Google Places has updated its Quality (read “Anti MapSPAM”) Guidelines – see below.

It’s unclear whether these updates reflect additions to the AntiSPAM algorithm or if they are just suggestions, but GOOG does seem to be clearly addressing some of the most obvious MapSPAM strategies – particularly around business names, locations and categorization.

To me the most interesting addition is “Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing.” On one hand this is a good thing – I have often seen cases where a business’ warehouse outranks the retail location. On the other hand, I doubt the addition of this rule is going to solve that problem and there are plenty of use cases where a user might need to find the location or more info about such a business.

And now, I proudly present – The New Google Places Quality Guidelines:

Your Google Places Account
Ownership: Only business owners or authorized representatives may verify their business listings on Google Places.

Account Email Address: Use a shared business email account, if multiple users will be updating your business listing. If possible, use an email account under your business domain. For example, if your business website is www.google.com, a matching email address would be you@google.com.

Your Business Listing
Business Name: Represent your business exactly as it appears in the offline world.

  • Do not include marketing taglines in your business name.
  • Do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name field, unless they are part of your business name.
  • Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your business in the business name field.

Business Location: Use a precise, accurate address to describe your business location.

  • Do not create listings at locations where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations. Listings submitted with P.O. Box addresses will be removed.
  • Use the precise address for the business in place of broad city names or cross-streets.
  • Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple accounts.
  • Businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a single location, should not create a listing for every city they service. Businesses that operate in a service area should create one listing for the central office or location and designate service areas. Learn how to add service areas to your listing.
  • Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firms and doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all of their specialties. You may create one listing per practitioner, and one listing for the office.
  • Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs, keywords).

Website & Phone: Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location as directly as possible, and provide one website that represents your individual business location.

  • Use a local phone number instead of a call center number whenever possible.
  • Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or “refer” users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business.

Categories: Provide at least one category from the suggestions provided in the form as you type. Aim for categories that are specific, but brief.

  • Categories should say what your business is (e.g. Hospital), not on what it does (e.g. Vaccinations) or things it sells (e.g. Sony products or printer paper). This information can be added in your description or as custom attributes.
  • Categories should not contain location-based information (for example, Dog Walker Los Angeles is not permitted).
  • Only one category is permitted per entry field. Do not “stuff” entry fields with multiple categories.

Custom Attributes & Description: Use the description and custom attribute fields to include additional information about your listing. Learn more about acceptable custom attributes.

Other Items of Note
Ineligible Business Models: Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing.

  • Businesses that are under construction or that have not yet opened to the public are not eligible for a listing on Google Places.
  • Rental properties, such as vacation homes or vacant apartments, are not eligible for a listing on Google Places. Create a listing for the central office that processes the rentals, rather than the individual rental properties. If you’d like, you can then add your real estate properties to Google Maps so that they are available on our Real Estate layer.

Disclaimer: Google reserves the right to suspend access to Google Places or other Google Services to individuals or businesses that violate these guidelines, and may work with law enforcement in the event that the violation is unlawful.

Mike Blumenthal has a great analysis of what’s changed here.

Google’s official version here.

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3 Response Comments

  • Craig Mullins  November 22, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    Err… They are really being aggressive with the biz names…

    know if they are giving Mail box’s Etc listings the ax also? Couple of my friends got ax’d and the addresses are MBE locations…

  • Shelby  November 23, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    Can you have one phone number for multiple locations under one account?

  • Marcelo  May 31, 2012 at 9:42 pm

    hey Craig do you mean you friend Google places listing got axed because they were using a mailing address service like MBE?