The beauty of SEO is that everyone gets a fair shot at reaping its benefits. However, some businesses don't always play fair and resort to black-hat SEO tactics. Local spam listings are a clear (and all-too-common) example of this, and local spam is especially prevalent in the personal injury space.
According to a BrightLocal survey, 59% of marketers believe that local spam has increased.
It has gotten so bad that we're now past the point of focusing on our own “white hat” strategies. It's time to take a more proactive, hands-on approach to tackle these spammers.
Luckily, there are some tried-and-tested ways to fight back.
In this guide, we'll dive into:
- Why You Should Be Fighting Local Spam
- How to Determine if a Listing is Spammy
- How to Fight Local Spam
... And everything in between.
3 Reasons You Should Be Fighting Local Spam
Making a Google Business Profile is a critical step in local SEO. By creating a listing, you can set up a solid online presence for your business and attract more customers.
Unfortunately, some businesses use spam/black hat tactics to skirt the rules and rank higher in local search results. Some examples of these tactics include:
- Stuffing keywords
- Creating fake reviews
- Building multiple listings
The worst part is that it usually goes unnoticed, allowing spammers to successfully game Google's algorithms. Thanks to Google's 2024 core update, the search engine has taken some proactive measures to reduce the number of spam listings in search results. Still, more marketers are now realizing the threat of spam listings and taking matters into their own hands.
According to a Whitespark survey, “removal of spam listings” is a top local ranking factor – ranked at number 9 out of 50 factors.
“We find it's a mixture of content, links, and what we call ‘spam fighting.' That's what I want to say are the primary things that we focus on for personal injury lawyers.” — Joy Hawkins, founder and CEO of Sterling Sky
If you're relatively new to the concept of local SEO, it may be difficult to see why you should worry about fighting SEO spammers. To help you understand why it's important, consider the following benefits:
1. It Improves Your Odds of Ranking in the Google Local Pack
When someone looks up a service or a product, Google sometimes provides a list of 3 nearby local businesses that might help.
They're shown in what's known as a “local pack,” which shares their names, locations, websites, contact details, and other relevant details.
Here's an example of a local pack for the search query “personal injury attorneys”:
Google pulls all of this information from the Google Business Profile directory.
They choose and rank businesses based on factors like:
- The overall relevance of the business description in regard to the keyword/search query
- The proximity of the local business to the person searching for it
- The quality of the business, determined by customer/client reviews
Your goal should be to shoot for a spot in the local pack. That's a surefire way to get noticed and attract more clients. However, there's a lot of competition out there and not nearly enough business to go around.
Plus, real estate availability in the local pack is very limited.
While there's nothing you can do about that, what you can do is try to eliminate some of the competition that's using spam tactics to rank higher.
According to BrightLocal, 77% of marketers think that Google Business Profile spam makes it much harder for local business listings to rank in the top results.
Eliminating those spammers will improve your odds of showing up in the local pack.
2. It Helps Create a Level Local Playing Field
The worst part about local spam listings is that they ruin the game for everyone else and discourage those who play by the rules.
In the worst cases, they may drive other law firms and attorneys to resort to those unfair tactics, as well.
By fighting back against local SEO spammers, you'll actually help create a level playing field for not only yourself but also your peers.
If everyone starts reporting these spammers and calling them out on public forums, we'll eventually create a digital landscape where deserving businesses that abide by Google's guidelines are rewarded.
3. It Creates a Pleasant Experience for Your Audience
Last but not least, fighting spam listings can help deliver a positive online experience for your audience.
The goal isn't to stop people from looking at the listings of your competitors; it's to ensure that you stick to a genuine and honest process, associate your brand with a high standard, and do what you can to stop irrelevant spam listings from showing up.
If a large number of people come across spammy law firm/attorney listings that don't deliver what they promise, they'll eventually form a negative perception of our industry in general.
In the long run, this may prevent people from trusting other legitimate establishments such as yours.
How to Determine if a Listing is Spammy
How can you actually tell if someone isn't playing by the rules?
This is an important question to consider because we want to avoid reporting anything that's authentic.
To ensure that you're targeting spammers and not wasting your time reporting (or unintentionally hurting) legit businesses, run a local spam audit. Here's how you can do that:
Familiarize Yourself with Google's Guidelines on Representing Your Business
If you've never run a local spam audit, we recommend reading and understanding the Google Business Profile guidelines for representing your business on its platform.
The following is a summary of some important rules:
- Your business name should reflect the name you use in the real world (office front/building signs, business cards, directories, etc.) and online channels (your website, social media, etc.).
