Is your local business listing on Google at risk of being shut down? It could be, if you are in violation of their current policies.
“It might be time to spring clean your local marketing strategies with these updated tips for avoiding Google’s harsh penalties,” writes Ben Silverman in Brafton.com. Among the things Google is looking at, and possibly suspending local listings for, are:
- Stuffing your business name with keywords. “We use ‘Brafton Inc’ [the legal business name] instead of ‘Brafton Inc – Boston Content Marketing Agency,'” Silverman notes.
- Duplicate local business listings. Be sure you don’t have two by mistake…or by design…for the same business. They could both be shut down.
- Vanity URLs or any URL that forwards to a site that is not related to your business.
Take a few minutes this week and make sure you’re up to par. And if you haven’t set up your Google Local Business Listing, now’s the time. (If you need help, get in touch with me. I’m happy to give you a 15-min consult no charge.)