Thanks to Ben Fisher at Steady Demand, we now know that Google is placing warnings on Google Business Profiles in the United States. The warning was posted on a Steady Demand’s client’s cannabis store in Roslindale, MA. Thanks to Ben’s crappy photoshop blurring skills, we know the business is City Farm Roslindale Weed Dispensary at …
I regularly participate in various groups and forums, offering advice. Three weeks ago, a user posted on the Google My Business Subreddit about the number of spam Google Business Profiles (GBPs) in Charlotte. I use the online name of Keyserholiday. I looked at the GBPs and noticed that they were not claimed. I used Google’s …
Can Fake Reviews Lead to a Google Business Profile (GBP) Suspension? The answer is no. I have seen this myth repeated on several forums, and even Google repeats it. I looked at the three websites that posted these lies. The First one was first indexed on April 24, 2024. They posted a list of 25 …
KeyMe Locksmith: Incompetent or Feigning Ignorance For over a decade, locksmiths have been complaining about KeyMe Locksmiths. Their main complaint was that KeyMe Locksmiths used ‘locksmith’ as their primary category. Allow me to start by stating that the KeyMe Locksmith business model is in full compliance with Google’s Terms of Service (TOS). They are no …
Online Forums exploded since Thursday, February 6th, 2025. People noticed their review counts drastically dropped overnight. People thought it was a review sweep. I messed up and thought Google removed reviews older than February 2019. As it turns out, the two tools I used to scan reviews had issues collecting them. On Saturday, February 8th, …
I regularly volunteer my time helping out on various forums. A week ago Reddit user create a whoa is me pity party thread. They were complaining that Google suspended their Google Business Profile (GBP) and that support was not replying when they said they would. I was curious to know the category for the GBP. …
Thank you to Michel van Luijtelaar for messaging me on LinkedIn with a link to his study titled “How and why Google is deleting Reviews.” Google has attempted to police online reviews over the years. Google says it took down 45% more fake reviews in 2023 thanks to new algorithm. Last year, a few lawyers …
I received a tip that Compassionate Assistance in Scottsdale has a job posted on Upwork looking for 50 Google reviews. The job posting is rich in irony. Here is one example, “is seeking experienced content writers to post authentic and engaging Google reviews.” If you have writers writing the reviews, they are not authentic. The …
I received an anonymous tip that Micro Fix Computer and Laptop Service Center offered discounts and paid people to post Google reviews. They posted the offers on Twitter. I did what I normally do: I redressed the business profile. The person who emailed me took to Twitter—sorry, I will never refer to it by its …
I received an anonymous tip: Mio Nail Spa in Apple Valley was engaging in fake Google reviews. When I examined their Google reviews on November 24th, 2024. I found 81 suspicious reviews. Out of the 81 reviewer profiles, it was the reviewer’s only review they left. 24 of the reviewer’s profiles were set to private. …