Search engine optimization. It’s one of the hottest services in public relations right now, and for good reason; every business wants to appear before its competitors in Google Search results.
One basic element that should be part of every SEO program is claiming your company’s location on Google Places for Business. While we’ve done that for our agency and for many of our clients, something strange happened last week that we hadn’t encountered before.
Out of nowhere, Google Maps began reporting that one of our clients had another location roughly 30 miles from its only office, and with a completely different phone number. While the correct listing that we had created for them still appeared, it was trumped in search ranking by this false location. What’s more – directory sites had already picked up the imposter from Google, reporting it as the client’s primary address.
(Our client’s best guess is that a disgruntled competitor was behind the bogus listing, which is a good reminder to frequently Google your company name to make sure the information appearing is accurate.)
So what happens when Google gets it wrong? How can you fight an incorrect address that’s appearing all over the Web?
Here are the steps we took to correct the Google Maps error:
1. Assess the situation. Where does the incorrect address appear? How long has the listing been live? Is there a phone number or website (other than your client’s) included on the listing that you can contact? Are there any companies that have a similar name to your client?
2. Update the correct listing in Google Places for Business. If you haven’t created a listing for your client already, you should. Google Maps, Google Places and Google Local are somewhat of a hidden gem for PR pros – they’re ranked high on Google (surprise, surprise) and are quite simple to set up. If you find yourself in the position of combatting a false listing, update the correct one so that Google sees it’s active and legitimate.
3. Report the problem to Google. As daunting as it sounds to request a fix on Google Maps, the folks at Google can be surprisingly quick to take action.
First, read the instructions on Google’s Report a problem or fix the map page.
Then, go to the incorrect listing, click “more” and choose “Move marker.” This will prompt you to pick up the pin and move it to the correct location. Click “Save.” Repeat this step under “more” for the “Edit details” and “Report a problem” options. It may sound repetitive, but you want to submit multiple requests. In “Edit details” and “Report a problem,” be sure to use the text box to clearly make your case on why this location is incorrect and potentially hurting your – or your client’s – business.
Lastly, search your client’s name on your smartphone. When the incorrect Google Maps listing appears (likely the first result, adding to your anxiety!), click “Call.” A yellow box will appear asking “Was the phone number correct?” Click “No” and then choose “Wrong number.”
4. Submit correction requests to all other sites. Other sites trust Google’s sophisticated algorithm, and thus pick up what Google reports – sometimes instantaneously. Make a list of sites where the inaccurate information appears, and report the problem to each one individually. Sites to check include Citysearch, Superpages, Yahoo! Local, Yellowbook and Yellow Pages.
If you follow the above steps, you should start seeing corrections within a few days.
To those who have been through this, too, what other tips would you add?
What if you’ve done the above and still google hasn’t taken action? We moved one of our locations in April and still haven’t had any luck getting google to move the map marker.
Sorry to hear. That is frustrating. Have you established a My Business account? That allows you to login and update your business address and information. If that fails, this Google Maps Help page might be able to help you solve your problem. Good luck!