Lost visibility after verification...

[Dino]

Not sure if this is a question or a rant, but if any of you have run into this problem and can offer a suggestion, I?d appreciate the help.

After updating an incorrect location marker in the map for one of my clients, Google required a new verification, which we did, but now my client no longer shows for their primary category ? at all. Of course Google reps like to say that they cannot guarantee a company will show for any category, which really pisses me off because showing for our category is clearly the best user experience.

In their defense, there is no Google category for junk removal, which is what my client does. We showed well for this keyword before the verification, but not now.

Has anyone had this problem?

 

[Christa Morgante]

Hi @Dino!

Seems a little strange that you needed to re-verify a listing after only moving the map marker PIN. I haven't seen that before unless you have changed a main portion of the NAP?

It's a little difficult to answer if you don't provide any links to the business listing or business in question, so if you could, that would be great.

As far as your client 'no longer showing for their primary category' -- do you mean ranking for a specific search query? Google reps won't give you 'ranking' advice because their job is solely troubleshooting GMB issues such as duplicates, ownership problems, verification, etc. They are not trained to guarantee anything regarding ranking in the SERPs and just because you choose your niche category doesn't mean you automatically get shown for that term. Although it is best for user experience, Google may think competitors in the area are offering more related to that term then you are, so there are A LOT of factors that come into play when trying to show up for a certain keyword search, not just what category you have chosen on your GMB listing.

If you can provide some additional info, I can try to give you some more insight.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Very interesting Dino, and a pretty crummy deal for you and your client.

Like Christa, I don't recall ever seeing a verification triggered solely by moving the pin marker. I also know that there has been a lot of odd things happening with pin markers and Google not recognizing addresses over at the Google My Business forum.

How far was the pin marker moved?

 

[Dino]

@Christa, thank you for your comment; however, my question was not about getting ranking advice. I?ve had that topic pretty well covered for some time now.

Let me clarify? I?ve never had my clients disappear completely for their category after re-verifying their listing, even for an unsupported Google category. So I?m trying to find out if anyone has experienced that before. This info will help me find an answer I can perhaps share with the community. Hope that helps.

@Colin, thanks. Yeah, I moved it a few blocks and didn?t expect it to be such a big deal. Perhaps it?s a timing thing and maybe it will come back after a week or two. I?ll keep digging around and let you know what I find out.

 

[Christa Morgante]

@Dino -- Thanks for clarifying, but I'm still confused. Can you provide links or screenshots?

You say you've never had your clients disappear completely for their category -- What do you mean by their 'category' if you are not talking about rankings?

As a side note -- The category you choose for your listing MUST be a Google supported category. If you type in a term that's not supported, they will force you to choose from the options that appear when typing. -- 2015-06-16_1657 - ChristaMo's library