You and I and the whole local SEO community know how bad the Google Maps business listing spam issues are. We've been covering it forever. We know Google is trying to make efforts to improve things but the spammers are always one or two steps ahead of them.
Well, now this problem has made its way to the big media with the Wall Street Journal writing Millions of Business Listings on Google Maps Are Fake - and Google Profits. "Google Maps is filled with false business addresses created by firms pretending to be nearby," they wrote. And then it goes through everything you and I know that these spammers are doing. They make the story very personal and real.
The local SEO community is happy for the coverage, hoping it leads to bigger and more significant efforts from Google:
Kudos to the @WSJ for continuing to highlight the problem of Maps spam, and Google’s “effort" to address it — which only happens after stories like this.https://t.co/pUBLQtRHIy
— David Mihm (@davidmihm) June 20, 2019
(Great quotes from @mblumenthal including “Google has obviously chosen not to solve the problem.”)
I wonder if @GoogleMyBiz would love to see all of the spam edits that that have rejected in their “we take spam seriously,” campaign? #stopcraponthemap https://t.co/FNyhcWb2lH
— Jason Brown (@keyserholiday) June 21, 2019
Millions of Business Listings on Google Maps Are Fake—and Google Profits - WSJ - prismatic yawn but the average SMB May cringe at the rampant spam among geo-local listings.
— Michael Stricker (@RadioMS) June 21, 2019
Nice quote from @mblumenthal https://t.co/k8iiKpHIGe
Google did respond explaining How we fight fake business profiles on Google Maps - again, all stuff you know.
In any event - we will see if this larger more widespread media coverage will make a difference in how Google tackles this big problem...
Forum discussion at Twitter.
