Local Competitors Violating GMB Guidelines? Here’s What You Can Do - Search Engine Journal

See which organic keywords actually drive conversions

Replace (not provided) with actual keywords and monitor their specific performance metrics in Google Analytics. Stop flying blind on essential SEO insights.

Try For Free

It happens all the time — a company’s GMB listing gets pummeled in the local rankings because the top-ranking competitors aren’t playing the rules.

They could be keyword stuffing their business name, or displaying a residential address in their business profile.

Maybe they’re using an address that doesn’t even qualify for a GMB listing, such as a P.O. Box or UPS Box address.

Or it could be that the higher-ranking listings are getting reviews unethically to build up their 5-star review stockpile.

Meanwhile, the original company’s GMB listing is following Google My Business’s guidelines to the letter but their rankings are suffering because they are a good, guideline-abiding GMB citizen ranking far behind the rule-breakers.

So… what can rule-abiding GMB businesses do to level the playing field against competitors who are cheating to overpower them in the rankings?

Actually, they can do quite a bit (and don’t even need superhero powers to do it!).

Let’s talk about some ways your business can fight back against companies that are cheating on GMB.

Leveling the GMB Playing Field

First, it’s important to keep in mind that Google actually wants user feedback.

Google My Business has been a crowd-sourced platform since almost the beginning. For instance, anyone...

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.