Local Competitor Keyword Stuffing/Similar Words In GMB

[chrism]

Hello,

First, I would like to mention that this looks like a great forum and I am glad that I can post here.

About 10 months ago I noticed a Google My Business listing where the business name itself was fine but keywords were added after the name which were not listed in the P.O. box of the business and not on the business website either. This business does not have a physical location but only a mailing address and website. Also, the website is a Youtube channel and not a "traditional" website if that makes sense. Screenshots are attached here to help illustrate. Back when I first noticed this I went to the Google My Business forum and was advised to suggest an edit, and if that did not work then submit a Business Redressal form which I did. In addition, I was requested to search the department of state website to see if such business "Hornet King - Wasp Nest Removal Expert" was on record. No such business is on record in the state of Pennsylvania.

For "The Wasp Expert" (my company), a record can be found and a screenshot of that is attached. The issue I have is I feel that this listing has keyword stuffing with the words "Wasp Nest Removal Expert" after their "Hornet King" business name. My own company is based out of south eastern Pennsylvania and it is called "The Wasp Expert" which is shown in the 3-pack screenshot with the business in question. The stuffed keywords closely resemble my business name and rank up with my search results.

Fastforward to the present, I have suggested at least 5 edits to the name "Hornet King" eliminating the stuffed keywords for this company. One edit was approved back in August of last year only the name got changed right back in less than a day with the stuffed keywords. I have submitted 3 Business Redressal forms over the last several months and I have not heard anything back from Google. From the Google Business forum I was told the burden of proof is on me and I guess I have not shown enough evidence that this listing is violating any guidelines.

To recap, the business name on the P.O. Box reads "Hornet King", also the website (a Youtube channel) also reads "Hornet King". There is no "Wasp Nest Removal Expert" listed in the business besides on the company Google My Business listing.

Any input is appreciated. Thank you for reading this. Let me know if I need to provide any more information.

Chris Walker
Owner of The Wasp Expert

 

[Tim Kahlert]

Hi Chris!

I understand your frustration. All you can do is explain your situation using the GMB redressal form just like you did here. Make it easy to read, don't overwhelm them with information, and keep it relevant. Provide links to evidence and try to not talk about your own business. I've probably sent more than 100 requests in the last 12 months and the results got better. We shouldn't forget that there are people on the other end and if their job is as easy as possible they'll be more inclined to help us. I hope that helps a little.

 

[chrism]

Thank you Tim for the reply. Around 2 weeks ago I submitted a business redressal form to Google and noted the P.O. Box and name of the website/Youtube channel. Now it is up to Google.

 

[chrism]

Hello everyone,

Google notified me that the edit that I suggested was published. Good news! But when I clicked to see the edit I made it looked like the listing was the same as it was before with the stuffed keywords. Would it just take a day or two for the edit to be made? Or would the owner of the listing just changed it back?

Thank you.

 

[Yan Gilbert]

I loaded it up and noticed the keyword stuffing was still there. Sometimes it can take a day or so, but usually by the time you receive the email it will be live. In this case, the listing owner probably just added to keyword back right away after they saw the change.

I've submitted my own suggested edit in any case and it was approved immediately.

Google is bad at addressing repeat offenders unfortunately and likely the keywords will be put back.

 

[chrism]

I loaded it up and noticed the keyword stuffing was still there. Sometimes it can take a day or so, but usually by the time you receive the email it will be live. In this case, the listing owner probably just added to keyword back right away after they saw the change.

I've submitted my own suggested edit in any case and it was approved immediately.

Google is bad at addressing repeat offenders unfortunately and likely the keywords will be put back.

Hi Yan,

Thank you for suggesting the edit and for this information. I hope this will resolve the issue! For what it is worth, I submitted a business redressal form to Google about this.

Have a great day!

 

[chrism]

Hello,

This morning I noticed that the listing put the stuffed keywords "Wasp Nest Removal Expert" after their listing title Hornet King and when I suggested the edit to Hornet King it was approved immediately. Not more than 20 minutes later I checked and the listing owner or someone put the stuffed keywords right back so I suggested another edit that got approved immediately. Anyway, I submitted a business redressal form to Google explaining the same thing that I am explaining here. Has anyone seen something like this and, if so what was the outcome? Seems like this is a game of "Whack a mole"!

 

[Yan Gilbert]

Yeah, unfortunately its a whack a mole game sometimes. Eventually Google will remove the listing if they are caught enough times but there are no real specifics on what that limit is.

 

[chrism]

Thanks Yan!