Google has made some changes to the Google Business Profile policy document, specifically the identity change section. It is now much more descriptive than before.
The previous wording read:
Merchants must accurately represent their business identity. Edits that significantly change business identity will be rejected. For more details, review the Misrepresentation policy.
The new wording now reads:
Merchants must accurately represent their business identity. Edits that attempt to significantly change the nature of a business are often fraudulent or indicate that the business listing should be removed. To keep information on Search and Maps accurate, Google may reject some types of edits, such as significant changes to the business name or category.
If a different business is now at the location or the business has changed significantly, the previous business should be marked as permanently closed and not renamed. For more details, review the misrepresentation policy.
Hiroko Imai who spotted this change wrote on LinkedIn, “Google’s most significant concern appears to be businesses “using past positive reviews and star ratings from completely different enterprises.” Making this explicit and prohibiting such practices is essential for enhancing transparency in Google Maps.”
Forum discussion at LinkedIn.
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