DIGITAL MARKETING INSIDER SECRETS | Businesses are Losing Their Reviews Because of This Google Bug

eBizUniverse, Inc.

Last month it was reported that a new bug caused businesses to lose all of their reviews after their Google listings were auto-updated. Mike Blumenthal has issued a detailed report.

According to the Blumenthal report:

What is the New GBP bug?

A lot of businesses are saying they lost all of their reviews after their listings were auto-updated.

Here are some representative posts on the Google Business Profile Help:

  • Change in Profile and lost reviews : Suddenly I woke up to see that the details about my

profile were changed and all the reviews were deleted. I am confused about how to approach this situation. Do guide me..

  • All Reviews Gone : On Friday (11/4) I got an email from Google that my business profile was updated. Much of the information changed was changed to incorrect information or just removed entirely. I went to review and undo many of the changes. Today I noticed that all my reviews are now gone. I had 18+ reviews on my profile and I need to get them restored but I don’t know how to go about getting them restored.

  • My genuine reviews have all been removed, 95 of them : 95 reviews have all been removed, even 5-6 1-star reviews. They also slightly changed my business; I was able to instate [sic] though. But I haven’t had no luck getting my reviews. Please help.

  • Customer reviews disappeared : [105] reviews were lost all at once. Google had automatically updated my business information. They had shortened the business name to (Sydney Steemer) without the carpet cleaner. And changed my website information to a different link that also went to my website. This when I realized all the reviews had VANISHED!

  • All reviews are gone : We had 170+ all 5-star reviews. One day they were all gone. In the settings it showed that google changed the name and phone number and short name for our business. After trying to contact them with the issue for over a week we still are not able to get reviews back or any answer. Also, some changes that google made we are not able to accept or decline.

The report further says after running through the typical scenarios where one might expect to lose reviews, it is clear that, in every instance, reviews disappeared immediately after the Suggested Edits update.

Mike discovered that in each case, Google had changed the Customer ID Number (CID), the identifier Google uses to tie all relevant information to a business, including reviews. But this is unusual because CID only changes when two listings merge or Google has hard-suspended a listing for guidelines violations and then reinstated it.

Mike’s report goes on to say, “Changing the CID and losing reviews with ——-a Suggested Edit update is a new and disturbing bug. It could happen to almost anyone for no reason or no apparent reason. Yet, in Google’s infinite wisdom, it could also be working as intended.”

We would suggest reading Mike’s report to learn what you need to do to recover from such an

event if/when it happens to you.

 

Is this not a real concern for your business because you currently don’t have a lot of reviews?

 

eBizUniverse can help your business increase the amount of authentic reviews across several different platforms like Google, Yelp, BBB, etc. Contact us today to see how we can help you manage your online reputation.

It is a well-observed fact that reviews affect your business’s rankings in local searches. But nobody has told you how or in what manner. And you may believe that the more reviews your business has, the higher its ranking gets. But is it actually the case? Well, Google has cooked up some algorithms for it, and we have uncovered everything for you!

In a recent study by SterlingSky on local ranking, we found that once a business or practitioner garners 10 reviews on listings, Google’s algorithms boost its ranking in local search results.

But that’s not all there is to it. After some time, the boost does not continue as you get or pump in more reviews. Reminds us of the law of diminishing returns, and in this case, it is there.

To help you with an example, here’s an image for you.

As you can see in the image above, when the reviews went from 3 to 16, there was a ranking

increase. But when the reviews increased to 31, not much happened there.

Many business founders stated that 10 could be a “ magic number,” as they observed a

sudden increase in ranking but not much later.

Rankings Are More Than Just Reviews:

Reviews are just one piece of the puzzle. Getting a ton of them does not mean you are going to

rank well. What’s important is that you have to have at least 10 reviews for a better listing. And

having them also helps in building trust and getting conversions.

Recency Matters:

While numbers tell their own story, the recency of reviews also matter. We found that when

businesses got reviews from time to time, their rankings surged. But as the stagnancy settled,

there was a decline. Therefore, by setting up a system that regularly updates your ratings, you

can enjoy being on top for a longer time.

 

Length Can Make All The Difference

The above-mentioned scenarios, lead us to the third one – Length matters! The more genuine, longer, and wordier reviews your business gets, the better it will perform in search rankings. So encourage your customers to express their opinions freely. Haven’t you noticed that one-star reviews are longer because the customer is genuinely writing about something that he didn’t like? Persuade you customers to do the same for positive reviews.

Key Takeaway

The bottom line here is that reviews can make or break your rankings. No matter how many or how long they are, reviews matter for your business – to become a trusted brand, a company that people genuinely talk about and a reflection of how well it is doing. Businesses that listen to their customers will always stay among them. And you can do so by asking your customers to express themselves!

Are your review numbers suffering because you’re too anxious to out-right ask for reviews?

eBizUniverse has a strategic business plan that utilizes your current contact/client list for new reviews. Contact us today to learn more about our email campaign options for your business.

It’s good news all around for those who’ve always wished to be able to crop the photos uploaded to their Google Business Profile posts!

Last month, a user spotted a cropping tool overlaid on the pictures she uploaded

to her Google Business Profile and took to Twitter to inform the world about this

latest development. It seems like the tool has been added to enable businesses to

make their GBP posts and updates as effective and presentable as they wish.

 

Why This is Important

Images play a major role in promoting products and services to prospective customers and/or clients. Any tool that can help enhance these images to make them more appealing is always welcome!

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

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