Every few days I see someone saying SEO is dead and now you need AEO or GEO on top of it. I got curious and read what Google itself says, because it's easy to sell a course around a new acronym.

Google's docs on AI Overviews and AI Mode say the usual SEO best practices still apply, there are no additional technical requirements, and no special optimization is required to appear in them. Separately, Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity.

So for a local service business like a plumber, roofer or cleaner, my read is that most of the work is still pretty boring:

- Keep your Google Business Profile accurate: category, hours, service areas, phone number.

- Make sure your site and profile agree on the basics: business name, services and areas you serve.

- Answer the questions customers actually ask, in plain language and near the top of the page.

- Reply to your reviews.

None of that is a trick, and I don't think anyone can honestly promise you'll show up in an AI answer.

For context, I co-run a small local SEO business, so I'm not neutral on this. Has anyone here actually seen their business show up in an AI Overview or AI Mode? If so, what changed before it started happening?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I've been comparing review profiles for a few local businesses and started noticing how different the reviews themselves can be even when the ratings look almost identical.

One business has loads of five-star reviews that are basically great service or highly recommended. Another has customers writing a paragraph about what they bought, who helped them and why they came back. I'm not saying a customer should have to write an essay for their review to count, but from a reputation analysis standpoint I'd probably learn more from the second group.

When you're evaluating a local business rather than just looking at the stars, do you pay attention to how thorough the reviews are?

I’m looking for advice from Local SEO professionals who have dealt with suspected fake reviews on Google Business Profiles.
I manage Local SEO for a client whose business profile was targeted with multiple suspected spam 1-star reviews a few months ago. I reported them, and Google removed them.
A few days ago, another 1-star review appeared. The reviewer claims that the business owner visited to assess a roofing job and provide a quote but was not interested in doing the work. I confirmed with my client and they haven't served any client with that name.
Based on the circumstances, I suspect the review may be intended to damage the business’s reputation. However, I want to understand the correct process rather than make assumptions.
Here are the details:
Review rating: 1 star
Reported on: 17 August 2026
Current status: Escalated – Check email for updates
Current situation: Several weeks have passed, but the review is still live.
I reported the review through Google’s review reporting process, but it hasn’t been removed.
My questions:
What is the best next step when a reported review remains live for several weeks?
Is there an effective way to escalate the case further through Google Business Profile support?
What kind of evidence is useful when appealing a suspected fake or malicious review?
Has anyone successfully had a review removed after receiving the “Escalated” status?
I’d appreciate advice from anyone who has handled similar cases, particularly those working in Local SEO.
Thanks in advance.

I'm the manager of New Frontiers Aboriginal Residential Corporation, located at 425 Coxwell Avenue in Toronto, Ontario.

I'm reaching out because we are dealing with a very frustrating situation involving an appliance repair company that has listed our property's address on Google Maps, despite not operating from our location or having our permission to use this address.

This is not just an incorrect address on Google Maps anymore. Potential customers of this company are physically showing up at our property looking for the appliance repair business. This is creating disturbances for our residents and staff, who have absolutely nothing to do with this company.

We operate a residential facility, and having strangers arrive at our property expecting to find an appliance repair business is completely unacceptable. Our staff should not have to repeatedly explain to visitors that this company does not exist at our location.

We are extremely concerned that this misleading listing is continuing to direct members of the public to our property. It is disrupting our daily operations and creating unnecessary concerns about the privacy and safety of our residents.

We have never authorized this business to operate from our address, and there is no  appliance repair business operating here.

We are requesting urgent assistance from a badged Google Product Expert to help get this fraudulent listing reviewed and removed .

This is affecting real people, not just the accuracy of a Google Maps listing. We would appreciate Google treating this as a serious issue rather than a routine address correction.

I have attached some video evidence in order to establish that the appliance repair company does not operate here: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eo2j8E3D0OjpavYCwUnrzludqOQUvsWS

Our organization's website: https://nfarc.ca/ which shows our location and confirm that 425 Cowell Avenue is strictly a co-op residential property. 

If a badged Product Expert could help escalate this matter to the appropriate Google team, we would sincerely appreciate it.

This is a link to the offending listing : 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/CNDa7h1PJBfhsTng6 

case ID is 4-6399000041637.

Thank you for your assistance. We need this situation resolved before more unsuspecting customers are directed to our residential property.

I have a customer that lost access to their Google Business Profile.

I reached out to support to ask how to reclaim it, and they advised:

"For you to take ownership, you need to create a new business profile and make sure that all the details will match the business profile (business profile name)."

I did that. Created a duplicate listing, and had the customer get it verified.

Nothing has happened yet, but it was verified just a day or 2 ago and I assume it takes time.

I also reached out to their support following up.

I'm reaching out to make sure their support advised the right plan of action. I'd also like to know if anyone has done something similar. Any tips?

I know GBP support can be difficult to work with. I also cannot guarantee that the duplicate listing I created was an exact match. For example, the address used to verify the SAB may have changed.

*edit - this is a service area business.

Thanks

My GBP, two three genuine reviews from clients in last three months, none showed up.

