As far as Google My Business (GMB) is concerned, this year is a crazy journey-well, I mean Google Business Profile (GBP).
The most significant change in 2021 is Rebranding And the full launch of the function that enables marketers to manage business information through search and maps.
For a while, Google business profile support received a large number of requests for support, and it took months to clear the backlog.
Moreover, there are several persistent problems. This can be frustrating when things are not going the way they should, and in some cases, the reasons why the problem exists or have not been resolved are meaningless.
But please believe-Google’s support and engineering teams have been working hard to resolve many bugs, new features, and other issues.They did try to grasp the issues raised in the discussion Pound community And by Product expert.
Therefore, thanks to the team for solving some major issues, such as Lack of managers (related to site manager migration) with Kansas bug.
advertise
Keep reading below
In this column, we will expand Last update This way you can quickly understand the changes that have occurred since June. First, let’s take a look at some of the new GMB/GBP issues that have emerged and how you can deal with them if your list is affected.
New question for Google My Business
1. Unable to clear SAB address
We have seen a pattern in which business data is restored after suspension, and the old address shown is restored after restoration.
advertise
Keep reading below
What are the reasons for the suspension of most of these personal data?
They are showing the address, so they are still Violation of guidelines And there is no way to clear it.
Screenshot from “Google My Business”, December 2021repair: There is currently no fix, you will have to wait for Google.
schedule: There is no expected timetable, GBP is investigating this issue.
2. Recovery cycle
“Resume loop” is a term used to explain what happens in 1% of profiles, or I noticed a pause immediately after resuming.
The reason is usually that companies use FedEx or UPS delivery points as their addresses. Since then, I have been tracking it and noticed a clear growth pattern in the past few months.
We have notified the GBP team that they are investigating this matter.
repair: For now, all you can do is contact support or reply to your recovery email. The team may not understand the problem, so the video may help your career.If this fails, you continue Suspended, Use this template to record the problem:
Hello, I have been suspended and resumed X times.
Example: 12/2/21: XX-XXXXXXXXX: Resume and then pause
Date: CaseID: Solution
Date: CaseID: Solution
Date: CaseID: Solution
If it happens more than once, please Report to the community.
timeline: No timetable; Google is investigating.
3. Service organization category
Screenshot of Google Maps, December 2021An additional category “service organization” appears on Google Maps for service companies.
advertise
Keep reading below
If you look at the service business on the map and check the source code of the page (or use one of several Chrome extensions to do it for you), you will find it.
Oddly, there is no “service agency” category in “Google My Business”. When adding a category to your business profile, you cannot select it.
Therefore, the categories you see on the map will not appear in the GMB dashboard.
Screenshot from “Google My Business”, December 2021Although this seems harmless, some users who have mixed service area and storefront business data report that their SAB visibility has decreased.
advertise
Keep reading below
Others report that instead of addressing around the verification list (which is How is SAB ranked), they are ranked in another nearby city.
repair: do not panic. There is nothing you can do at the moment.
The number of reports of reduced visibility remains low. In addition, the ranking changes are likely to be caused by many other factors.
Please note that Google does not provide support for general ranking issues. If there are no identifiable errors here, Google Support will be of no avail.
This may indicate a change in the way Google handles service business. On the other hand, it may also be a small fault, which has no effect today and can be repaired tomorrow.
Google knows that this additional category is displayed on the map.
timeline: not any.
4. Edit phone numbers in India
For months, Indian users have been unable to edit the phone numbers in their GMB list.
advertise
Keep reading below
At first, this seemed to be a mistake.
However, in the third quarter, Google updated the help center document: Understand what happens to your business profile editing Clarify that this is an intentional change for quality control.
“In India and some other regions, we will take additional measures to confirm that your phone number is correct.”
Therefore, although this problem was acknowledged, it was considered a mistake for a while. GMB users in India can only modify their phone numbers based on input from the support team.
repair: Google has updated the workflow of Indian merchants. Now, when editing a phone number, the user will be prompted to upload other supporting documents.
In addition, there is now an announcement from Google fixed at the top Help the community Outlines the new workflow.
When processing business data in India, please be sure to complete the new process carefully and completely.
notes: This additional document requirement means that all phone number editing in India is handled manually, which is a difficult task.
advertise
Keep reading below
timeline: There is no repair timeline; however, the new workflow is reducing the number of users affected.
Ongoing GMB/GBP issues
1. Reduced support due to COVID-19
The Google support team is still nervous about COVID-19. In the third quarter of 2021, Google added a notification bar at the top of the screen Help the community Reading,
“Currently, we are working with a limited support team. Contacting us may take longer than usual. Thank you for your patience.”
What should I do: Expect delays. Consider some extra kindness. COVID-19 has different effects on different countries at different times.
Patience is your only choice.
2. No legal comments appear
The failure of legal comments to appear continues. In fact, this problem does not seem to show any signs of improvement.
All in all, the comments left for the business will not be displayed. Reviewers can see it, but it will not be displayed publicly.
What’s interesting is that experienced “Google My Business” users can usually read reviews rejected by Google’s nanny bots and find out what’s wrong.
advertise
Keep reading below
Forbidden words, cleverly disparaging comments, etc., are easy to spot with a little practice.
However, the current wave of filtered reviews is different. Rejected content usually shows no obvious signs of violating Google’s content policies. Even experienced GMB troubleshooters cannot determine what might trigger the filter.
repair: Google’s official statement is that in “…in most cases, missing comments will be deleted due to violations such as spam or inappropriate content.” Merchants should refer to the help center documentation Lack of comments and delays.
Of course, this will not restore the lost reviews to your business profile!
If you can get a screenshot of the missing review from the reviewer, please report the issue in the community forum. Publish a screenshot of your company and Google Maps URL.
Product experts can report the case to the support team for manual review.
3. 85% of errors and logo/cover photos do not seem to be updated
For months, Google has been prompting users to fill in their business information, even if they have already submitted it in all available fields. The message contains an indicator that the list is only 85% complete.
advertise
Keep reading below
This percentage varies and is usually between 65% and 85%. In all cases, this value is nonsense.
The message also provides some guidance on how to “finish” your list: add your logo.
This indicates that your logo is missing, even if this is not the case! Also, adding a logo will not eliminate the warning.
repair: There is no solution. So for now, please ignore the warning.
At the beginning of 2021, Google announced that they would resolve this issue before the end of the year. That deadline is coming soon, and there still seems to be no solution.
To give you peace of mind, you may need to switch to incognito mode and view your business profile. For some users, you may find that the uploaded logo is actually publicly visible.
Remember, we are here to deal with people; there is a pandemic in India, which affects all areas of support.
The GMB team has been working hard throughout the pandemic testing and implementation process Various characteristics and attributes Help local companies maintain visibility and better connect with customers.
advertise
Keep reading below
As with all channels and interactions in business (hopefully in life), respect others and wait patiently.
During my time as a product expert, I have seen GMB solve problems of all sizes. Salute to the “Google My Business” team and product experts and colleagues who are committed to helping everyone improve the platform!
If you see a new issue, please be sure to leave a comment.
More resources:
Image Source
Featured image: Bark/Shutterstock
