"Suggest an Edit" Auto-Denying on Google Maps

[CraigJMount]

Anyone notice "Suggest an Edit" not working anymore?

I have a Level 8 Google Guide that is having basic spam edits get auto-denied. These are edits that normally go through no problem but are now not only not going into "Pending"... instead immediately denying.

It definitely feels like something has changed. I wonder if it has anything to do with the new method of reporting.

 

[Tim Colling]

Hi @CraigJMount

I haven't noticed a big change, personally. I am a level 7 local guide, and it seems to me that about the same percentage of my edits are being accepted as was the case say, six months ago.

I don't have any specific data with which to make a firm assertion about why some of my edits end up not accepted, but in general it seems like the ones that are not accepted generally have to do with subtle keyword stuffing for national brands.

For example, I see "Comfort Keepers Home Care" used a lot in GMB listings but "Home Care" is not actually part of that company's name. I have suggested edits a handful of times to remove the "home care" portion of the name, but they never succeed.

On the other hand, my suggested edits to change "Interim Home Care" to "Interim Health Care", the actual name of that company, generally do get accepted.

Hard to understand some times, isn't it?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

@CraigJMount I do feel like something is changing or has changed. I actually experienced the opposite of you and noticed more edits going through.

 

[Tim Colling]

@CraigJMount it sounded from your OP as though the Local Guide in question is not you, but someone else. It's possible that that person has made a number of edit suggestions that Google has assessed to be non-trustworthy and therefore that person's edits are no longer "automatically trusted". Could that be the issue?

 

[JoyHawkins]

It's not just you. Most people I know with extremely trusted profiles are experiencing this currently as well.

 

[Amy Toman]

Not sure where to place this topic, so if it should go elsewhere, please let me know.

This week, I've had an unusual number of GMB edits get auto-denied. These were very basic edits, like changing the name of a law firm from their specialty (Chapter 7 Bankruptcy) to their firm name (as seen on their site).

Has anyone else noticed an upsurge in these, this week? Or know what's up? I'm hesitant to add more edits for fear of losing any credibility I may have left in that account.

Your thoughts? Or insights?

 

[JoyHawkins]

@Amy Toman - I merged your thread with Craig since he brought this up as well.

 

[CraigJMount]

@Tim Colling You are correct there. It could be, I know that there is likely some invisible Black Mirror authority score attached to a user that we can't see.

 

[Michael S. Doran]

Google's lack of response to valid reports destroys motivations to help improve their product.

 

[Amy Toman]

@Michael S. Doran , that's quite accurate. I was submitting edits regularly, and with my (many) recent auto-denials on obvious edits, I've stopped completely. Hopefully this will get settled soon.

 

[Tim Colling]

I find this very interesting because for some reason my success rates with suggested edits has been pretty constant. The two most common types of suggested edits that I submit are:

1. Changes to keyword-stuffed entity names
2. Removal of locations that are non-existent or SABs mis-represented as non-SABs

I do not have anywhere near a 100% success rate, but I speculate (I haven't actually collected data and done the precise calculation) that approximately 60% of them have been accepted.

I wonder why my experience would be any different. I hope that I'm not asking for bad luck in the future by saying this.

 

[Amy Toman]

@Tim Colling I've been submitting my usual lot of spammy titles, SABs showing their home addresses, and fake listing titles ("Chapter 7 Bankruptcy"). For some reason, they're no longer being accepted even when they're demonstrably fake. I can't think of anything else I've done to change my credibility. So with all the other changes they're making with the platform, I think it's best (for me at least) to not submit on that account for a while. Which is tough, as I"m trying to reach Level 9 on GLG.

 

[Tim Colling]

I understand, @Amy Toman .

For what it's worth: I'm a level 7 local guide.

 

[Amy Toman]

Yes, I remember (and yay for Level 7!!). It's a fun ride, which makes me so frustrated. But hopefully things will settle soon.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Things seem to be back to normal for me today.