- A business must share an accurate physical address from where it operates. Google uses this information to recommend establishments to nearby searchers. PO boxes and virtual addresses are not allowed.
- A business must serve its customers (in person) during the stated business hours. If a customer can't reach them during those hours, the business is in violation of the guidelines.
- Google explicitly states that you must be upfront, up-to-date, and honest about your business. Providing inaccurate, low-quality, or unclear business details to mislead users is strictly prohibited.
That's just the tip of the iceberg, so we recommend reading Google's guide in its entirety at least once.
A quick tip: Bookmark the guide so you can easily access it whenever you want to double-check something while running an audit.
It's also worth familiarizing yourself with Google Ads guidelines, as these have their own regulations about what is considered fraudulent activity.
Run the Audit to Look for Spam
Once you have a fairly good understanding of Google Business Profile guidelines, run the audit to find local spammers within your vicinity.
To do this, simply do a Google search that indicates local intent. Some examples include:
- Colorado personal injury attorney
- Personal injury attorney New York
- Philadelphia personal injury law firms
- Personal injury attorney near me
Type in the different variations of your queries (combined with different locations), then start looking at the results in the local pack (click on “View All” to expand the list and see more businesses).
Common Red Flags That Could Indicate a Google Business Profile is Spam
Google calls listings that are not in compliance with its guidelines "ineligible businesses." Keeping the Google Business Profile guidelines in mind, you should keep an eye out for these common red flags:
1. Stuffing Keywords in Names
Google uses different local SEO factors to decide what to display in the search results.
One of those factors is the use of keywords, but the exact way Google's algorithm works is an industry secret.
However, marketers long ago realized that search engines tend to favor listings with local keyword(s) in their names.
In a Google Business Profile ranking study, we also found a correlation between top-ranking businesses and the usage of relevant keywords in their titles (and descriptions). Unfortunately, to rank higher in the SERPs, some businesses jam local intent keywords in their names – even when they're not their legally registered business names. Considering that, if you come across unoriginal names like “Delaware Personal Injury Attorneys” or “Wyoming Law Firm,” there's a good chance that you're looking at spam listings.
However, it's still a bit too early to report them.
To confirm your suspicions, investigate some more to determine if they're legit. That's because some businesses are naming/renaming themselves to specifically target local intent.
Here's an interesting example (not related to personal injury law):
While such names may not sound very appealing, there's no rule that says businesses can't do that. As long as they use their actual names, they're in the clear.
Here are some tips to make sure a name is authentic:
- Visit the business website and see if it's consistent with its logo and content.
- Call them at the number mentioned in their Google Business Profile listing. If they answer with a completely different name or something vague like “law firm,” it's more likely that they're jamming in keywords.
- Go to the address they've shared on their listing and check out the name on their sign if they have one.
Do as much research as possible on your end before you report fraudulent activity.
2. Pretending to be a Law Firm
Another common red flag you should be wary of is a business pretending to be a law firm.
Frequently, these are lead generation companies that mask themselves as law firms, marketing agencies, or other businesses. These scams try to collect contact details of users with a form on their website, which they then sell to other companies for a profit.
Not only is it a blatant violation of Google's guidelines, but it's also unethical. Coming across such spam listings is more common than you think. According to Joy Hawkins, this is especially common in the personal injury space.
However, it's difficult to tell what these lead generation listings look like, so we recommend keeping an eye out for businesses with no reviews, as that's an easy red flag to spot. Visit their website and see if you're welcomed by a form that asks for your details right off the bat.
If that's the case, dig deep by visiting their physical address or calling them to see if they really are a law firm.
3. Using a P.O. Box
As mentioned earlier, Google doesn't allow businesses to specify PO boxes as their physical addresses.
That's because anyone can rent out a PO box or mailbox, and, according to Google, businesses that use PO boxes may be illegitimate and pretend to be something else. Furthermore, Google wants to create a positive search experience for its users and provide them with highly accurate information, including physical business addresses.
If you come across a listing using a PO box or a mail service, consider reporting it to Google.
4. Having Virtual Offices That Aren't Staffed
Google only allows businesses with a physical address that are staffed to create Google Business Profile listings.
This means that law firms with virtual offices and absent staff during the stated business hours are not eligible to make listings. Someone needs to be around to answer phone calls and take inquiries.
Watch out for listings that share addresses of co-working spaces or virtual addresses. Call them during the stated business hours to see if someone answers.
