A ‘Rather Different’ Google My Business Success Story

Author    

Another company had our phone number in its Google My Business profile. About the solution to the problem and the importance of local SEO.

Wrong phone number in Google My Business

It’s celebration time today! Our head office is no longer receiving enquiries such as “Can you fix my washing machine?”, “Have you got a new ventilation system for my shisha lounge bar?” and “Do you have any used company vehicles for sale?”.

A plumbing company moved premises a while ago and had forgotten to mark its former location as permanently closed in Google My Business. Their old phone number was therefore still displayed in Google Maps, and when we changed phone provider, we were given their old number as our new head office number.

Sadly, we had to inform callers that we are an online marketing agency and therefore unable to directly solve any problems specifically to do with heating, ventilation and plumbing, although we could certainly increase the visibility of their enquiries.

Consequences

Although we and our callers handled the situation with good humor, there was definitely a financial cost for us in terms of lost working time and the fact that our telephone lines were sometimes unavailable.

For the plumbing company the situation was more serious: An incorrect telephone number in a public directory is a waste of time and money not just for callers, but also for the company itself. Having the wrong firm answer the (supposedly official) phone number does not exactly inspire confidence. The plumbing company must surely have lost several prospective customers as a result.

The solution

We were able to solve the problem by reporting the error via the feedback function on Google Maps. There is a small “Send feedback” link tucked away in the bottom right corner of the screen.

A view of Google Maps, highlighting the "Send feedback" feature

Google needs a bit of time to manually check such changes, particularly now during the pandemic when there are many changes to business locations. It therefore doesn’t hurt to make the Google My Business team aware of necessary changes via Twitter as well as using the “Send feedback” link.

You certainly should not claim the other business location as the owner. Even if you have all the necessary methods for verification at hand with the telephone number, the location can be blocked for editing as a result of supplying false information – which would further delay the solution of the problem.

The moral of the story: local SEO works

This strange case confirms that Google My Business works. The visibility gained through a business listing on Google Maps generates valuable enquiries and additional customers.

That is why it is so important to appear in Google My Business as well as in other local online directories and business directories with consistent and correct contact information.

If you do not have time to deal with your own online visibility in your day-to-day business, you should commission a local SEO agency to do so.