Why you need to lock your Google My Business Listing
Published by : Vicinus
Date : October 22, 2024
Imagine the dismay of losing customers due to the manipulation of your Google Business Profile. Your coffee shop’s operating hours have been altered from 7 AM to 7 PM to 11 AM to 11 PM or it is reflecting the menu of a nearby Chinese restaurant – resulting in missed opportunities and potentially harming online ranking.
This is not merely a possibility but a prospective risk that could result in substantial corporate loss. Securing your Google Business Profile is essential to avert such situations from impacting your organisation.It prevents unauthorised individuals from altering information that may mislead clients or damage your online local reputation. Enhancing the security of your Google My Business account is essential for preventing illegal access to your listing. This article will provide you with crucial techniques to safeguard your organisation and digital assets efficiently. Let us begin by securing your digital assets.
Essentially, securing your GMB listing entails implementing stringent control over access, permissions, and oversight of any prospective modifications. The objective is to avert malevolent individuals, rivals, or even well-intentioned clients from proposing erroneous modifications that could jeopardise your organisation operations or damage your brand. It is very important to implement strategies for effective GMB listing protection to maintain your online reputation.
Here are some guidelines for effectively representing your business on Google
Before we show you around the ropes of securing your GMB listing, you need to understand the dangers of an unsecured GMB. Although Google Business Profile offers various benefits, the possibility of unwarranted and unauthorised modifications is a significant concern. Individuals can modify their profile via the “Suggest an edit” feature, altering critical information such as operational hours, contact details, or business descriptions.
A competitor may alter your operation hours to imply that your firm is closed when it is open, or someone could substitute your contact number with an erroneous one or even insert an unrelated address. Failing to secure your Google Business Listing might subject your enterprise to numerous substantial hazards that may jeopardise your reputation and financial performance:
An unprotected listing is susceptible to alterations by competitors or malevolent individuals. This may involve altering your business hours, contact details, or even your business name, resulting in misleading and confusing clients.
Poor security exposes your listing to the threat of false reviews. Loss of access will prevent you from removing or addressing fraudulent reviews on Google My Business, thus exposing your reputation to detrimental feedback from competitors or spam that may deter potential consumers.
In 2020 alone, Google disabled or erased 55 million reviews that violated policies and roughly 3 million fraudulent Business Profiles.
Inaccurate information in your listing can undermine customer trust. Conflicting information, such as inaccurate hours or deceptive descriptions, may prompt potential customers to seek alternatives.
Google emphasises on precise and reliable listings. Alteration of your profile may result in a decline in your search ranking, complicating customer discovery of your online presence. This can significantly reduce foot traffic and internet inquiry.
Once your listing has been damaged, regaining control and restoring its integrity can be arduous. The recovery process may be protracted, during which your business may endure ongoing disinformation and client attrition.
Regrettably, Google does not offer a feature to completely secure your business listing, resulting in its availability for public modifications. This may result in unlawful alterations, including erroneous hours or imprecise location data, thereby damaging your business’s brand. During Google’s examination of these modifications, there is a potential for the temporary emergence of misinformation.
To mitigate these dangers, it is essential to consistently oversee your listing and swiftly rectify any unauthorised modifications. Moreover, solutions like Vicinus provide functionalities such as round-the-clock monitoring and the capability to secure your listings for enhanced management. To learn more, you can review Google’s guidelines on locking GMBs for better control over your listings.
In 2020, Google thwarted more than 3 million attempts by malicious entities to seize unauthorised access to potential Business Profiles. This is part of the company’s continuous efforts to safeguard the integrity of Google Business Profiles against fraudulent claims and exploitation.
As much as this might be useful for the customer who wants to correct some wrong information, it also provides room for entry of other people who might harm your business by changing some tricks on the said information. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help prevent unauthorised edits without involving a third party aid:
The first and most vital step toward claiming your business on Google is verifying it. This process confirms that you are the rightful owner of the business, alleviating any doubts. Verification methods include:
Configure/enable your notifications to remain informed whenever someone suggests or executes an alteration to your business page. This effectively guarantees that you can promptly review and either accept or reject the modifications made to the document.
Regularly monitoring your Google Business Profile is crucial to verify that all information is current and may be modified as necessary. Establish a routine of reviewing your profile at a minimum of once each week.
This approach not only keeps you informed about your information but also enables you to detect any unauthorised alterations. By doing so, you can implement measures to prevent individuals from modifying your business information, guaranteeing you retain authority over your listing.
Here are some steps to ensure your profile remains secure:
Consistently monitoring your Google Business Profile is essential for identifying unwanted modifications to your business information. To maintain the security of your profile, configure notifications to inform you anytime an edit suggestion is made. This enables fast assessment and approval or rejection of modifications. Furthermore, log in at least weekly to ensure the accuracy of all information and to review any alterations done without your authorisation. Designate a staff member to manage your Google Business Profile, ensuring that your information remains up-to-date and complies with community standards.
Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the most effective methods to safeguard your profile. You may utilise backup codes or codes transmitted via SMS messaging.
This method ensures that no one may access your account. To set up two-factor authentication, access the Google account settings:
Regulating and granting user access to your Google Business Profile is crucial for ensuring security. It is advisable to delegate profile administration to reliable personnel, limiting administrative access to individuals who require it for updates or client engagement. Hierarchical roles such as owner, manager, and site manager can be established to manage permissions efficiently. Consistently assess and revise these access permissions to maintain the security of your profile.
There are a few SaaS based tools that focus on managing listings and offer the feature of “Lock Listing”. One such tool is Vicinus – a platform that provides a dependable method to securely “lock” your listings, guaranteeing that only authorised individuals can implement modifications. This feature is crucial for preserving the integrity of your Google Business Profile. Vicinus seeks to deliver a time-efficient and resource-effective solution with its machine learning capabilities, thereby improving accuracy and efficiency in listing management. For more information, visit here.
Protecting your Google Business Profile is essential to avert unauthorised alterations that could jeopardise your firm. A secure profile guarantees that consumers obtain precise information, thereby maintaining trust and safeguarding your local reputation. Unauthorised modifications, like inaccurate company hours or contact information, may result in client attrition and diminished credibility.
Insufficient protection renders your listing vulnerable to hijacking and unauthorised modifications, potentially misleading customers and affecting income. Enterprises lacking secure listings encounter disinformation and diminished client trust. Implementing safeguards such as two-factor authentication and regular monitoring help mitigate these dangers and sustain a trustworthy online presence. Emphasise local SEO security measures to improve your rankings and safeguard your organisation against potential dangers.Utilising SaaS based platforms and tools (such as Vicinus) is essential for effectively securing your business listings, since they offer the only dependable way to avert unwanted modifications. This method not only improves security but also conserves time, enabling you to focus on other business concerns.
Securing your listing mitigates unauthorised access and alterations, safeguarding your business information from fraudulent adjustments and preserving your reputation.
Failing to secure your listing exposes your business to potential hijacking, misinformation, and detrimental reviews that can undermine your trust and deter clients.
Limiting access to trustworthy personnel guarantees the display of only correct and pertinent information, thereby fostering confidence with your consumers.
