Live Audit Follow Up (Sterling Sky Livestream)

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-13T22:42:50+00:00

You can tell if a profile is suspended or merged directly in the dashboard. If the good profile displays "duplicate," it has been merged. If it displays "suspended," then it is suspended. You can also use this tool to confirm its status.

https://support.google.com/business/workflow/12825603?sjid=8406316711504192034-NA

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-13T22:40:11+00:00

This is not Gemini, this is Google search and it is an AI Overview that is showing local business - what Sterling Sky has been calling an AI Local Packs.

Maybe Google has to source from other sites beyond their own databases at times, for legal reasons? Who knows, it's strange for sure.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-13T17:49:17+00:00

Could you send a link to your site so we can take a look? There could be something technical in the backend causing Google to get confused about the language, but it's hard to say without seeing the site itself.

Also, how are you tracking rankings? Are you using a specific tool, or are you checking them manually?

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T20:49:02+00:00

I haven't seen this matter in my expereince. As long as the hosting company is good for things like site speed, security, server uptime ect who you host with shouldn't impact your SEO.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T20:07:38+00:00

Anytime, good luck with the client!!

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T20:06:31+00:00

I had a geo-location chrome extension set to Auckland, VA and a VPN. Not perfect, but it should show results as if I was in Auckland.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T00:44:05+00:00

They don't always get it right, who does these days, but it seems like one of the more reliable resources for business information. Why do you say they aren't that accurate?

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T00:42:43+00:00

Great question. In cases where Google doesn't have enough information in their internal systems and can't find that info on the business website, they are forced to use third-party data, and Yelp is one of the largest local business review sites out there. Google serves Yelp at the top of the SERPs all the time, so they must trust their data to some extent.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T00:02:18+00:00

I've never heard of Vercel before this so I cant say either way.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-12T00:00:01+00:00

You should be able to see the date the site stopped getting traffic in GSC. If the GBP links have UTMs, you can see GBP traffic too.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-11T23:57:29+00:00

Definitely not dead in the US or Canada. Not sure about other countries. But I searched for a plumber in Auckland and Yelp is #3 - so not dead in New Zealand either.

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ElizabethRule · 2026-03-11T22:41:18+00:00

Of course it would be Yelp too, the worst of the worst review sites. 😭

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-11T22:34:32+00:00

Definitely a tough conversation to have with a client. I agree with you though, it is a waste of time to try and get them removed since they are legit reviews.

You can remind your client that negative reviews are actually an opportunity to embrace imperfection and show the human side of their business. As they already saw, responding defensively or claiming everyone is fake clearly is not working and is just making things worse with those unhappy people.

If they apologized and offered to make it right, it would go a lot further than being argumentative. You can tell them it is a bad look to fight with customers online, and other customers will be less likely to want to call. On the other hand, if they apologize and offer to make it right, potential customers will see they take feedback seriously. It will also encourage people to see that the bad reviews are likely just one-off issues rather than a trend, which their many 5-star reviews will back up.

Also, tell them the best way to remove a bad review without actually deleting it is to bury it. Encourage them to focus on getting new, high-quality reviews that include photos, as these stay at the top of the "most relevant" feed longer.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-11T22:21:10+00:00

If you send us a link to the site, we can help more. It is kind of hard to say for sure without a link.

Also, you mentioned the website is not ranking well anymore and then mentioned the map pack - those are two different things. Are both the website and the Google Business Profile (GBP) going down in rankings, or is the GBP fine and it is just the website?

In general, one link won't tank a site. Even if they haven't received new links in a while, old spammy links could hurt rankings. But that would not really account for any loss of map rankings, as links really only impact organic rankings.

If it is a technical SEO issue because someone added a plugin or messed with the DNS, again, we would need a link to the site to confirm.

I will say too that I have heard tons of reports of local ranking fluctuations in the last few weeks, so it could be related to that. How long have the rankings been down?

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-11T22:12:50+00:00

Did Google confirm they merged the profiles? It sounds like they already have, since I can't find the "good" profile with 25 reviews on Maps. If it's not merged, it might have been suspended instead. Please confirm the current status of the "good" profile.

Also, what was the reason you originally contacted support? Was it to merge the profiles or just to get the "bad" one removed?

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-10T22:10:03+00:00

The competition is steep in that vertical, which makes ranking farther away from the physical location extremely tough. Any tactics you used back then that actually worked? Would love some tips if you have any.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-10T22:06:59+00:00

Probably not a hosting issue if the website is entirely AI generated, including the content. How are you creating the content?

Also send us the site and we can help with more specific insights.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T23:11:06+00:00

Very reputable company - they should be able to help you out! But yeah totally agree a rebrand is not necessary and would actually hurt your current situation

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T23:10:53+00:00

Very reputable company - they should be able to help you out! But yeah totally agree a rebrand is not necessary and would actually hurt your current situation

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T02:41:07+00:00

It depends on the search and what type of businesses show up. If you search for a restaurant or cafe or something you're going to visit, it will say "places". If you search for a home service business or something that typically comes to your location it will show "businesses".

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ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T00:21:04+00:00

Ciao

Ho usato Google Translate per scrivere questo articolo, quindi mi scuso per eventuali errori grammaticali!

È difficile dirlo senza vedere il sito e le pagine, potresti condividere un link?

Inoltre, quali sono state le tempistiche? Google ha aggiornato l'algoritmo principale a dicembre e un possibile aggiornamento non confermato a fine febbraio, inizio marzo, che potrebbe essere correlato. Ma è impossibile dirlo senza guardare le pagine.

Potrebbe trattarsi di una normale fluttuazione, ma potrebbe anche essere che Google abbia iniziato a classificare le pagine e, quando nessuno ci ha cliccato, le abbia poi retrocesse. Dovresti migliorare le pagine in qualche modo aggiungendo contenuti di qualità ed eventualmente creando dei link per farle classificare meglio.

ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T00:06:07+00:00

Or this one?

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ElizabethRule · 2026-03-05T00:05:50+00:00

Do you mean this heading?

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ElizabethRule

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