Updated August 29, 2025 This is my official guide to help other users know how to get better at fighting spam that appears on Google Maps and within the 3-pack on Google Search. It is no secret that spam is…
TL;DR Scammers are targeting business owners by pretending to be from Google, often offering services like profile optimization or threatening to take down Google Business Profiles unless payment is made. Google does not make unsolicited sales calls and never asks…
TL;DR In 2022, Google removed over 115 million fake reviews, but fake reviews continue to be a persistent issue, with some businesses buying fake reviews to improve their ratings on Google and Facebook. You can report fake reviews through Google's…
In the 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors Study, there was a clear trend that stuck out. In the commentary, people listed spam-fighting as both an 'effective strategy' and a 'strategy that doesn't seem to work anymore'. Wait, what? It…
TL;DR Weak Detection: Google lacks automated systems to catch keyword stuffing; enforcement is almost entirely manual and triggered by competitor reports. High Reward, Low Risk: Keyword stuffing provides massive ranking boosts, yet 60% of violators receive only a warning rather…
*Updated December 2019 to include another change to the wording used in the eligibility requirements that went live back in October 2019. We were recently alerted on Twitter by Kerry that Google has added four VERY important words to the…
TL;DR Google Local Guides can suggest edits to business listings on Google Maps. Not all suggested edits are applied; they go through review. Local Guides edits may affect business info like hours or categories. Businesses cannot directly approve or reject…
Mordy Oberstein tweeted to me this morning about his observation that Mt Everest has been plagued with dozends of fake reviews. I think Google has a fake review problem when it comes to Earth's most famous landmarks. Here's one for…
A recent study released by Google claims that fewer than 0.5% of local searches lead to fake listings. But is this number misleading?
I used to think that locksmithing was the industry with the highest percentage of fake local listings on Google. I’m starting to think I was wrong. It all started a few weeks ago, when I was talking to Dev Basu…
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