Houses. Apartments. Places of shelter. We all need em’.
But do you know what we need even more?
A strong foundation for the house.
Because, without a strong foundation, it’s only a matter of time before your walls cave in and you’re sitting in a pile of rubble.
At Big West, we’re big on building you a strong SEO foundation before we do anything else. And a CRUCIAL component of that foundation is your Google My Business (GMB) account.
If your Google My Business is not properly set up and verified, it’s almost impossible to rank for anything. Getting your GMB right is at the heart of any good local SEO strategy.
So, this month has a festive, GMB theme.
The information below just might save your bacon, so make sure you read it all.
You, Me, and GMB – 3 Updates That Will Make You Smarter Than Your Competitors
1. GMB Hijackings???
This sounds almost too strange to believe, but it’s true. People are trying to hack into your Google My Business.
Reported by Joy Hawkins of the Local U earlier this month, it seems that the problem is now getting worse. Search Engine Land claimed on 11/13 that more and more people are falling victim to this phishing attack.
In a nutshell, evildoers try to get access to your GMB profile using the “claim this business” link.
The best thing you can do if you get an email from someone requesting access to your account?
DELETE the email. DO NOT click the link.
You have to give permission before someone can access your Google My Business, and we will never request access to your account this way.
2. DO NOT edit the core info in your GMB
This is a big one.
Please do not change the core information in your Google My Business account without first running it by the SEO team.
By core information, we mean:
– Address
– Phone Number
– Business Name
– Address
Yeah, address is on there twice, you sleuth.
And that’s because it’s so important.
If you start changing your address and requesting multiple verification postcards, your odds of getting suspended skyrocket. Google seems to be looking for reasons to suspend people these days, so do not change the most important information in your GMB.
If you make a change and get suspended, it can be weeks or months before we can get you reinstated.
Speaking of that…
3. Reinstated (And it feels so goooood)
If your Google My Business gets suspended, the next step is to complete the steps it takes to get reinstated.
This is a finicky process that needs to be done very carefully.
Our reinstatement specialist, Wendy, has a very high success rate, and that’s because she goes by the book–and has been for years.
When you’re suspended, you do not want to take any more chances, so it’s best to work with someone who has gone through the reinstatement process before.
We won’t go over all the details here, but just know that we stay up to date on the best practices for the reinstatement process. Still, even with our experience, there are no guarantees when it comes to reinstatement.
But this is the foundation of your business we’re talking about, so please let us advise you about how to make changes within your GMB profile.
If you ignore our warnings, you might wake up one day to find a piece of rubble next to your comfy pillow.
