{"id":21332,"date":"2024-02-08T02:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T02:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afreeurl.com\/?p=21332"},"modified":"2024-02-08T02:00:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T02:00:16","slug":"google-is-investigating-local-ad-fraud-affecting-business-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afreeurl.com\/?p=21332","title":{"rendered":"Google is investigating local ad fraud affecting business pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Google is investigating related reports that some companies are sabotaging competitors’ Google Business Pages (GBP) by creating fake Local Service Ads (LSAs) linked to their profiles.<\/p>\n

Google Ads liaison Ginny Marvin recognized the tactic on X (formerly Twitter) after Ben Fisher alerted her to a Google support forum thread detailing the destructive scheme.<\/p>\n

“This is a brutal new tactic that competitors are doing in LSA,” Fisher explained to your message<\/a> to Marvin. “A competitor makes a new LSA for a competitor, and since the link to GBP is automatic, the system will essentially eliminate the existence of the competitor.”<\/p>\n

Online advertising foul play<\/h2>\n

A Google Support Forum Thread<\/a> explains how a company’s long-standing LSA account suddenly stopped generating leads and referrals after a decade of operation.<\/p>\n

When the owner contacted Google’s support team, he was informed that a second, unknown LSA account had been created and linked to the company’s Google Business page, effectively hiding the legitimate ads from public view.<\/p>\n

However, the owner maintained that he had only created one LSA account and had no knowledge of the mysterious second account.<\/p>\n

Google advised to completely delete your original account and reviews and start over with a brand new business page.<\/p>\n

This suggestion was understandably met with dismay by the company’s owner, who questioned the justice of the situation.<\/p>\n

“Why would an unknown entity force us to leave our own Google listing?” wrote the frustrated owner. “There needs to be a way we can re-verify our account and remove any LSA we don’t approve of.”<\/p>\n

Google’s response to the emerging threat<\/h2>\n

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Marvin answered<\/a> to Fisher’s alert, saying, “Thanks for flagging, sharing with the team.”<\/p>\n

This acknowledgment indicates that Google is now aware of the exploit and suggests that steps may be taken to address this LSA system breach.<\/p>\n

Implications for the search marketing community<\/h2>\n

This tactic of spoofing competitor ads to sink Google Business pages is an alarming new potential threat.<\/p>\n

Google automatically linking LSAs provides an opening for abuse, and time will tell if the company can find a solution.<\/p>\n

While the search marketing community waits for Google to address the issue, this incident is a telling reminder of the extremes some will go to to hinder competition.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, businesses are encouraged to carefully monitor their Google Business Profiles and promptly report any anomalies.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Vladimka production\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n