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This might be due to Mike Blumenthal’s theory at Near Media: that Google’s Spam detection AI was trained on a limited set of confirmed spam. If reviewers or Business Profiles have patterns similar to those in this limited data set, their reviews are automatically filtered.
This could explain why evolving spam methods, such as AI reviews, can’t be caught, while real reviews and genuine businesses take the brunt.
Leaving aside the “Why” – what can you do about it?
You may feel powerless against that cheating competitor (or competitors). Maybe you’ve even flagged their profile or reached out to GBP support to no avail.
Good news: You can fight back. You might just need to get your hands dirty.
Google won’t do the work for you, so you’ll need to build a case.
I know it can be frustrating or seem unfair, but it’s Google’s sandbox after all. In this strategy, we’ll break down exactly how to find a cheater and the types of proof you’ll need to show Google for them to finally take action.
Step 1: Finding Review Spam
Before you dive down this rabbit hole and go full spam ninja, you’ll want to prioritize.
As my personal strategy, rather than reporting every bit of spam I can find, I want to find the ones that will have the biggest impact for my clients.
The golden nugget will be a spam listing ranking third in the Map Pack for a query with my client ranking 4th. In this scenario, knocking a spammy cheater down by even just one position (or even altogether) can more than triple my client’s clicks in that locale. (It’s estimated Map Pack accounts for 44-61% of total clicks for a given query)
Tip: Distance is one of the top ranking factors for Google Map Pack, especially for “near me” terms. The Map Pack may completely change within a few miles or even a few blocks in a city. To be efficient with spam fighting, be sure you are also tracking hyper-local rankings – not just cities.
There are a few ways to get started.
A: Whitespark’s Local Rank Tracker
In your Whitespark campaign, be sure you are tracking from multiple zip codes, not from just the city centroid. Start with the zip code of your business, then add some surrounding zip codes.
As mentioned, an ideal scenario will be when my client is 4th in a zip code. I know I could potentially get a quick win. Most of my clients are less concerned with their ranking reports – they just know if their phone is ringing. By prioritizing my spam effort in this manner I can ensure the quickest real-world business impact for my clients.
Once tracking relevant keywords and zip codes, head over to Local Rank Tracker. Filter by “Google Maps” view and scroll down to the list of tracked keywords.
Look for columns where you are ranking 4th:
