In June 2020, Google added a new feature to report a profile that has left a review on a Google map. This is good news for those businesses that are struggling to rank well on Google Maps.
Here’s what one of Google’s representatives wrote about the new “Report Profile” feature:
We know that you all in the Local Guides community care about the accuracy of the information on Google Maps. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we’re launching a new feature that will allow you to report all profiles for abuse on both Android and iOS.
This new feature will allow you to let the Google Maps team know when someone has entered false information, uploaded offensive content, or engaged in other offensive behavior that violates the Google Maps user-submitted content policy. Previously, you could flag specific reviews or photos individually, but now you can report users themselves in an attempt to stop those who regularly add offensive content.
We encourage you to flag user profiles that you see posting inaccurate information on Google Maps. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use this new feature:
→ Tap on the username in the list of reviews/photos they have provided, or on the question/answer they have posted, to get to the page of the profile you need.
→ Tap on the three dots icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
→ Select “Report” on iOS or “Report Profile” on Android.
→ Select one of the most suitable complaint options for your case from the list
What does this opportunity give us?
Now, very often, especially in large cities where there is very tough and aggressive competition, there are cases when competitors buy a lot of negative reviews or register one-day accounts in order to tarnish the reputation of a competing company on the Google Map.
Naturally, you can complain about the review itself, using the same scheme → three dots in the upper right above the review itself and select the appropriate option:
Previously, nothing prevented people from writing negative reviews of other competitors from one account. Moreover, some do not bother and at the same time write a good review of their company from the same account. When we noticed such a situation, you can select the item: “Conflict of interest”.
In fact, in order to register a new Google account with at least some initial “weight” in the system, you need confirmation by phone number. And creating new such accounts is already a more difficult task than just making up a name and surname for the account. In addition, more significant accounts of local experts, which were used for “dirty deeds”, can be regulated a little by such complaints.
Recently, we had such a situation while working on a card of a Kyiv law firm, which we helped optimize a point on the Google map.
Competitors noticed that the company’s rating and place in the search began to grow, and without understanding the true reasons, they began frantically writing negative reviews, even connecting a telegram channel with real people where they misled them, which led to a wave of negativity.
Actually, complaints were filed against all such reviews and against profiles that insulted or compromised the company on the map without providing evidence too. Some of the reviews were deleted by the system, and some were sent to the moderators for consideration, which can no longer but please and will certainly soften the blow.
And together with our: Google Map Promotion Technology, in a year such attacks on the company’s rating and assessment of the quality of its work will be practically imperceptible, or will cost competitors very dearly.
By the way, a case with this case of promotion on the Google map will soon be published on our blog.
