Google Local updated business listings is a PAIN!

[Alex Snyder]

who at Google do you have to knock across the head to get them to not touch your local business listings after you've given them all the proper information?

Over the past 3 or 4 years I have been making a serious effort to keep our Google Local listings accurate, and now they're all wrong again

If you haven't updated your listings, this is the process:

1. Go to the Google Local setup page
2. Update your company's information (address, phone, URL, contacts, photos, etc)
3. Select phone or post card verification (note that the phone option is slightly difficult if you have multiple locations and they're not all going to the same place)
4. If postcard, wait 1 to 3 weeks for that to show up and get the PIN off the postcard
5. Log back into the Google Local setup page and enter the PIN(s)
6. Watch with glee as you're perfectly setup on Google!
7. Go back 3 months later to see completely different information
8. Work with Verizon and other Yellowpages companies to get their listings straight
9. Watch your Google Local listings look more accurate, but not as good as what you gave them originally
10. 3 months later go back to see completely different information again....and wrong info on the Yellowpages sites too

I have been through this crap 3 times. I have even gone through to Whois, Alexa, and other databases to update them just in case that is where information is coming from. I just don't have time to screw with this headache anymore. Our Toyota store's URL on Google is now our Scion site - BMW was pointing at MINI.....at least they're somewhat close because our Hyundai store was pointing at VW. What a mess!

I know I'm not the only one going through this.

[kevinfrye]

Alex - THIS IS MY BIGGEST NIGHTMARE with this job. You are definitely not the only one, in fact, if you get into the Google Local forums, it is a national epidemic. I would not be so stressed about this except that Web 2.0 links everything back to your Google Local listing! I check these every 8 weeks, and continue to make changes, and SLOWLY make progress, but it is a horrible experience. I don't understand why Google does not put in a much more effective process to manage these listings, especially considering how important they are with the new Web 2.0 initiatives...

[Alex Snyder]

Well call me surprised. I went back into our Google business listings to change a few things and not only are they still showing with my changes a week later but now the Yellow Pages websites are starting to show what I put on Google

Let's see how long this lasts.

[Driving Revenue]

Check out this article on how Google Map's internal system merges listings that have similar content - leaving you with what you have - a frankenstein assortion of your properties.

If nothing else - at least you know you're not the only one.

Is It Time To Send Google Maps Back To The Drawing Board?

[kevinfrye]

Great article - I can only hope and pray that Google gets this fixed in the near future....

[Driving Revenue]

Google local listings may still need help staying accurate, but they have just launched a new tracking tool. You can see how much traffic your google local listing is receiving. Just one more way to measure your web presence.

Google Analytics Blog: Web Analytics Tips & Tricks: Announcing the new Google Local Business Center Dashboard

[NickCybela]

Alex,

I've had some personal success updating entries directly with InfoUSA, one of the main aggregates Google Maps uses.

[Jeff Kershner]

Nick, thanks for the heads up on that. I had head that InfoUSA was a main aggregater for Google Maps. I also Yahoo local was was well...any confirmation on that?

Google local business / maps is a royal pain the A$$. They mess up so many of my dealers information..wrong phone numbers, URL's and such. I log into the admin and all is 100% but on the front end..it's a mess.

[NickCybela]

Hey Jeff,

InfoUSA should update all of them and a few review sites as well, but nothing is foolproof (unfortunately). I have found updating Info the best way to keep good results over the long term though.

[DogbertBH]

Sounds to me like it works as designed :P

I've had the same issue in the past. Haven't even THOUGHT about doing this at my new gig til I saw this thread because it was such pain before.

-Bobby