My Client's Google+ Page Has A Competitor Name as Title!

[shondarogers]

Yikes! My client (G Pate) is a realtor and today his page showed up with a COMPETITOR's (C Tesch) name at the top of his listing.
https://plus.google.com/115019339378192608733
In the dashboard, client's name is listed correctly: Gordon Pate - RE/MAX Realtor and has been showing correctly on his Google+ page for several month. What is the best way to correct this since when i go to "edit this page" i go to his dashboard where the correct information is listed.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Looks like a merge...

Ya don't try to use edit page for problems like this. The info is correct on your backend, it's just merged with another listing. So it's broken and only G can fix.

To get help with your merged listing use Google's Fix a Problem Troubleshooter
(Be sure be logged into the same account your Place page is in)
My listing has incorrect information

Select the top option: Listing data, including title, address, phone >> I have used Report a Problem - tick yes.

Then click the small link at bottom of page that says complete this form to specify correct info.

Then on that next page it asks you to explain which fields are incorrect.

Google will see this is a merge and support will usually reply via email within a week or two.

 

[Marie Ysais]

What would cause listings to merge like this?

 

[Linda Buquet]

It happens all the time. It's part of the whole merge/dupe problem.

If Google finds a listing thats a little different, say different address format and can't match it up right, she may create a dupe.

But then on the other hand when she is TRYING to match up listings with similarities to try to avoid dupes, sometimes she merges listings that AREN'T really the same business, if there are too many similarities with the listings.

Happens when there are strong NAP similarities. Like part of names the same - as in Alpine Dental may get merged with Alpine Auto down the street. Or if there are several Realtors all at same address, all same cats, all have RE/MAX in the name, she sometimes gets confused and merges.

That's why it's important for instance if Alpine Dental has 3 offices, that they all have different phone #s or they may all mush together into a big mess. Then instead of 3 listings you only have one and all the data is all mixed up on a single listing.

If the dial gets turned one way to try to minimize dupes, then we get more merges. Go the other direction and less merges but more dupes. So it's tricky. Usually we just have some of both, as she tries to find a balance somewhere in the middle.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Fantastic explanation! Thanks Linda.

 

[Andrew Sawyer]

What would cause listings to merge like this?

To start the G+Local feature that is verified originally belonged to Chris Tesch, which accounts for the name change. The Professional Listing improperly had its name changed along the way to several ReMax agents. At some point it was marked as a duplicate of a professional listing originally for Sarah Miller.

This is a primary reason I recommend people claiming professional listings do due-diligence via Map Maker first and look at the History all the way to the beginning. (Which reminds be to write up an article on how to do this.)

Unfortunately Google tends to lure people into a feature that looks like the feature that a professional wants to claim/verify. Ones that I see with problems were often improperly modified by bots only to have the feature auto-revert to the original data at some point causing issues.

Or if there are several Realtors all at same address, all same cats, all have RE/MAX in the name, she sometimes gets confused and merges.

Which is one reason why professional listings shouldn't have the business name in the Name Field.

 

[shondarogers]

As always, thanks, Linda!

---------- Post Merged at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 12:18 PM ----------

Two things..
1) yesterday, i did a "push" (i think that is what Linda calls it) in the GPate dashboard and today when i check the problem is corrected ?!?! Not sure if it was from that or not but i never did log in and go through the steps that Linda described - which i'm very happy to have for future similar problems.

2) Thanks Andrew for your great research above. Here's where things get tricky. Chris, Sarah and Gordon all work for RE/MAX BCS. Well they did...until Chris left about a month a go and went to RE/MAX Select. It seems now that on the map maker links that you included i see the RE/MAX BCS listing as a "duplicate" with the RE/MAX select listing...but they are in fact two separate offices.

QUESTION: on the listing i'm concerned with - RE/MAX BCS - can i remove Chris' name in map maker - would that help? Or should i just leave it all alone since things seemed to be back in place.

3) Thanks to advice from this group a while back i did start changing my agent listings to NAME - REALTOR and removing the company name...

See correction from Linda on point 3) in post #11 below.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

This is a primary reason I recommend people claiming professional listings do due-diligence via Map Maker first and look at the History all the way to the beginning. (Which reminds be to write up an article on how to do this.)

