Edits not getting approved

[Operon4]

Hi Folks, first time posting here. I have been trying to contribute to Google maps and make edits in my area, but they seem to be pending review for months now. Is this normal? How long should the review process take?

It's Belfast, Northern Ireland with a lot of my edits centered around post code BT17 0QL.

Thanks!

[davidcox]

@Operon4  There is no clear cut answer. I usually get surprized when they go through quickly. It depends on what  the edit is and what other signals they have accumulated. I did one and it went through in seconds for business was closed. For things that look like spam can take a long time and lots of effort. 

[iyudhi]

@Operon4 I wouldn't say it's normal, but it's not completely something that's unheard of. I remember having a few of my edits getting stuck for 6 months before getting approved. Someone mentioned a year. The best we can do now is to make sure the edits to be as accurate as possible, to the best our ability. After that, let the system works it out.

For more info of why your edits might be pending, you can check out the following post

Why is my edit status Pending or Not Applied?

[Operon4]

Hi guys, thanks for your answers, this does make some sense. I guess my edits probably look like spam. We had a mapping issue in our industrial estate where all driving directions did not route into the estate and all the business locations were lumped into one spot on the road outside the estate. I fixed our own business a few months ago after reporting the issue, but have been waking around on lunch breaks fixing all the others. So I could easily have suggested 30 edits in a small area. Sometimes I've double edited once to move the marker, then went back in to add websites and stuff.

Would this kind of behavior freak out the algorithms? 

[davidcox]

@Operon4  The edits can be the hardest since often there are no other details to back up the change. The better you document it the more likely it will change. I have seen suggestions that getting more approved improves you profile score.  Things that I feel are clearly visible easy changes do not get accepted and others that seem to me to be vague and little information go through fast. So I have backed off a lot of edits.  It can be a full-time job with the amount of spam and inaccuracy on maps.  Not sure what is the best approach correct or ignore. I would love to hear others opinions. Hope this helps.

I went back to my edits and here is a good example. There just is no building at that location. Streetview shows it and I took two shots, but it is still pending.  The phone number now goes to a different company the dancer's shop and a different location in the town. The last picture in The Dancers shop listing shows the old building before it was torn down. But right now if you look up the Ballony tunes  listing you get directed to a vacant lot.  The Dancers shop may have changed names, certainly, it has moved or had a duplicate listing.  I could go to the other location and interview the owner but no good way to lodge notes or detailed information other than duplicate or present the data multiple times.  Maybee get a helium balloon and tie it to the fence and have a label on the balloon "Not Here" then take a picture of it?  Keep working on it.

[CiaranConnolly]

Hi Operon4 

Did the edits get sorted? It might take a few people reporting to get the edits confirmed. I have done loads of edits and it does take a while to get approved - some get done very quick & I have a few just hanging over for months and months.  Most edits seem to be actioned automatically - as I guess Google has other information that we are basically confirming with our edit. The tricky ones are the ones that seem to go to human moderation and need to be checked personally - this can take a while. I am up that direction occasionally - let me know the issue and I will see if I can edit on my next past by and we can see if multiple confirmations of the wrong information work?

Cheers,

Ciaran