Why has my dads website seemingly disappeared from Google maps?

[opethdisciple]

I'm a systems engineer not a web developer so don't really know about all this SEO business.

We had a new website done about 2 years ago and we used to appear quite high in the google search rankings and you could definitely find us on google maps. We have a google business account and claimed ownership of the google maps listing.

However he has informed me today that we cannot be found at all now on google maps.

I did a google search for some key terms and we can still be found about 6th-7th on the page
(which isnt great) but on Google maps we don't appear at all!

Even if you search for the precise location and the precise business type and the users mouse is directly hovering over the location of the shop, google maps seems to list every other shop in the area expect for ours!!

I'm gonna login to the google business page and see whats up, but do we need to pay for some SEO or something?

I am at a lose really as this sort of thing isnt my domain.

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Hmm I just asked one of my mates who thinks the Google business account may have been removed. I.e foul play is at work here. Over the years my dad has told me of various things people have tried to do to disrupt the business etc...

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I've done some more digging about and I think I know the culprits.

There is a 'company' that does not physically exists listed across the road from my dads shop who have faked their signs on google maps in order to steal business from my dad.

All they have done is doctored a sign on google maps an put their logo. There is no shop there! Nothing. And when I do digging about on Google maps where my dad should be I see these guys popping up a lot, so I think I know have my culprits. I reckon they have had the Google business account removed!

We complained to trading standards about this 2 years ago and clearly nothing has been done.

What can we do?

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I logged in to his Google business account and upon login it tells me this has been marked as a duplicate business.

In other words something or someone has done something that makes Google thinks they are us and has had us removed from the listings.

All sounds very fishy

 

[touch]

The google search results are based on your website so it sounds like either the new website wasn't setup properly for SEO or the competitors just have better sites now (have you made any changes or added any content in the 2 years since it was made?)

The google map listing is set up from your business account. The new website won't have broken that and other people can't just remove it. You need to log in and check for any issues.

What did you complain to trading standards about? The other shop not having a physical shopfront? Or for them apparently sabotaging your google business account?

 

[Semple]

From a Google maps perspective, you can flag it as an incorrect entry, and at the same time create a new entry for your dad's business.

I've flagged plenty of entries on Google maps for removal - typically duplicates or when things have been placed in the wrong location.