Google develops new spam filter
Google announced last month that it will be investing in a new advanced verification process that will reduce the amount of spam found in searches both for businesses and generally.
The new process is currently in beta testing in the USA but will be rolled out worldwide after the analysis has been completed.
What does this mean for businesses?
It means that small service businesses (such as plumbers, locksmiths, vehicle repairs etc.) are currently getting held up in search spam filters, specifically within Google Maps, while other larger (further away) competing organisations are dominating the search criteria with their spam marketing – which isn’t fair.
Even larger B2B organisations will start to see this imprint on their outbound digital strategy, if it continues.
How can a business get verified?
Google states that the verification process is simple. You’ll need to create a Google My Business account, if you don’t have one already. Then, instead of following the link to verify your listing in Google My Business, you should follow different steps created specifically for advanced verification.
These steps include confirming your business info, such as name, phone number, location, business hours, and more, as well as completing an application with Pinkerton, which takes about 30 minutes to fill out.
Google is hoping that this new advanced verification process will weed out the fraudulent businesses populating its ads and search results.
