Official Guidelines for Local Business Listings
Mary Bowling | 17 September 2008 |
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For many local businesses, Google Maps has been a source of irritation and frustration. While they depend on their Local Business Listing to convey the correct data about their operation to potential customers, it can be difficult to ensure accurate information.
This becomes doubly frustrating when they see their competitors getting away will all kinds of shady tricks, such as using false business names, creating multiple listings and listing their enterprises in places where they are not located. Spammers are a clever and persistent bunch and found ways to circumvent the checks Google set up to prevent these kinds of problems.
Now, Google Maps has published official Business Listing Quality Guidelines. They are accompanied by the threat of “being permanently removed from Google Maps” as a possible consequence for non-compliance. The guidelines also include a link for reporting abuse and another for filing a reinclusion request if your listing is tossed out.
In addition, they state, “Google may respond negatively to other practices not listed here. If you have any question about whether or not a tactic is deceptive, we recommend you stand on the side of caution.”
Check out the new Local Business Listing guidelines for particulars.
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September 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Thanks for the suggestions. I would look into it and find out what it says.
Tracy
October 1st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Yep and it’s about time they started policing this area of search. The local algorithm is becoming more and more important to Google as Yahoo continues to improve the user experience with a very good UI. Nice post.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
Thanks for the link . Your post is very informative and useful to me.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:44 am
It’s sad that spam is so prevalent and that the likes of Google are having to root out the abuse. My business is on the outskirts of a town and I can’t get a look in with local listings, but I still play by the rules.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:27 am
It is amazing I knew nothing about local listings. Thanks for the info.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Excellent content - as you always provide and inspires me to come again and again. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.