Previously I have two three old reviews they're just there, no new is added. They were genuine reviews.

Emailed google but it resulted in an obvious system reply which leads to nowhere.

What to do?

For those managing local SEO for multiple businesses, I'm curious how you've built your tool stack.

Right now it feels like there are separate subscriptions for almost everything:

• Local rank tracking
• Google Business Profile
• Reviews
• Citations/listings
• Competitor research
• Reporting

At what point did you decide it was better to consolidate everything vs keep using specialized tools?

I'm especially interested in what you actually use every week versus the tools you originally paid for but eventually stopped using.

Hi all, at the beginning of October my my dad's business profile (unverified at the time) was suddenly marked as a duplicate and it seems that somebody has verified our business and effectively took it. They are now actively scamming people using our name and the damages are close to USD 2000. I have appealed the duplicate status to google but they say they cant do anything if i havent verified my business profile (which is impossible to do now). I replied to that email and now it had been 2 weeks since my reply.

Did anyone have a similar experience and know how to solve it? I'm also actively trying to report the scammer to the police but the police force in my country just is not responsive at all.

Any info is highly appreciated folks! Thank you.

Hey everyone,

So, I recently took over a hotel that also has a restaurant. I've already handled the Google Business Profile for it – verified everything, updated all the info and added new pictures.

But here's the problem I'm running into. When I search for "restaurant in {city}" or "restaurant near me," my place doesn't even show up in the top 20. It's the same with the hotel. Even though there are only two hotels in our small city, if I search for "hotel in {city}," Google brings up hotels from bigger cities nearby instead. However, when I search on the name alone, it shows up instantly. What's going on and what can I do to fix it?

If your Google Merchant Center account is still fully suspended for misrepresentation after repeated unsuccessful reviews, you may notice an “external appeal” section in the account’s policy issue details.

I spotted this wording and checked Google’s official documentation. The screenshot attached has the account details removed.

Here’s what I found:

\- RDAX is a routing ID shown in Google’s documented Merchant Center example. It doesn’t explain why you were suspended.

\- The reference ID is another detail requested for the external process. Copy the values from your own affected account.

\- The linked external appeal process concerns eligible EU Digital Services Act disputes. Seeing the section doesn’t automatically mean you qualify.

\- Google separately lists merchant mediation for businesses based in the UK or EU. UK merchants should check that guidance too.

One clarification: three reviews is not a universal Google limit. Google documents cooldown periods and possible further reviews, so a disabled review button doesn’t necessarily mean every internal option has permanently gone.

An external process also doesn’t guarantee reinstatement. Out-of-court settlement bodies cannot impose a binding settlement.

Before escalating, organise the suspension notice, review history, support correspondence, business identity evidence and examples showing that your storefront, checkout and feed are consistent.

Official Google guidance:

EU external dispute resolution:

https://support.google.com/european-union-digital-services-act-redress-options/answer/13535501?hl=en

UK and EU merchant mediation:

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/9969397?hl=en-GB

Pulserig GMC & Ads Rescue and have published a fuller guide on our blog:

https://www.pulseriggmcadsrescue.co.uk/blogs/news

Has anyone here used either external dispute resolution or merchant mediation for a GMC suspension? Interested in hearing what the process involved and the outcome.

Hi,

I had a Google Business Profile that I permanently closed a few days ago. Since my business address has also changed, the Google documentation mentioned to create a new profile to verify my business at the new location.

I followed their instructions and created a new profile, but Google suspended it as well. Can any one please help me understand why this happened and guide me on how to resolve the issue and get my new profile verified?

My Google Business Profile is verified and visible to me when I'm logged in, but other people cannot find it in Google Search or Google Maps.

I previously had two verified profiles for the same business as I accidentally created the same listing under different Google accounts as I have 2 google accounts. I've removed the duplicate, but the remaining profile still isn't visible to the public. I have had no notification to say there are any issues.

The original business category was Software company, which was inaccurate. I tried changing it to Manufacturer, but Google rejected the edit, citing “Business identity changed”. I've appealed because I was correcting the category, not changing the business.

I've also discovered an unrelated business with exactly the same name, already listed on Google Maps. That business is totally different category of business.

Could the other business with the same name, the duplicate profiles, or the rejected category change be affecting my profile's visibility? Has anyone experienced something similar, and how did you resolve it?

Many thanks in advance, it all feels a bit of a mess!

am completely frustrated with how Google Business Profile handles basic owner controls.

My client runs a long-standing brick-and-mortar business. Due to a family emergency today, he logged into his verified Google Business Profile to adjust his hours. Google’s automated system rejected the update—presumably because it conflicted with the hours on his website, which he couldn’t immediately alter due to a lack of designer access.

Even though he is the verified owner, Google overrode his authority over his own business hours. The fallout was immediate: a new customer drove out, found the doors locked, and left a damaging 1-star review stating they’ll never return after relying on Google’s incorrect listing.

While I am happy to show him how to use it so this doesn't happen again, he is asking me to delete the entire account! Also, happened last summer before he got me involved.

