{"id":5891,"date":"2024-09-24T14:50:54","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T14:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/?p=5891"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:02:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T22:02:55","slug":"why-your-google-business-profile-needs-a-watchdog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/why-your-google-business-profile-needs-a-watchdog\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Google Business Profile Needs a Watchdog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By the time you\u2019ve gotten your first Google Business Profile verified and it has gone live, you\u2019ve already accomplished so many steps that you may feel like you never want to look at it again\u2026 or at least not for a while. I understand, especially now with video verification being such a tiring song and dance, but take heed: an unwatched profile will turn into your local business\u2019 worst liability instead of one of its best assets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a local business owner, you\u2019ve got a thousand other tasks calling to you, like taking care of your staff, serving your customers, and working away forever on your marketing strategy. This is why you need to put a trusty watchdog on duty on your Google Business Profile (GBP) so that you can turn your attention elsewhere most of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s column, we\u2019ll look at what can go wrong with unguarded Google Profiles and how to protect your business from troublesome spam attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you, Google, the general public, and spammers see your GBP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This is an image of just one Google Business Profile, but four different groups of people see it in four wildly different ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You see your GBP as one of your brand\u2019s key digital assets. It\u2019s the main seat of your online reputation and, hopefully, a core source of leads, conversions, and sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s your publishing vehicle for writing Updates, review responses, and answers to questions, as well as uploading impactful image and video content. You may also have it hooked up to Google Merchant Center for an e-commerce layer of your marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re proud of this listing, and the work you put into it can make it feel like it belongs to you. Be wary of that feeling, though, because your listing actually belongs to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, all GBPs belong to Google and they can edit, suspend, or remove them at any time. Google sees your listing as their asset, useful to them as content in their search engine and mapping products (in which their revenue-generating ads are based).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s quite true that they couldn\u2019t have this local business content to fill up their products if brands like yours didn\u2019t exist, but it\u2019s essential to be aware that your GBP doesn\u2019t belong to you. It\u2019s Google\u2019s property, and they consider it to be an open source interface for\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The General Public<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even though your listing has your name, address, phone number, images, videos, and reviews talking about your business on it, Google views it as open-source media. Like an old school community message board, anyone can walk by and thumbtack a suggestion to your listing that leads to it being edited by Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These public edits can be useful, as in the case where the owner of a defunct business has not reported the location as closed and people in the community are being inconvenienced by arriving at shuttered premises. The public can let Google know the business should be marked as closed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, though, the public can also make a mistake, as in the case of someone giving wrong answers to people’s questions in Google\u2019s Q&A feature on your Google Business Profile. Without malicious intent, a random person can tell a neighbor that you do\/don\u2019t offer specific products and services, do\/don\u2019t have features like ADA access or gender neutral restrooms, or are\/aren\u2019t open on particular holidays. A passerby can erroneously determine that your name, address, or phone number are inaccurate on your GBP and report it to Google, because the public has been trained by Google to view your listing as belonging to everyone who uses the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even this somewhat awkward scenario pales in comparison to how your listing is viewed by\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Spammers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These bad actors view your GBP as a vehicle for scamming the public and punishing your company. Google\u2019s open source approach to real-world business representation means that your unprincipled competitors can either mess up your listing themselves or hire spurious marketing firms to do so in hopes of gaming their way to the top of the local packs, local finders and Maps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also means that anyone with a grudge against you, a staff member, or your business \u2013 be that a former employee, an angry customer, or a personal adversary \u2013 can attack your GBP out of hostility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why it\u2019s vital to be aware of the following information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What spammers can do to your Google Business Profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike members of the general public who might make an honest mistake about your business, spammers intentionally manipulate GBPs in all of the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n