This past week, Google shared information about its lawsuit against those scamming small businesses. According to the announcement, scammers are impersonating the tech giant and then charging fees for users to create a Business Profile, which is something that Google offers for free. The scammers target small businesses through phone calls and also use websites containing false negative and positive reviews in order to impact the way that businesses appear in Search and Maps results. (Source: Mashable)
Why this is important for your business:
Google is making its best efforts but it’s also our responsibility to keep an eye on our online presence. It’s a good idea to regularly check your Business Profile on Google and also to setup Google Alerts about your business. I also subscribe to a reputation management platform so that I can be aware if there are any bad actors saying false things about me or my business.
Source: Google Is Going After Scammers…And Other Small Business Tech News This Week