Spam Fighting for Therapists on Google Maps
It’s hard to believe that our peers use spammy tactics to rank higher on Google My Business, but it happens.
When other therapists (or their marketing agencies) spam, they can rank higher, causing your listing to slip down in the search results.
In this post, I go over:
What spam is on Google My Business
How to fight spam
And more.
Let’s get started.
What does spam look like on Google My Business?
On Google My Business, therapists spam by listing a fake business name that’s stuffed with keywords.
Here’s an example.
Instead of listing her real name, this therapist adds not one, but nearly three keywords and specialties (AND a location) in her business name.
After a quick Google search, I can confidently say that her official business name is just her name and degree—NOT her name + all those other keywords.
Here’s her listing on Psychology Today:
This is spam on Google My Business.
How to fight spam on Google My Business
Reporting spam is really easy.
“Suggest an edit” on Google Business
Select “change name or other details”
Correct the name to the actual business name
Hit “send”
And you’re done!
I recommend entering “therapist + [your location]” into Google every month to check for spammy listings. You can also check on Bing.
I hope this helped!
Since Google Business listings sometimes appear above the organic search results, you can rank higher on Google faster. In my opinion, Google Business is the most important marketing tool for your therapy practice.
I send SEO and digital marketing strategies straight to your inbox every other week. Would you like to learn more about a topic? Head to my blog or contact me for requests!
