A well-known local company in Sri Lanka has started a program(CSR) to facilitate adding business locations(any business locations, not only their own) to google maps. This is done via their own website interfacing to google maps.
On the website, they ask users to enter a location, business category, business name, and phone number. However, user can’t include any photos of the business location(Which is not so great)
They are promoting users to add their known business locations to maps using their website. They target the small not known businesses and I believe their intention very good, i.e is to help small businesses by providing them more visibility and try to direct more business via google map listings.
However, I noticed few disturbing caveats in this initiative.
They add “PinTheBiz” as a prefix to the business name(e.g. “PinTheBiz - ABC Restaurant” ) which I feel is not a good thing from Google map perspective. Their intention is to find all their listing near your location by typing PinTheBiz, but I see it may harm the integrity of Google maps. After some time everything around you on maps would appear as PinTheBiz - …. . This is kind of spam for my gut feel. Which I think is bad for maps consistency and user experience. And I’m not sure if business owners themselves would like to have some unrelated prefix in Infront of their business name.
Unlike you add a place via google maps(As we all local guides do) when you add via this website it doesn’t show or give you the alert of possible duplicates.
I checked some already available listings done via PinTheBiz and it appears that location details are not so accurate. Most were placed in the middle of the roads. This may probably be due to the reason inexperienced users(maybe who haven’t used maps much or understand google maps) going to this custom website and add locations from that website. It’s a small map window with the site which may make it difficult for a newbie user to correctly pin the location.
I support the idea of getting more and more business into maps. More the merrier they say. If more and more small big businesses added to the maps if more useful information added to the maps that is a great thing. Especially small businesses who need more and more business at these difficult times. However, we should be careful in our efforts not to complicate things at the same time.
This initiative is conducted by a well-known company, therefore think they probably have spoken to Google regarding this initiative and have taken necessary approvals.
Since I have a few alarming concerns about how it’s being executed, I just want to escalate this as a possible issue for the Local Guide community and Googlers for their valuable thoughts on this.
Adding a prefix in the business name is clearly against the GMB guidelines for naming places. It is called spam or keyword stuffing. The fact that they do this and put places onto roads are clear signs that this is not a serious business.
If you share a link to the website and a couple of businesses with the prefix, I hope one of the Google Moderators will take a look and ask the relevant team to take a look.
Thanks for posting about this situation, @ravindus
It is a really strange situation, because of the low accuracy and the prefix in the name of the POI that, as @MortenCopenhagen said, is against the GMB rules.
I believe that a feedback from a Googler can be more helpful, for this reason I am tagging @KlaudiyaG
You guys confirmed my understanding. However, the people who does this can’t just send business location additions to Google map interface without approval from google right ? That’s why I was taken by surprise seeng this initiative and lots of locations starting with PinTheBiz prefix.
This initiative is done by a leading Insurance company in Sri Lanka as a CSR thing. I guess they are about to run a social media campaign to promote this and already there is a youtuber promoting adding biz locations through this website.
Can I mention the website here for googlers to have a look?
I am not sure that with an external interface it is not possible to edit Google Maps. Currently there are interfaces that can post the same content on multiple social media, using user permissions (accounts). Personally I find it “dangerous” for our account to have to give my data to an app I don’t know, so I’m not even sure if this is done in collaboration with Google.
I have checked the website and Google is not mentioned in any point, and they do not ask for an account nor other data. This means the place are entered by them, literally spamming your country with their name. Let me escalate this. The website is easy to find, no need to link the place here
One could easily argue that they are in fact not helping the businesses as they are not helping them claim the listings so they can actively use Google Maps.
@ravindus thanks for the tag. As we discussed earlier over the phone, this is violating many rules and guidelines by Google. I believe that even they have initiated this with a good intension for helping local small enterprises they have no proper idea to how to do this. I strongly believe that they may have hidden addenda of collecting information of small business just to promote and sell their products. They might misusing the google business listing to show that they actually help small business to increase their presence online.
I have already stated removing the prefix (PinTheBiz) of some genuine businesses deserve to be on maps. I think we local guides will have to put lot of effort cleaning the map.
Possibly well meant, but indeed definitely very badly executed @ravindus . I’m glad the team is already looking into this.
For the entries that have already landed on Maps (which are most likely genuine businesses that deserve to be on Maps) there is definitely a big #LGCTM effort for the local guides there to remove the prefix…
Thanks @JanVanHaver . Regarding the map edits, we all take your advice in the highest regards.
It’s like you read my mind. An LG CTM meetup was just hovering through my mind .
Sri Lanka LGs are already on the cleaning up mission. @kasunaaa have already name corrected several listings. We took a pause till we receive a verdict from Google.
But it is spreading fast like covid-19. Hope google will issue the vaccine soon
I totally agree with you regarding those deserving map additions. Hope we could clean up and keep those deserving additions.
Indeed @ErmesT , As you very correctly pointed out, PinTheBiz entries are spreading fast like covid-19. It’s all over the country now. I believe it’s a deed done with good intention but without much of an idea how that could impact google maps. Hope google would issue a vaccine soon. I foresee loads of #LGCTM work for Sri Lanka local guides
Many thanks @MashaPS , I’m glad that Googlers are looking into this. I’m sure this was done with very good intention but without a good understanding of Google maps and map UX.
I really hope Google’s verdict is not ‘we will remove all POIs added this way’ as the initiative as such is adding loads of relevant info ( but not in a proper format) @ravindus
Great to hear that the local community has already started making corrections, and I’m sure @kasunaaa is eager to help . Actually I tested myself on 2 places what the effect would be of suggesting a name edit, and both were approved instantly, so a dedicated meetup could achieve a lot.
@JanVanHaver Yes as LG partners I always ready to help @ravindus for each every LG activity
It is true that prefix remove edit instantly get approved and I have done several corrections. I think together we can clean this. but at the same time further promoting and more adding’s this way should be stopped.
@chamodhk Exactly you are correct. We need to remove such listings where business information not correct such as impossible locations and name containing symbols only.
I suggest prefix removal only for genuine businesses deserve to be on maps.
@MashaPS , This is noted. We will wait for your update. I think my fellow Sri Lanka Local Guides are a bit worried seeing the fast spread. That’s why the discussion. But we are sure googlers will sort things soon.
@chamodhk , Yes you could suggest a name edit when you notice a wrong naming. However, in this special case let’s allow time for Googlers to investigate and find a resolution. We’ll follow their lead after that.
@ravindus , I also cheecked the maps and PinTheBiz is everywhere. I Also agree with you guys that this is not right. Let me kknnow if you are planning a #LGCTM anytime soon.
Recently a fellow local guide (Lahiru) from Sri Lanka asked me to check the site called https://pinthebiz.lk/.
This site is trying to help the local businesses, but I think it acts like a spammer. Through there website, you can submit a small business. Then they will add it to the Google Map without a single photo, and all the places they add to have the prefix “PinTheBiz” plus the business name. Please see the images below.
I think this is spamming, and it will damage the credibility of the Google Map, as it adds places without a single image or other information, except the telephone number. I do not want to see the Google Map in Sri Lanka with place names with the prefix “PinTheBiz.”
By the way, I would like to know how they get approved. When we add a legitimate business with correct information, Google Map does not accept it immediately. Sometimes we have to wait months to get approval.
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. Actually I tested myself on 2 places what the effect would be of suggesting a name edit, and both were approved instantly, so a dedicated meetup could achieve a lot.
