or it could be.

 

[heckler]

It may not be that easy, or it could be.

Even if it is easy, I don't think it scales very well; most spammers (that are any 'good' at it) are all about the scaling.

 

[Over The Top SEO]

Hey Linda,

As always, great info.

My knowledge of the Map "business" is extremely vast, as i had to deal with a LOT of Locksmiths knocking on our door asking for our service.

I can tell you that I have personally met so many people in various niches that are going to go the EXTRA EXTRA mile and go make a damn sign / business cards and go pray for that video chat, even renting a place for several days/weeks only to verify their location weather its real or fake.

As in all Instant niches and niches that can easily pray on the weak and make a lot of money doing that, these guys will find a way to manipulate the verification process.

Not only that but as the past proven to show us, there is always a loophole and nothing is perfect, not even big G, people in the blackhat community will try to find a way to manipulate the whole process and get legitimate business in trouble during that process just like we have seen in the past few weeks with 4 and more niches.

In the beginning you could verify any niche via Map Maker (another wide open, cracked ((Still)) method.

Than we had the verification by phone which was utterly easy.

Then we had the verification (still) with postcards and you were able to get a Pizza place approved than change the name, category, phone and so on.

Then we had the postcard method where you would send 10000 (unlimited) postcards to the SAME address and were able to change names, phones, locations (statewide).

I can keep on going but i'm carrying away here

Bottom line is this, its all nice and dandy that they now offer to verify in multiple ways but its a matter of time until someone WITHIN G is going to leak out some useful information to some spammer and get the ball rolling.

I dont know if you know it, but in the past year all calls in regards to GMB is 90% if not more is going to India, and we all know why... $$$ a local Indian person will get between 400 to 600 USD per MONTH over there, so I dont need to tell you that the problem is already identified and the big question that we ask is, does G even care ?

Sorry for digging in your brains