To name names is nonsense.

[kexej28769@nongnue]

Good local businesses work hard to develop exceptional customer service and a stellar reputation, and a Google Business Profile can showcase both brilliantly when carefully crafted. But a lack of vigilance over five key areas of this most visible online asset can undermine offline goals overall.

Today, let's look at some serious pitfalls, set you up to mitigate them, and have a watchdog mentality over your business's local presence.


One of my favorite local tech leads at Moz, Robert Reis , recently told me that Google’s strict local guidelines actually reveal their biggest weaknesses. That’s certainly true when it comes to Google cameroon number data wanting brands to name their businesses after keywords, as it clearly impacts local pack rankings. Take a look at this most common tome of folly:


Credit: @DarrenShaw_

Then, there are other cases in which a business listing can be maliciously edited or hijacked by a competitor, a disgruntled customer, or another third party. In this example, not only has the business name been edited, but the website URL has been pointed to ripoffreport.com: