Google is investigating a devastating local service ad (LSA) tactic that could “wipe out core competitors.”
When more than one LSA is linked to a Google Business Profile (GBP), the ad becomes invisible and removes all leads. Alarmingly, competitors can use this loophole to intentionally create an LSA linked to your GBP without your knowledge, preventing your ad from reaching consumers.
Why we care If your GBP has unexpectedly stopped generating leads, someone else may have linked an LSA to your GBP. To identify this issue, you should consult with your Google support representative.
Dropping leads. The initial complaint arose when a business owner shared his experience on the Google Business Profile forum. They reported that their LSA was working fine initially. However, overnight, their leads and even spam stopped abruptly, leaving them puzzled as to the root cause of the problem. They made:
“I finally got a rep to look at it and he told me that our Google My Business profile has two LSAs linked which makes our ad invisible. When I check our GMB there is only one account linked to us , and that’s what I’ve set up. I’ve only set up one LSA account, and I’m the only one with access and credentials to do so.” “They said I can’t unlink this other unknown LSA account because I don’t know any of the credentials for that other account. Their solution was to unlink our 10 year old account with established reviews and start a new Google Business Profile from scratch. This is a horrible suggestion in my head. Why would an unknown entity force us to leave our own Google listing? “There must be a way we can re-verify our account and remove any LSA we do not approve. We hired a company to run a website for our landlord (GMB account is the same as the company’s) but they are not running LSA for us.”
‘Brutal tactics’. Commenting on the flagged issue, Ben Fisher, Co-Founder/Principal Consultant at Steady Demand, urged Google Ads link Ginny Marvin to investigate the loophole in X. He wrote:
“This is a brutal new tactic being done by competitors in LSA. A competitor makes a new LSA for a competitor, and since the link to GBP is automatic, the system will essentially make the competitor non-existent.” “@adsliaison this is wrong on so many levels.”
What Google says. Marvin responded shortly after to confirm that Google was investigating the issue.
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deep dive read the Google Business Profiles Forumwhere the topic is being discussed, for more information.
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