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Google is investigating reports that some businesses are disrupting their competitors’ Google Business Pages (GBPs) by creating fake local service ads (LSAs) linked to their profiles. Masu.
Ginny Marvin, head of Google Ads, acknowledged this tactic on X (formerly Twitter) after Ben Fischer alerted her to a thread on Google’s support forum detailing the subversive plan.
“This is a brutal new tactic that our competitors are using in LSA,” Fisher explained. his message To Marvin. “When a competitor creates a new LSA for a competitor, the link to GBP is automatic, so the system effectively eliminates the competitor.”
Misconduct in online advertising
A Google Support forum thread outlines how one company’s long-standing LSA account suddenly stopped generating leads and referrals after 10 years of operation.
The owner contacted Google’s support team and was informed that a second, unknown LSA account had been created and linked to the company’s Google Business page, effectively hiding the legitimate advertisement from public view. .
However, the owner claimed that he had only created one LSA account and knew nothing about the mysterious second account.
Google advised him to permanently delete his original account and reviews and start over with a new business page.
This proposal was understandably discouraged by business owners who questioned the fairness of the situation.
“Why would an unknown organization forcefully remove us from Google’s listing?” one frustrated owner wrote. “I need a way to revalidate my account and remove LSAs I can’t approve.”
How Google responds to new threats
While recognizing the gravity of the situation, Marvin responded to Fisher’s warning, saying, “Thank you for reporting it, I’ll share it with the team.”
This acknowledgment indicates that Google is now aware of this exploit and suggests that it can take steps to address this loophole in its LSA system.
Impact on the search marketing community
This tactic of sinking your Google business page by disguising your competitors’ ads is an alarming new potential threat.
When Google links an LSA, it automatically creates an opening for exploitation, but only time will tell if the company can find a solution.
While the search marketing community waits for Google to address the issue, this incident is a reminder of the extreme actions some companies will take to thwart competition.
At this time, businesses are encouraged to closely monitor their Google Business Profile and promptly report any anomalies.
Featured image: Vladimka/Shutterstock
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