Google is fighting back against fraud with an advanced verification process for plumbers and locksmiths.

An email sent out to Google’s top contributors states the company’s plan for an advanced verification process is being beta tested in San Diego. All locksmiths and plumbers currently verified will have to go through the new verification process. Failure to do so before November 1 will result in the loss of verification and the removal from Google Maps.

Of course, any new applications will have to go through the new process as well, which said to be simple. It includes a combination of questions from Google and completing an application with a third party verification company. The new application process is said to take about two weeks to complete.

The entire advanced verification process for plumbers and locksmiths in the San Diego area is explained in this Google My Business help article. The process will also be used for plumbers and locksmiths using AdWords.

Why Locksmiths? Here’s Why.

Did you know that one of the biggest online scams is perpetrated by so-called locksmiths? Google knows, and the issues are finally being taken seriously.

It only takes a few bad actors to ruin it for the rest. In this case, the bad actors are individuals or companies claiming to be locksmiths to make some quick cash. Here’s how the scam works.

Locksmith Scam:

• After being locked out of one’s home and not knowing what to do, a quick Google search brings up a list of local locksmiths.
• Google returns AdWords ads and Google My Business listings for locksmiths promising cheap or inexpensive service rates.
• Calling one of these bargain locksmiths actually routes you to an offshore call center, where they dispatch someone local to come to your door.
• The locksmith shows up and, before trying any other options, immediately drills the lock open and slaps you with a large bill for the service.
• The cheap service you thought you were getting then turns into a large expense.
• Congratulations, you can now get back into your home but you’ve become a victim of locksmith fraud.

This locksmith scam has been well documented over the past few years and even written about in the New York Times. To get an idea of how rampant it is becoming, search for “locksmith scam” in Google.

Google’s advanced verification should cut down on the amount of fraudulent locksmiths found in ads and search results. As for why plumbers have to go through an advanced verification, I’m not quite sure. I tried to research online plumbing scams but was unable to find anything.

Google is notoriously secretive about why it makes the decisions it does. Regardless, I have reached out for comment in an attempt to gain further information.

The post Google Fights Fraud by Cracking Down on Plumbers and Locksmiths appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Google’s anticipated program to promote local service providers in search ads is coming out of the woodwork. The company has confirmed a beta test for the program just launched in the San Francisco market.

Buzzfeed first reported the home services solution was in the works in April. Taking on the likes of Yelp, Angie’s List and Amazon Home Services, Google’s home services ads promote pre-qualified home service professionals and enable users to submit requests to the providers straight from the search ads.

Pete Meyers of Moz tweeted a screenshot of the test on Wednesday.

New paid local entity in testing on Google last night (search for “plumbers”) – potential game-changer, IMO — pic.twitter.com/ehlLfs9MOw

— dr Pete Meyers (@dr_pete) July 29, 2015

I am seeing the ads on some searches for “San Francisco plumber” and “San Francisco locksmith,” the two services included in the beta.

For comparison, below is a typical desktop search results page for “San Francisco plumber.” Local Google My Business listings, which are free for businesses, are located at the bottom of the screenshot in this case, and a Google Maps link to the business locations is in the upper right. Text ads appear at the top of the page and along the right column. Notice the organic results are dominated by Yelp.

A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land, “We’re testing a new experience for local searches in the San Francisco Bay Area. We regularly test different options to deliver better results in search.”

Here’s a look at the beta Home Services Ads experience for users.

Ads feature three home service professionals

Three listings for professional service providers appear in the Home Services Ads block when Google thinks a user is trying to find a service professional based on the search query.

The ads include a photo of the professional, their location and phone number, along with any ratings and what look like callout ad extensions that detail qualifications and service qualities and offers such as 24/7 services and free estimates. Users can click the profiles for more details — more on that below. Earlier this month, Recode reported that Google hired a team of former Homejoy engineers to build the search matching technology for the service.

How Is Google Qualifying Providers?

