Montreal SEO - Local Search Engine Optimization

by Montreal's SEO specialist, Gabriel Goldenberg aka Bookworm-SEO.


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Saturday, August 04, 2007
Google Maps Reversed = Spam el Goog
Fellow local search expert Mike Blumenthal has discovered a massive spam attack on Google Maps. A company by the name of Tech Pros had spammed the Google Maps listings to be listed in every major and minor city in the United States for 'computer repair'!

What they didn't reckon with was that a local search and maps pro like Mike would be working in the computer repair biz and notice it!
Well, by the time I'd found the post on Mike's blog, the word had already gotten around and Google had booted the offending company (and another one using the same exploit, which Mike also discovered) from its SERPs (that's Search Engine Results Pages to the non-jargon inclined amongst you).

So how did they do it? Google Maps offers businesses two ways to get listed. One of the two ways is a bulk upload of a list, but which goes unverified (due to the sheer volume). It's a gaping loophole in the way businesses get listed in Google Maps and it's frankly surprising it hasn't been discovered earlier! In any event, this was explained by a commenter on Mike's post.

Two final comments in passing: I referred to Mike as a fellow local seo expert... I'm flattering myself. Mike's way ahead of me in knowledge and as far as my readings have taken me, the leading mind in the field. Besides that, Wouldn't you agree that this is the sort of thing that makes you say: "Google, you suck!" Like the title says: when Google maps gets flipped on its head, it's really Spam el Goog!

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Google Maps Reversed = Spam el Goog posted by Bookworm SEO @ 8:55 PM  
2 Comments on this SEO article:

  • At 5:10 AM, Blogger mblumenthal said…

    Hi Gabe

    You flatter me as well....this bulk upload abuse was first reported at the Google Maps for Business blog about a week before I acturally reported on it.

    It is still not clear that Google took the entries down or whether TechPros/their SEO Company did.

    The measure of Google's "suckiness" (as you call it) in this situation should really be measured by thespeed and nature of their response to this type of situation.

    About 4 days ago a Mapspam incident was reported to them. You can read about it at http://blumenthals.com/blog/2007/08/02/additional-report-of-abuse-at-google-maps/ . We'll see what their response is and how soon it occurs.

    Mike blumenthal

     

  • At 9:54 PM, Blogger Bookworm SEO said…

    The flattery is sincere and well deserved. Keep up the great blogging and the compliments will keep flowing.

    You're fairer to Google than I am, I suppose, but if you consider how much of a Big Brother the company is, perhaps you'd adopt my opinion.

    I'm going to check your blog for updates on their response to the spam incident. Thanks for the tipoff!

     
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