Warning Email re Google Places Duplicate Listings

[Linda Buquet]

Nope, I know they have been working on the messaging to try to clarify all this. If they don't get that explanation published by tomorrow afternoon, I'll let them know the natives are getting restless!

 

[aaronwatters]

Much appreciated Linda!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hot off the press! So hot I have not even read it.

As soon as Jade let me know I came right here to share it.

Email from Google about duplicate listing in your account

If you recently received an email from Google that begins:

“We’d like to inform you that Google Places no longer accommodates more than one authorized owner per business location. Your account contains one or more listings that have been identified as duplicates of other listings and as a result, some of the information you provide will not be shown to Google users anymore…”

We have upgraded your account to the new Places dashboard, but we ran into one of the following complications:

It's really confusing I know! MUST click over to read the rest.

 

[Scott Rawlins]

Thanks Linda. I know they are a ton of people that have been waiting for this information.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Thanks Linda!

It all makes sense now

After all the warnings that you have given over the last year or so about not manually merging, too! LOL

 

[Linda Buquet]

I need to check with Google and make sure they link to that post in the email and the dash warning, since most SMBs never read this for or the G forum, so would never see that explanation unless linked in Google's communications to users.

 

[Dustybones]

Just wanted to add a few of my experiences from all these upgrades. These are things I am seeing changed as I check all the accounts. You might want to do the same.

- Over 1/2 of the listings had the " I deliver goods and services to my customers at their location" Box checked when it was not before. This seems to happen during updates.
- On 5 accounts after the update Google was showing 2-3 cities in the Address. Could not figure out why this was happening
- Check Categories. A few had additional all Places categories that are no longer accepted.
- I have talked with Google 7 times now in the last few days. Each time I have been told the listing was stagnant for more than 6 months and was unverified. I have heard of Google doing this, but it seems like they are pushing it more. I have also received the same "Tip" in Google Support emails.

Ultimately this is helping me to find a few "Shell Listings" that I could not see before. In the long run I think this is a good move, but time consuming. I appreciate the discussion in these forums as it is a huge help. Thanks to everyone that contributes.

 

[jvaquino]

Here is an article re this matter As Google Upgrades Google Maps Business Listings, Conflicts Happen Including Duplicate Listing Issues

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for sharing, I've been trying to help folks over there too.

 

[Noel Markham]

Often several real esate agents share the same office but in Google Places / Business when I try to add a new agent at the same address the only option seems to be to request a transfer of ownership. I do not want to transfer ownership but only to add a different agent at the same address. Any suggestions on how to do that?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Noel and welcome to the forum.

I think that's a slightly different topic than what we are discussing in this thread which is the warning emails.

Please start a new thread in the help section toward the bottom of the forum and we'll help you there.

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

Linda:

My law firm client just got this email 2 days ago. Before their Places dashboard was upgraded to the new one, they had the listing for the law firm itself AND they had listings for about 16 of their attorneys in their dashboard (because they had claimed them all since these attorneys work for them).

This is what the dashboard looks like now:

03.21.2014-16.53 - tvanslooten's library

The only one that doesn't have the bold red "edit" button is the listing for the law firm itself.

What should I do on this one? Delete all the attorney listings from the dashboard?

Travis

---------- Post Merged at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:54 PM ----------

Let me correct my previous post. They actually have two listings in their dashboard that are duplicates of the main law firm listing. The duplicate says "unverified" by it and that is the one that doesn't have the bold red edit button by it. I deleted it so I should be good to go on that one.

However, what should I do with all the individual attorney listings? Has the rule on that changed? Can I keep those in the dashboard or should I remove them all from the dashboard?

Travis

 

[Scott Rawlins]

I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but check those listings to see if the info is correct and then just submit. Obviously, if they are wrong, make the corrections and then submit.

The red edit should revert back.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Travis,

Your issue is complicated and beyond the scope of this thread which is just to alert folks to the main issue - the email warnings and why they are going out.

You have other issues and we could go back and forth with 6 posts which would take this post totally off topic. So please start a new thread but copy what you already wrote in the post above. Because I won't have time to reply til maybe Sunday if I'm lucky and I won't remember what you said. Also please link back to the post here to help be connect the dots because it's complicated and there is more than one issue but they kinda sort tie together.