Yes, I am aware of that recent development in Google Maps. Google has implemented a feature that can detect and block user-contributed photos that contain fake phone numbers added by scammers to mislead customers. This is aimed at preventing businesses from being falsely represented in local search results and protecting users from potential scams.
This is just one example of Google’s efforts to combat fake content and reviews in Google Maps and local search.
Google recently shared some of the figures of their spam-fighting efforts in Google Maps, including blocking or removing over 115 million policy-violating reviews, over 200 million photos, and over 7 million videos. They also prevented 20 million attempts at creating fake Google Business Profiles.
To further prevent spam, Google added two new machine learning-based techniques, including a new “machine learning model” to help identify novel abuse trends and a model to detect scammers who overlay inaccurate phone numbers on top of user-contributed photos. However, as spammers continue to evolve, Google acknowledges that their efforts must continue to evolve as well.
As marketers, we all know the hassle of dealing with spam and fake information in search. While Google is trying to reduce spam efforts, it is a cat-and-mouse game, and spammers continue to find ways around those efforts. Nonetheless, we can take comfort in the fact that Google is constantly working to improve their systems and prevent the spread of spam and fake information in local search results.