Unfortunately Google tends to lure people into a feature that looks like the feature that a professional wants to claim/verify. Ones that I see with problems were often improperly modified by bots only to have the feature auto-revert to the original data at some point causing issues.

Just bumping this up because Shonda's last question is a good one and hopefully Andrew or Flash can weigh in on it.

Andrew, have you had a chance to write up that article? Lately, I've been practicing checking out a listings Map Maker history right to the beginning when deciding on the proper listing to claim in Google Places. I would love to hear more thoughts on it.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Ditto that Colan, thanks for bumping.

Andrew is pretty good about following threads he's replied to here, but if he doesn't weigh in please remind me and I'll shoot him an email.

 

[Andrew Sawyer]

As always, thanks, Linda!

Two things..
1) yesterday, i did a "push" (i think that is what Linda calls it) in the GPate dashboard and today when i check the problem is corrected ?!?! Not sure if it was from that or not but i never did log in and go through the steps that Linda described - which i'm very happy to have for future similar problems.

Did you ever Report the issue through the Troubleshooter? I'd suggest doing that. I'd also Report the MM feature via the Report function under the edit tab.

2) Thanks Andrew for your great research above. Here's where things get tricky. Chris, Sarah and Gordon all work for RE/MAX BCS. Well they did...until Chris left about a month a go and went to RE/MAX Select. It seems now that on the map maker links that you included i see the RE/MAX BCS listing as a "duplicate" with the RE/MAX select listing...but they are in fact two separate offices.

When you say they're two separate offices what do you mean? Is there a RE/Max office location where people have separate suites within it or do they physically have different locations apart from one another. Could you describe where everyone at issue is located?

QUESTION: on the listing i'm concerned with - RE/MAX BCS - can i remove Chris' name in map maker - would that help? Or should i just leave it all alone since things seemed to be back in place.

I'd have to take a peak again but I don't suggest removing Chris's name from the GMM feature as it originally had his name. I don't know how Places Support fixes issues like these but deleting valid data to fix an issue where the policies were broken isn't a path I can recommend as you might continue having issues with the bots going through and reverting the name because it knows the name was improperly changed.

3) Thanks to advice from this group a while back i did start changing my agent listings to NAME - REALTOR and removing the company name...

shondarogers, when you say they're two separate offices what do you mean? Is there a RE/Max office location where people have separate suites within it or do they physically have different locations apart from one another

Also using a naming convention of [Name] - "Realtor" would be inappropriate as the primary naming should be just the professionals name. Google currently allows using the business name after or before the name of the professional but using a trademarked title isn't something I'd approve. Rather the primary category should be something like "Real estate agent" to indicate the type of work the person does.

Just bumping this up because Shonda's last question is a good one and hopefully Andrew or Flash can weigh in on it.

Andrew, have you had a chance to write up that article? Lately, I've been practicing checking out a listings Map Maker history right to the beginning when deciding on the proper listing to claim in Google Places. I would love to hear more thoughts on it.

Haven't written anything up yet, its been on my mental list of things. Hopefully I can get around to it as it wouldn't take too much work, just need to do a bunch of screen shots.

 

[Linda Buquet]

3) Thanks to advice from this group a while back i did start changing my agent listings to NAME - REALTOR and removing the company name...

JUST TO CLEAR CONFUSION for anyone that reads the comment above...

I don't think anyone or def not me anyway would recommend listing business name as " NAME - REALTOR" I think that could get you suspended and would be considered title keyword stuffing.

That would be like doing a title "RooterRooter - PLUMBER". Essentially it's adding a keyword to the name PLUS I doubt all his citations read that way so it's going to throw off his citations.

PLUS as Andrew says below the word "Realtor" is trademarked.

"Thanks to advice from this group" I believe that comment refers to us recommending that the name should be Agent Name only and not include Agency name so as to avoid all the listings competing with the Main agency in search AND to avoid potential merges. BUT we did not recommend adding "Realtor" to the agent's name.

Also using a naming convention of [Name] - "Realtor" would be inappropriate as the primary naming should be just the professionals name. Google currently allows using the business name after or before the name of the professional but using a trademarked title isn't something I'd approve. Rather the primary category should be something like "Real estate agent" to indicate the type of work the person does.