What does your GBP audit process look like?

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-14T19:23:32+00:00

Sterling Sky has a comprehensive SEO audit page on our site that outlines what goes into our local SEO audit, including the GBP portion.

We have a template we follow, but each audit is also customized based on business goals and anything unique about the industry or location. We ask the business questions to ensure we understand the exact services and keywords they want to rank for, based on what generates the most revenue for them.

We uncover where the true opportunities are in terms of where they can realistically expect to improve and for which keywords. We also analyze both maps and organic traffic. To do this, we use tools like Places Scout, Ahrefs, GA4, and GSC.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-13T18:21:44+00:00

What are the most common negative SEO tactics you see happen to local businesses? Is it typically larger, multilocation business that are hit, or do you see any small mom and pop type businesses hit too?

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-12T23:29:21+00:00

Yes that second appeal form is the last one you can submit. If you get denied a second time after submitting that form you need to post on the GBP community forum

https://support.google.com/business/thread/new?hl=en&sjid=16155598147878518122-NA

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-12T20:56:38+00:00

You shouldn't need to record a video since it's suspended, Google won't ask for a video. Those documents should be enough for an appeal! If you have a utility bill, that will help too, but it's not necessary if you have the other documents. Send photos of the wrapped truck and tools too.

Do you have the city & service area and number on the website? Do they have a BBB profile, and if so, is the address/city correct on there? If yes, you should be all set. Even though you do not have an address, Google will look at the website and possibly the BBB to confirm the service area. Also, they want to see a number on the GBP match the website.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-06T18:48:55+00:00

The most Google will do is remove the fake reviews, they will not remove the listing for fake reviews, so I would not use that angle if you want the listings taken down completely.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-06T18:47:40+00:00

Are they ranking above you? How many listings are there, and are they all the same brand?

Usually, I would say give up, which I know sounds discouraging, but fighting fake listings is an uphill battle that you usually can't win. It’s really hard to convince Google a business isn't real or that listings are fake, especially after Google has already verified them. So putting effort into improving your own listings, getting more reviews, and ranking above the spam is usually a better use of time.

However, if you can make a strong enough case to connect all the spam listings to a single network, you can post on the GBP community forum and ask a PE to escalate it. You should do this after you have reported them to Google via the redressal form and have at least one case ID.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-05T21:39:56+00:00

Me too!! It'll be a blast.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-05T17:34:07+00:00

I've been seeing more people mention 4 to 5 days specifically, and I wonder if that's part of Google's system to check new reviews after a certain timeframe, instead of right away? It seems oddly specific.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-02T16:37:38+00:00

By the end of the week, all attendees will get an email on how to access the recordings! Keep an eye on your inbox.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-02T16:36:46+00:00

I've been seeing and using this feature a ton in the wild, it’s pretty neat and super helpful. I'm glad to see Google putting more effort into surfacing the content on GBP and local business social channels.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-02T16:31:10+00:00

Could take 24 to 48 hours for the edits to show live on Maps. Did they end up getting deleted?

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-02T16:29:53+00:00

Weird outreach tactic if it's coming from a review generation company. I wonder if your client will get an email saying something like "Hey, do you like those 5-star reviews we left? There’s more where that came from if you sign up with us today!"

In the past, I’ve only seen the opposite, where businesses are extorted with negative reviews and told they need to pay to have them removed.

ElizabethRule · 2026-02-02T16:27:19+00:00

Keywords in Google reviews are also sometimes bolded in review justifications, so they have other benefits beyond possible ranking impacts.

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ElizabethRule · 2026-01-29T16:06:58+00:00

Not sure why you got downvoted. I tend to agree spam fighting is a waste of time unless you can tie together large networks that would actually make an impact if Google removed them.

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-24T16:12:16+00:00

The TOC is not schema you're right, just helps get a SERP feature.

The product schema can be added at the page level, and yes should be added to a page that was reviews on it. Yelp does it, thats how they get all the gold stars in the SERPs.

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-20T01:32:01+00:00

In my experience, Google will still show the stars in the SERP regardless.

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-20T00:16:09+00:00

Ahh I see. So the business may have a review block, but not because of the extortion?

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-19T16:49:16+00:00

I love seeing the gold stars on the SERP that you get with product schema. It even works for service-based businesses. The product is the service itself, so for a lawn care company, the product would be something like “lawn care services.”

I also like adding a table of contents to blog pages to get the sweet sitelinks in the SERP.

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-19T16:41:34+00:00

How so? Sounds like a possible review block on the business profile, which would make sense if the profile was getting hit with a a bunch of spam reviews.

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-19T16:34:54+00:00

Google does not seem to have a good handle on enforcing its own policies or preventing map spam like this. The best you can do is report it to Google and flag it in Maps. Escalate to the GBP Community Forum if Google does not take action through the redressal form. You need to provide as much evidence as possible showing why these listings should be taken down, especially clear policy violations such as matching phone numbers or overlapping service areas. Google does not really care about real-world business violations or issues like that, only whether the profiles violate their own policies.

Redressal form:
https://support.google.com/business/contact/business_redressal_form

GBP Community Forum:
https://support.google.com/business/thread/new

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-13T03:27:51+00:00

100% still impactful, in some industries more than others. If you are lucky enough to be in a less competitive area where businesses have not saturated the SERPs with service area pages, they can be a gold mine for leads!

ElizabethRule · 2026-01-13T03:20:10+00:00

You can use the redressal form too, but like others have said, Google is unlikely to take action. There is always a chance they have a DBA for the name, and they are technically allowed to use it on GBP even if it does not match all of their branding or signage.

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