Both Google Business Profile reviews and images are now moderated via AI, for better or for worse.
2022 saw the appearance of some interesting news for local SEO, marked by the end of Google My Business, now Google Business Profile, or the arrival of “Live View”, which allows the smartphone to report precise things thanks to augmented reality .
Some of these changes can improve your visibility in the SERP. Which is nothing, for example for companies with a physical store. For the record, a Brightlocal survey shows that in 2020, 93% of consumers searched online to find a local business. About one-third of respondents conducted this research daily and more than two-thirds weekly. Here are three ways to take advantage of these new features… or not suffer from them.
How do I still get reviews despite Google’s new review filter?
In recent months, Google has been filtering reviews using its artificial intelligence. This includes reviews that violate its rules, but also a number of legitimate reviews. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in reviews not appearing on a profile, reviews removed, and entire categories of businesses ineligible for reviews,” said SEO Consultant Mike Blumenthal of Near Media. This can be bad for your business, as 87% of consumers read reviews, according to a recent study by Brightlocal.
How to explain it? Mike Blumenthal thinks it’s hard to know why reviews were removed. For him, the AI is actually using learning data that Google brought in via opinion spam. This creates an internal logic about the patterns of these opinions, which is difficult to understand. However, Mike Blumenthal notes that, as with all AI, there are “false positives,” meaning that Google can make mistakes, which he says could amount to 30 percent.
Many companies feel powerless in the face of this, especially in the United States where the legislation on fake reviews is less draconian than in France. Especially since the lack of Google’s help is felt. According to a study by Mike Blumenthal, the removal of reviews would be influenced by factors such as the business category, real estate and the legal sector that are affected more than others; or from the creation date of the company incorporation register, the most recent are those most penalized by AI.
What to do ? If reviews deemed legitimate have been removed, Jamey Lee, CMO and co-founder of LocalRanker, recommends reaching out to Google, showing affected reviews with screenshots, and trying to prove their legitimacy.
Mike Blumenthal suggests approaching Google with caution. According to him, it might make sense for companies with few reviews to try to restore them here. He also recommends making a copy of your reviews to return to Google in case of deletion deemed incorrect. To make the American search engine less important, he also recommends using a tool like GatherUp, which allows you to ask users to leave reviews on sites other than Google.
How to submit images that are not filtered by Google?
The American search engine is increasingly using images and videos in local search results, according to Mike Blumenthal. “Google has doubled down on including images in search results. In fact, 36% of mobile search results are images, up from 0% just four years ago. Google now displays images that match searcher intent.
To avoid having to be filtered by AI for images that do not meet Google standards, several actions can be implemented. To understand the content of the image, “the Alt attribute of the photo is no longer sufficient for Google”, conjures Jamey Lee. “Now it knows how to recognize photos. Just look at the Google Photos API to see it.”
In order not to fall into the Google filter trap, Mike Blumenthal explains: “It has become essential for companies to regularly upload images that reflect the products and services they offer. And before doing so, check that Google understands the content of the image well. “
The password to overcome the obstacle of the filter therefore seems to be relevance, both in substance and in form. “We also ask our customers to avoid posting a photo from an image bank,” adds Jamey Lee. “It’s about giving priority to real, good quality photos. Also avoid screenshots, GIFs, photoshopped images, blurry images or images with text written on them. There must also be consistency between the photos on the business listing and on the site. For for example, photos of a hamburger restaurant should appear on its listing and site.”
How to take advantage of the Google Maps Live View feature?
The Live View feature of Google Maps allows you to view items in a close environment while walking around with your smartphone thanks to augmented reality. For example, the user can view the opening hours and the degree of attendance of the venue. Note that this feature has been rolling out since last November in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo.
While live view is quite limited right now and doesn’t necessarily play a big role in terms of SEO, it’s not forbidden to try to take advantage of it. “For that, the most important thing is to make sure your locator gets people to the right place to join your business,” says Mike Blumenthal. “The company should also verify this information on other mapping services such as Apple, Here and Uber, so that customers can find it easily. In fact, there is no worse customer experience than ending up in the trash in the alley behind the store, without be able to enter.”
At the level of information quoted by “Live View” on the company, “if things are well optimized at the level of the constitution sheet, opinion collection or even photos, there shouldn’t be any problems”, Jamey Lee launches .
Whether “Live View” will become a primary means of navigation remains to be seen. “It is currently limited to major metropolitan areas eyou it requires the user to allow Google access to their privacy in order to use it,” says Mike Blumenthal. “These two issues could limit its adoption in the near term.
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