5. Creating Duplicate Listings
In an attempt to show up in the local pack, a business owner might create multiple listings.
Google only allows multiple listings if two or more businesses that you own share a single address. All businesses must have unique tax IDs and separate phone numbers and must be staffed during business hours.
If your business has multiple locations, a location group/business account is recommended.
Keeping all of the above in mind, if you find two or more listings with the same physical address, it could be a red flag.
Call their numbers and see who answers. If it's the same person every time, there's a good chance you're dealing with a spammer.
6. Having Fake Reviews
Finally, spammers also leave fake 5-star reviews to increase their odds of showing up in the local pack.
Here are some easy ways to spot them:
- See if a listing has vague 5-star reviews that don't say much about the actual experience. For example, reviews that only say something along the lines of “excellent service” or “very satisfied” with little to no context.
- Look for a single or handful of good reviews among many bad ones. The chances are that they're fake.
After you spot a potentially fake review, click on the Google account that created it and go to “Reviews.”
If that account only has one review, it's likely fake and should be reported.
At times, spammers also use these fake accounts to leave bad reviews on their competitor's profiles, which is another thing you should keep an eye out for.
7. Sending Unsolicited Phone Calls
Google does not support or advocate for businesses to use automated messaging systems to place unsolicited calls to individuals, including for marketing or verification purposes related to Google Business Profile listings or any other Google services.
Unsolicited calls, especially those using an automated system, can be considered spam and may violate Google's policies as well as telecommunications laws.
For businesses, Google provides various official channels and tools within the Google Business Profile platform for managing their online presence, communicating with customers, and verifying their business information.
Any communication or verification process initiated by Google regarding Google Business Profile listings or other Google services is typically conducted through email notifications, messages within the Google Business dashboard, or through the official Google Profile Manager app rather than automated calls.
Determining if a business is making unsolicited calls can be somewhat challenging due to the anonymity that phone systems can provide. However, if you suspect a Google listing is spam, you can search its phone number to see if there have been any official complaints made against the business through consumer protection agencies, such as the FTC.
How to Fight Local Spam
Now that you know which classic red flags to watch out for, what should you do to deal with an SEO spammer?
Here are some common ways to fight back:
Suggesting Edits to Business Names on Google Maps
If you come across a listing with a fake business name with keywords stuffed in it, you can start by suggesting an edit on Google Maps or through the Google Maps app.
To do this, first search for the Google Maps listing you want to edit.
On the panel to the left, scroll down until you see the “Suggest an edit” button.
When you click on it, you'll be prompted to either change the name/details or close or remove the Google Business listing. Click on the first option.
On the next screen, you can edit the name. At this point, you can also report the category (if it's some other business pretending to be a law firm) and the location (if it's using a fake address).
Once you're done, click on “Send.” What happens next?
Depending on how old and “trustworthy” the account you're using to make these edits is, the changes (if accepted) may take several weeks to go live.
Reporting the Entire Business Directly to Google
In addition to suggesting an edit, you can also lodge a formal complaint using Google's business redressal form. The business redressal complaint form enables users to report fraudulent or spam activities on Google Maps that violate their guidelines.
Google introduced it as a replacement for the Google My Business community form.
The business redressal form asks for your general information, details of the fraudulent activity, and the business's Google Maps URL (not its website—this is really important). It also asks for additional files (screenshots, pictures, etc.). Make sure to provide as much evidence as you can to create an airtight case.
Reporting Fake Reviews
If you see any potentially fake business reviews on Google Maps, you can report them to Google.
To do that, follow these steps:
- Go to Google Maps and head over to the profile of the business with a fake review.
- On the left panel, under the business name, click on “X reviews” (where “X” is the total number of reviews that the business has).
- Scroll down to the review you want to report. Click on the three-dotted menu to the right.
- Click on “Report review.”
- On the new tab that opens, select an appropriate option from the list.
Once done, click on “Report.”
Escalating the Report Using Other Channels
If nothing else works, try a public forum.
Start a post on Google Business Community. Sterling Sky also has a local search forum where you can call out spam listings.
Gather and share as much evidence, including screenshots, emails, recordings, etc.
In Conclusion
Don't expect immediate results when fighting spam listings, as it may take well over a month for Google to process your complaints. In the worst cases, simply filling out the redressal form won't do. You'll need to go the extra mile to get Google's attention.
The key is patience. Make sure to use an established (i.e., not brand new) account that Google trusts to lodge your complaints and reports.
To learn more about fighting local spam, we recommend listening to episode 27 of the Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind podcast with Joy Hawkins.
