Google Calling

[findtim]

Just got off the phone to google, mountain view California came up on my phone,

its the second call I have had in 6 months about the same website google places listing !!!

she grilled me on if I actually existed and if I actually operated from the address and if I did this service and that service !!

so I grilled her back, "why are you asking" ?
they received a complaint
"who from" ?
we don't know
" why twice in just 6 months" ?
we need to check these things

so then I said " this concerns me that potentially a competitor is saying I don't exist to get rid of my google listing ( I rank number one in places) , it also concerns me that people may miss use the complaint system to do this negative type SEO by manipulating your google process"

I see what you mean she says

" so should I be concerned considering I have been in business for 14 years, I have had the same address and phone number for 14 years and I do run that business" ?

oh no sir, we just have to check

" so of the millions of places listings, I get phoned twice in 6 months, does that seem strange to you" ?

yes it does

"what will you do now"?

its ok sir, we will review the complaint
-------------------

I was checking my listings as I was on the phone to her, now I go check my listing, GONE !


tim
tim

 

[FirstPageResults]

Had a similar call just yesterday. I was pretty sceptical and gave them a bit of a hard time.

A few years back there was a mix up with another business listed at the same address, and I know they complained a few times because they accused us of "hijacking" their listing. I wonder if it's related.

 

[findtim]

I just found I now have a dodgy review on my listing from last week, I wonder if that triggered something?

i'm still on the map, but page 3 !! who has EVER been to page 3 of google places ???

tim

 

[AlbyMangels]

Hi Guys,

I am new around here but I have been doing SEO for 16 years and before you jump to conclusions Google just made a big change to the way Google local works.

It might not be what is affecting you but it is affecting a few clients.

 

[findtim]

Hi Guys,

I am new around here but I have been doing SEO for 16 years and before you jump to conclusions Google just made a big change to the way Google local works.

It might not be what is affecting you but it is affecting a few clients.

I appreciate your experience ad I wish I took screenshots but I can HONESTLY tell you that before the phone call I was ranked "A" for the search term and shortly after I hung up I was GONE, I also was monitoring my result funnily enough the day before, this I have a screen shot of.

so my only conclusion is that girl just went and switched me off.

today I have also disappeared from ANY google places listing I had for that domain.

I don't want to say it but I am going to, ........the girl didn't have a good grip of English , I FIRMLY believe she has gone and deleted me based on some random complaint potentially from a competitor, and hasn't understood what I told her.

she just cost me $15K in revenue and countless hours until I work out how to fix it and F'n google don't answer there phones do they !

, basically I have been wiped !

tim

 

[petermeadit]

Hi Guys,

I am new around here but I have been doing SEO for 16 years and before you jump to conclusions Google just made a big change to the way Google local works.

It might not be what is affecting you but it is affecting a few clients.

Alby I would be interested in hearing more details about the change. What have you noticed?

 

[Ashman]

I don't want to say it but I am going to, ........the girl didn't have a good grip of English , I FIRMLY believe she has gone and deleted me based on some random complaint potentially from a competitor, and hasn't understood what I told her.

she just cost me $15K in revenue and countless hours until I work out how to fix it and F'n google don't answer there phones do they !

, basically I have been wiped !

tim

That's the problem when large companies outsource to call centre's in third world countries. Those countries and their employees are not subject to the same standards as we would expect in Australia, nor are they within our legal jurisdiction.

Their social, political and economic structures are different and we are often subjected to those standards when we expect higher standards of conduct.

Most often those employees are motivated by emotion and sympathy and not logical reasoning and because of that any competitor can potentially sabotage a business if they so desired.

 

[findtim]

I've hunted it down, my SEO guys F'Ducked up

i'm going to tell you all the things I have now found out, embarrassing for me but maybe helps someone else?

I asked for WHITE HAT ONLY SEO.

they then went and created google+ accounts for the website and posted repetitive shit each day for the last 2 weeks ! same text, same links, same images ( what dickheads)

they denied it and I just asked them questionsssssssss and let them HANG themselves, then I sent them my links to prove my facts. WELL, didn't they say "ohh sorry"

they did the dodgy review, they did the dodgy google+ and now I am screwed.

NOW, what do I do, get them to remove it all? as only they have the passwords they created for the shit they created, tell them to F off but then it will be difficult to fix the crap they created?

be nice then sack them when the fix is done?

i'm not normally in this situation

tim

 

[helloworld]

Your better off posting this at places support forum. You may also want to check your citation sites like true local and product review

 

[findtim]

well can you believe it today Google phones AGAIN !!!, asking the same questions. she says I don't have a penalty and she can see my listing, I say "yes, page 3 now !!!! "

so i tell her i have a business there for yearssssssss so why now the interest in me? she says i have a places listing for a different street ( a nearby one) and i said " well i haven't touched my listings in 10 years so i can't remember"

so i ask her why i am now on page 3 of places and she just hangs up on me.

bloody good job to have when you just get on the phone play judge Dredd and its ok to hang up on people.

tim

 

[petermeadit]

I'd suggest as helloworld has, to get onto the Google places support forum. From that forum they should be able to addressthe issues. Otherwise it is just guesswork as to what actually triggered the change in rankings and the listing issues.

 

[chris]

It's possible that it's a coincidence, as AblyMangles said local has changed a lot recently?

Tim, do you think it's a manual penalty?

 

[AlbyMangels]

Hi Guys

Sorry I had to run off before.
Google local is going through some incredible changes. here is a quick run down of what has happened recently. http://www.returnondigital.com/blog/how-google-maps-latest-update-will-lead-to-a-ranking-revolution

Basically Google maps has changed in the way it ranks sites. These changes were announced a while ago but Google has only the other day rolled them out in their entirety.

@Findtim it looks like the changes are the least of your worries. Your SEO guys really did a number on you. Google is really protective of it's G+ and Review system.

So let me get this clear the "SEO company" create a G+ account on your behalf and posted crap in it?

or

They built other G+ accounts and did reviews of your company using those accounts?

I need to know this before I can tell you what I think you should do.

Cheers

 

[findtim]

Hi Guys


So let me get this clear the "SEO company" create a G+ account on your behalf and posted crap in it?

or

They built other G+ accounts and did reviews of your company using those accounts?

I need to know this before I can tell you what I think you should do.

Cheers

both

 

[AlbyMangels]

You need to take control of your G+ account and lock them out. If you can?

but I would get them to remove all the crappy reviews first. Then lock them out and don't let them in again.

I do a lot of social for my clients and often they want me to post stuff for them but I won't! The reason being is that really the owner of the business needs to be responsible for the G+ account! Remember Google can tell where you are logging in from. If ip's overlap with ip's leaving reviews then you are in trouble right there.

A G+ account is easy to maintain. You only need to post something 2-5 times a week and Google is pretty happy to rank you. Especially in any uncompetitive niche.

Anyway get them to remove everything spammy from reviews to content and then lock them out of the account.

Say something like I want to take over some of the responsibility for posting content or whatever. If they won't give it to you then just set up a new one based on an email from your domain. Because quite frankly it sounds like you will be almost starting from scratch whatever happens.

 

[petermeadit]

( my last post for a few hours, )

Tim did you get any clearer on what kind of issue caused the drop in rankings, and the Judge Dredd phone call?

 

[findtim]

they just claim I have no penalty, don't want to discuss it and hung up.

I wanted answer but also didn't want to P them off

tim