Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Mapspam Update
Several weeks ago I reported in detail new techniques that were taking mapspamming to the next level in Google Maps and Yahoo Local.
The basic technique was simple:
• Rent a mailing address with forwarding in every major market near the centroid of the city (UPS is one of many that offer this service)
• Obtain a domain name for each city with a relevant “location + service” domain
• Create a website that returns an optimized “location + service” page for the domain
• Enter the businesses in the Google Local Business Center or Yahoo Local
• Enter the PIN numbers when they are forwarded to you (if using google)
One area that I didn’t explore in the original article was the use of 800#’s in the on-going spammy promotional effort. The power of Google Maps search can play a significant role in discovering more spam. By searching on the spammer’s phone number(s) you can more easily ascertain the depth of the activity. The power of this research technique was brought to my attention by a new post at the Google’s Maps For Business Group detailing another instance of mapspam.
In an effort to avoid detection (and perhaps for other reasons) the Cash Advance Payday Loans folks used each of their #800s for only 3 Google Maps Local Business Center listings. Here are the numbers that I uncovered and the cities for which they operate via a Google Maps search:
(888) 342-0634
The one search that demonstrates this is when searching on the #800 number used on their website as this returns 3 local listings + all of the other listings that reference their website :
(888) 345-8598 (it shows 37 total listings referring back to their website and master #800)
Have the spammers identified a Google threshold that causes increased scrutiny? Or is there some other reason for the plethora of numbers? What are the economics of the enterprise and the 800# deployment?
To be fair to Google, this spammer has listings in Yahoo as well as the Superpages and a number of other IYP’s. Given Google’s near monopoly role in general search and their trend setting role, I believe that their longterm approach to spam will be mirrored throughout the search industry.
The original insight for this reporting was provided by an entry at ooff.com.
© Copyright 2024 - MIKE BLUMENTHAL, ALL RIGHT RESERVED.
Comments
3 Comments
[…] You would think that Google would immediately notice this foolishness and kick it out of the index of reviews, and I would love to hear from anyone who has attempted to report something like this. Did the flag as inappropriate function work for you? Did Google respond? How quickly? What humans can see automatically with their eyes may be a little more challenging to the ‘blind’ eyes of Google’s bots. If you’d like to read more about current local spam issues, I recommend this article and this one from one of our favorite Local friends, Mike Blumenthal. […]
Here is my problem with Google on this point. When talking to Mike Jones at Google at the SMX Local conference he openly told people to just register their business at a park if they want to be found in another city and/or not want their addresses shown online.
Hi Stephen
Yes they are confused. They need consistent rules and technology that is equally available to all….they really can’t have it both ways…
Mike
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