If you try clean up the dirty Google Business Profile page of a competitor, it is not enough To make sure everything is right: The right time to take the train is also crucial.

When is the right time to submit a “change suggestion”? (1) as soon as you notice a problem, (2) as soon as you know exactly what change(s) you want to suggest to Google, and (3) after you have not reported any more Google Maps spam in a long time.

The first point is intuitive enough. Don’t wait until a competitor ranks higher than you to submit your edit. Report Google Maps spam when you rank miles higher. Today it’s 14th in the 3-pack, but tomorrow you might be plugged under his kilt, and he can only look up.

The second point is perhaps also intuitive. If you can tell Google, what exactly is wrongand especially if you can point out several problems Google should fix the problem. Then Google is more likely to take action and you waste less time and reputation.

The third point is perhaps a slap on the forehead (or at least it was for me): It appears that Google is more likely to approve changes that you have not submitted after you have already submitted many other changes. These complaints, which are at the forefront of the agenda, I call “fresh treatments”.

Let’s say you don’t report GBP spam every day, but try to clean it in batches every few weeks or months. Let’s also say you have 10 different Violations of the Google Business Profile on the GBP pages of 10 competitors. The “new” changes are generally the first 2-3 issues you report, and the “deprecated” changes are the last 7-8 issues you report. Each of the new edits is slightly more likely to be approved than any outdated edit (or tired edit, crusty edit, or whatever antonym you want to use for it).

My theory is that Google sees a “fresh” edit as coming from an objective but interested third party, rather than someone with a competitive interest. an agenda or a dispute. It is like calling the police. They are more likely to take your complaint seriously – or Emergency – seriously, if you haven’t reported any other problems recently. They probably won’t take you seriously if you’re the person who calls every time a neighbor’s dog messes with your lawn.

Maybe it shouldn’t be that way. All 10 (or 22 or 103) of your complaints may be valid. It doesn’t matter. It is theoretically possible for Google to take action on every single problem, and it is very probably that Google ignores them all. We are talking about probabilities here. How you maximize your chances can determine whether you succeed in thinning out the herd of spammers over time, or whether their numbers continue to grow and they trample you into the dirt. This in turn can determine how much of your hard work brings Visibility on Google Maps and new customers.

How should all this affect your spam defense program? It’s simple:

1. Distribute your “Suggested Changes” reports to Google. Don’t send in changes every day, but don’t try to go through your entire list in one day and then leave it for the rest of the year. Ring the bell a few times every few weeks or every month or so. Take a few minutes in the meantime.

3. Be organized. At the very least, use a spreadsheet to document the businesses (and possibly locations) you’ve reported, when, why, and what their status is. If possible, tie a few Robins into your Batman. More in this article.

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What have you noticed about the timing of your “Suggested Changes” reports on spam-causing Google Maps competitors? Are there any patterns in what works and what doesn’t? Leave a comment

PS: If you have seen this approach used elsewhere, please let me know so I can give the person the credit they deserve.