I'll likely be able to walk him through this when he is not so angry, but the idea someone in their fifties that runs a solid business model for decades who's only two bad reviews are because of the google business page stating open instead of closed on a day an emergency popped up is ridiculous.

Just curious if others have experienced this or if we are in the minority. I have other equally moronic issues with google business with other clients some of which took weeks to sort out and impacted thier business negatively at the time.

Could you please share the new method for creating Google Maps listings? I am new to this. Is there a way to add a location to Google Maps without taking a video? I would prefer a verification method using an SMS or email. I want to avoid video verification. I would appreciate your help—what exactly is required? An old email address? A new phone number? Or something else?

Someone post a video unrelated to my business and somehow it’s being shown on the overview tab.

I flagged it and reported but it been a week and the video is still there.

Is there anything I can do to somehow remove it or move the video away from the overview part?

Hey ya'll! So I have a location in Dumbo but other in NJ and other places. The others I haven't added, but it's been 15 years I think we should.

I'm worried it will drop SEO, or make things more difficult. Have ya'll had this or know of this?

Hi everyone,

I’m a psychologist/psychoanalyst in the Netherlands, and I see clients in a therapy room that I rent by the hour. When registering my sole proprietorship with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK), I registered my home address as the business address, which is also shown on my registration documents.

From what I’ve read here, it seems very difficult to verify a coworking or therapy space on Google Business Profile when you only rent it by the hour and don’t have permanent signage.

I’m therefore considering using my registered home address for verification while hiding it from public view and setting up the profile as a Service-Area Business (SAB). If potential clients contact me and want an in-person session, I would then privately tell them the location of the therapy room I rent.

My questions are:

Can I verify my home address as my business address using my KVK registration documents, even if I hide the address from the public?

Has any psychologist or therapist successfully done something similar?

Would this approach violate Google’s guidelines or put my profile at risk of suspension, given that I don’t visit clients at their homes?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences from people who have dealt with a similar situation. I’m trying to find a legitimate way to establish my professional presence on Google without risking my business profile.

Thank you!

I want to be a google business profile manager as a career. What learning path i must follow to excel?

An angry customer from over a month ago at this point demanded a full refund from me otherwise she wouldnt remove her bad reviews. I declined and in response she sent many more 1 star reviews all saying basically the same thing. I reported all of them but i dont know what to do if they dont get taken down. I am a small buisness and she has sent over 10 1 star reviews which impacts my rating a lot.

Hello, I recently bought a business with many bad reviews. We are keeping the same name and menu from the previous owner, and I was wondering what I should do to remove these reviews and start fresh? Thank you!

I manage Google Business Profiles for a few clients, and one of them operates across multiple cities (some even in different countries). I’m trying to figure out the right way to handle review generation and management when it’s not just one single location.

Specific things I’m unsure about:

• Do you set a review target/pace per location, or treat it as one combined goal for the brand overall?
• If one location is new (few reviews, just verified) and another is established (100+ reviews), do you treat their review-request pace the same, or slow down on the newer one to avoid looking unnatural to Google’s filter?
• For responding to reviews — do you personalize responses per location/city (mentioning local context), or keep a consistent brand voice across all locations regardless of city?
• Any tools or workflows you use to actually keep track of review velocity and response time across multiple GBP listings without it becoming a mess?

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve actually managed this for multi-location clients, not just single-location businesses. Trying to build a proper system instead of winging it per location.

I’m a small business owner in the health industry. My website is very small (less than 5 pages). Since early September I’ve noticed a substantial decrease in clicks (clicks have gone down to zero from all my relevant queries). Impressions remain the same but clicks have fallen to nothing. At first I thought it had something to do with the spam update, but that’s now over and clicks have not recovered. I contacted GBP support today and their response was very vague, saying:
“Our specialist team has responded, it appears that all data is contingent upon the customer's interaction with the business profile; consequently, results will vary based on whether the customer utilized the profile's buttons or links. Therefore this is working as intended”. They did not provide a reason for the drop-off or indicate they would assist. I replied with some follow-up questions.
I’m wondering if anyone can shed some light on this? I’ve used chat gpt to assist me so far and I’m at as far as I can go with that. Thanks in advance.

I have had my GMB profile for more then 10 years and earlier this year it was flagged and required verification.
Nothing was changed in the profile other than new photos and updates added every other day.

Completed verification and was reinstated. Good for a month and again, disabled. They also removed a lot of photos. And the reasoning was content policy violation.

Verified again, regained my profile and just 24 hours later I get disabled again, all photos completely removed. So I assumed it was just the photos (and they were just photos of our landscape work, no faces or anything for that matter). I verify again once again and now it gets rejected.

The only option I have is to appeal, so i go thru the steps and boom, rejected. I submitted biz license, invoices, photos of our equipment etc.

Filed a second appeal basically threatening to stop my Google ad spend if this continues to happen. Now I received an email stating that my case is being directed to a product specialist. No response so far.

Any chance of regaining my profile? I literally have no content now and all the contact info matches my public records. It’s a landscape business. So I’m just really confused why I’m being punished like this?