Why AM I Receiving So Many Calls From Google

As an agency that provides search engine optimization services we of course have claimed and optimized our Google listing, however we still receive calls almost daily informing us that our Google listing is out of date or that we have to claim our totally free listing. If you're reading this post, you have probably received these calls as well, and are trying to find out why you are receiving them, if you need to work with them, or how you can stop them.

The good news is your listing is not out of date and you do not need to pay to be listed in Google Search or Google My Business. You should however check your listing to make sure you have added your logo, images, address, phone, categories, hours of operation and keyword filled description. If you have not added these items you will benefit from claiming, verifying and optimizing your listing. To learn more about this download our free Google My Business Guide. If you need someone to handle this for you contact us.

So why do they keep calling?

The short of it is that these are telemarketers attempting to sell you something. They know that online marketing and technology is frustrating, and they use fear and doubt that you are doing everything you need to do in order to beat your competitors. They understand that you hear rumors about the most recent Google updates and use those to scare you into believing you need their services.

How do I protect myself?

According to Google's support forum

Google Will Not Call About the following:

• Place automated sales calls

• Ask you to upgrade your front-page listing or claim your complimentary internet site

• Ask you to pay to be included in Google Search or Google My Business

Google May Call About the following:

It is possible that Google will call when…

• You are working with Google on paid ads, and you ask them to call you. Note that they certainly will never call you to offer marketing.

• You are working with them to obtain your Google My Business Listing set up, and they are offering you a PIN code for verification. They will  call INSTANTLY after you hit the send button.

• Google believes your address is incorrect. In this case, a live individual will call you, and it's important that they talk with you or they may delete your listing. In this case, provide them your address. If they are from Google, they will not ask for personal account information.

We know that it's easy to be unnerved by a call stating that you need to upgrade your listing, especially if you are paying an SEO company to manage this for you. If you are working with a Search Engine Optimization business, they will likely confirm that these are telemarketing calls or scams and you can disregard all future calls.

If you're still not sure, be smart and use these techniques to protect yourself from scams when handling these types of calls. If someone calls you, and you're not sure who they are, don't give them any account details. If it's truly Google, they will already have it.

Get call-back info such as their name, phone number, office they are calling from, etc. Chances are good that if they're telemarketing or attempting to scam you, they will not give you these details. If they give you details follow up to confirm that they are in fact Google.

On last goof practice is to add your number on the Do Not Call Registry, and if you continue to receive calls, file a complaint.

To find out more, have a look at Google's Support Forum for Preventing and Reporting Google Scams.