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Did you know that if a third party violates one of the rules of Google My Business, that you have to spam or call repeatedly to solicit your business, you can report them via this special form? According to the WayBack Machine, the form exists since May of this year, but it seems that many members of the local SEO community do not know it.
David Mihm, a respected local SEO, posted on the form yesterday:
What is a third party agency? According to Google, a "third party (3P)" is an authorized agency that manages business information on Google My Business for a business that it does not own. Some examples include a digital marketing agency, a third-party SEO / SEM SEO company, an online ordering or scheduling provider or reservation provider, an affiliate network provider.
When should this reporting tool be used? Google recommends using this tool if you can not solve the problem directly with the third party. Google says "If you can not solve the problem, contact us using the following contact options," said Google. "Their team can investigate reports of violations and directly address areas for improvement with the third party, if necessary."
What can be reported with this tool? Google offers the following options to report issues:
- Third party who calls or makes automated calls repeatedly.
- A third party claimed your Google My Business listing without your consent or by extorting its consent.
- A third party misrepresents its relationship with Google (for example, it claims to be a Google employee or to have a formal partnership with Google).
- A third party claims to be able to guarantee the best positioning in Google Search or in Google Maps.
- A third party is asking for money to have your business listed or continue to stay on Google. (Note: Third parties are allowed to charge for maintenance services, but Google My Business is a free product and does not require any fees for listing your activities.)
- A third party engages in deceptive or harassing business and marketing practices (for example, threats of downgrading corporate search rankings).
- Third parties are not transparent to customers (for example, do not disclose management fees, do not provide aggregated Google My Business performance data).
- One-third incorrectly represents your business information on Google Maps.
Where can I learn more about these policies? Google has a great document explaining all these rules here. Again, you can use this form to report violations.
Why is it important? Google Maps and Google My Business have the reputation of being a place easily targeted by spammers. This reporting tool gives the "good guys" a little more ammo to fight the "bad guys". If someone benefits from your company or that of your client, you can use this form to get help. a representative of Google support.
About the author
Barry Schwartz is the editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land and is the owner of RustyBrick, a New York-based web consulting firm. He also directs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular research blog on topics related to SEM.
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