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Understanding Google My Business & Local Search

Google changes Bulk Uploads to Unverified in LBC – leads to loss of rank?

In an apparent change in the Local Business Center procedure & policy, Google is now classifying most some bulk uploads as “unverified”. This change has led a number of posters in the new support forums (here, here, here & here) to question the new classification and note a significant loss of rank for their listings.

Google’s Maps Guide Brianna offered up this explanation:

Hi all,

Listings that have been submitted and verified (by phone, sms or mail) through the LBC “add listing” process won’t have the unverified label. Listings that have been submitted through the bulk upload process may have the Unverified Listing label, depending on what other data we have about the business.

While we realize this recent change may cause an inconvenience for you, we recommend that you manually verify your listings.

Previously, bulk uploaded listings were noted as verified in the LBC but with a lower trust level than a record that had additionally followed the phone or post card PIN verification process. The new “Unverified Listing” label will force more bulk uploaders to PIN verify. The move appears to be an anti-spam measure that will allow these listings into the index but will lower ranking visibility unless Google has “other data… about the business“.