It’s a question I receive quite frequently: Clients who say they just got a call from someone saying their Google listing will disappear if they don’t do something RIGHT NOW. Or they are not appearing on Google. Or they can always rank no. 1 on Google. And they want to know if they need to respond to those calls.
Now, thanks to Google, I have a new answer: Report these calls. They’re scams.
ZD Net reported in its May 24 newsletter that Google is taking legal action against several U.S. firms that make these calls. The Federal Trade Commission unsealed documents about the case earlier in May.
If you get one of these robocalls, you use this form to report the violation. You can bookmark the form so you can easily find it in the future.
Google also has updated its Google My Business (GMB) policies to include transparency requirements and guidelines for third parties that manage GMB listings for their clients.
Many businesses don’t realize they may have a problem with their My Business, Analytics, Webmaster Tools and other Google accounts until they switch companies that manage these accounts for them. It takes a lot of work and time to get things transferred correctly, and to ensure the business client owns the accounts — not an agency.
If you have questions or would like a review of your accounts, please contact Catena Creations. We can look at your setup and ensure that you, the client, own and manage the accounts that track your business.