As a Google Trusted Photographer, my team has been asked by many businesses why Google keeps calling. Some say its every second day, and others its 5 to 6 times a day. Well the simple answer is; it’s not Google Calling. Yes Google may call your business from time to time but they will not be selling you anything. Let’s talk about all the other calls first:

When you get a call saying that you have to pay for your Google + for Business page, it is not Google but some scam getting businesses to pay for a FREE service. Google has said that it’s Google + and Google My Businesses services are free, and unless Google its comes out and says different (I do not predict that happening). Google created Google My Business for customers to find your business, so it can provide the best results during searches related to your business.

Search Engine Optimization firms, more commonly known as SEO. Many shady SEO firms will use robot callers or call you saying they are Google and try to sell you top rankings on Google. Google has said that its search rankings are not affected by money paid to them or other firms. The paid Ads on Google are clearly marked, and are located on the top or the side of the page. When these firms call you, they want you to buy their Get to the top of Google fast plan, or some other service. No reputable SEO service will do that, SEO is not fast and Google is good at cracking down on those who cheat the system. Purchasing from these firms could lead to your site getting on Google’s Black List (it’s easy to get on, and hard to get off) in the e3nd you the business owner is out a lot of money, as you will have to pay a real firm to go back and fix the scam service.

411, Yellow Pages, or Google Affiliates These companies are not Google, but are or have been partners (part of the Google Ad Words program), and will try to sell you services. They will mostly identify themselves as a Google Partner or Affiliate. These companies are after your money. Google Canada has said that it has stopped using information from Yellow Pages, or 411.ca to place new information on Google Maps/Google My Business. Both of these companies will try to sell you top results on Google, and will use some bad SEO practices to get your money. They are Google Adword Partners, and can sell you ads on Google. If you want to spend your money with them, you can, but their ad for your business will be seen in a Google Search, as not many people use either site to search your business.

Google Trusted Photographers. As Google Trusted Photographers, we are independent contractors working to bring Google Street View inside your Business (Google Business View). Sometimes a Google Trusted Photographer or Agency will call or visit your business (yes we visit, and when we do please listen to us as; we are not the 100 callers from Google you had so far that week). We are Google contractors, and will say who we are, and explain our services to you. When a Google Trusted Photographers calls or visits they will leave a card with the Business View Photographer logo, and you can view their information on the Google Business View Website.

Now calls from Google: Yes Google may call you from time to time. They call to verify your listing information. They call at random for some new listings to make sure the business is a real business. They will also call the number listed if someone submits a change/correction in the business information (for an unverified listing); normally they will ask for your mailing address to mail you the verification post card and other info to verify the submitted correction. When Google Calls, they will clearly identify themselves, the caller will tell you who they are (the caller’s name, and Google Division, and they will allow you to verify them) and the Call display will display GOOGLE, and the number will be Google’s number. The caller will not try to sell you anything. Google may also call to ask about services performed by its contractors; this is a quality control survey to ensure that we play by the rules. For example, if your Business has a Google Business View tour done by our Google Trusted Photographer, Google may call you to ask how the service went, and ask questions on our performance. They will not try to sell you anything, they will not threaten you with anything, they just want to know if you are satisfied with our performance.

Google telemarketing calls
Watch out for parties calling and selling services claiming to have a special relationship with or claiming to be Google. Often, these parties are telemarketers that are not affiliated with Google and are trying to leverage the Google brand to sell your business some type of online service. Keep in the mind the following:
• Google does not place robocalls.
• Google does not call to “update your front page listing” or ask you to “claim your free website.”
• Google does not charge for inclusion in Google Search or Google My Business.
If you are continually being contacted by a telemarketer claiming these things and are on the do not call list, you can file a complaint with the Do not call Registry.

I hope this was helpful, and informative on the endless number of Google calls. As a Google Contractor we get the same calls “saying its Google” and your listing is going to expire. These callers call everyone with a business listing.

Please stay tuned for our post on: Why you should hire a Google Trusted Photographer!