User trust that these providers are safe and reliable is going to be a pivotal factor in whether this beta takes off. Clicking the drop-down icon on the Home Services ad box brings up an explainer stating that to be eligible for inclusion in the listing ads , the professionals must pass a background check, be licensed and insured and have a strong track record.

What constitutes a “strong track record?”

The “Learn more” link in that drop-down goes to a support page detailing how businesses qualify for business services ads. Google says it conducts a “reputation assessment” on all providers, including reviews from users who’ve found and used them through the ads and mystery shoppers:

“We collect ratings and reviews from people who hired home service professionals through our home service ads, and use mystery shoppers — customers who communicate and hire professionals on our behalf without mentioning any affiliation with Google — to help us learn more about the customer experience. ”

The background checks also include cross-checks against national sex offenders, terrorist and sanctions registries.

Select Up To Three Professionals For Responses

If you’re comfortable with that vetting process, the next step is to find a provider — or three — that might suit your needs.

Here are two ways to do it:

1. Click to view an individual profile featured in the ad block like the one below and contact them directly, or click the Send request button.

2. Click the “More [locksmiths or plumbers] to view or contact” link at the bottom of the ad.

This is where the real power of this new service lies for users looking to get multiple quotes. From here, you can view a slew of profiles to learn more about each service provider listed. Then you can narrow down your choices to up to three providers to request a follow-up after entering your contact info and details about the job you’re looking to have done.

The process is similar to Google Compare, which allows users to request quotes from credit card, auto insurance and home mortgage vendors right from ads in the search results in the US and UK.

Once you submit the request, Google sends it to each professional, and Google’s role in the referral process ends until a job is completed. Unless:

• Your request is declined because the provider is too busy or can’t do the job requested: Google will email you and include any notes from the professional about why they declined it.
• If a provider doesn’t follow up within one business day: You can either move on and find another provider or contact Google. There is a consumer contact page for Home Services Ad Support that includes phone and email contact information.
• If a provider cancels and the appointment and can’t reschedule: Google invites you to contact it to find another professional.
• If you’re not satisfied with the work done, and can’t resolve it with the provider first: Contact Google for help finding someone else to do the work.

Once a job is finished, Google will email you a ratings and review request. (It’s not clear if the professionals submit a job completion notice to Google.) Professionals that get repeat negative reviews could get suspended or kicked out of the program entirely.

At this time, we don’t know much about how the process works for advertisers in terms of the ad auction, managing the ads, and so on. Google is aiming to have more details on the program to share later this summer.

Google’s entry into this market could have big implications for home services professionals and the other companies vying for their attention online. Locksmiths and plumbers are just the beginning. Yelp appears to stand to lose the most, just in terms of lost organic visibility on Google.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

New on Search Engine Land

About The Author

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin wrote about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

The post Google Residence Providers Advertisements For Locksmiths, Plumbers Hit San Francisco Market appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Google’s anticipated program to promote local service providers in search ads is coming out of the woodwork. The company has confirmed a beta test for the program just launched in the San Francisco market.

Buzzfeed first reported the home services solution was in the works in April. Taking on the likes of Yelp, Angie’s List and Amazon Home Services, Google’s home services ads promote pre-qualified home service professionals and enable users to submit requests to the providers straight from the search ads.

Pete Meyers of Moz tweeted a screenshot of the test on Wednesday.

New paid local entity in testing on Google last night (search for “plumbers”) – potential game-changer, IMO — pic.twitter.com/ehlLfs9MOw

— dr Pete Meyers (@dr_pete) July 29, 2015

I am seeing the ads on some searches for “San Francisco plumber” and “San Francisco locksmith,” the two services included in the beta.

For comparison, below is a typical desktop search results page for “San Francisco plumber.” Local Google My Business listings, which are free for businesses, are located at the bottom of the screenshot in this case, and a Google Maps link to the business locations is in the upper right. Text ads appear at the top of the page and along the right column. Notice the organic results are dominated by Yelp.

A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land, “We’re testing a new experience for local searches in the San Francisco Bay Area. We regularly test different options to deliver better results in search.”

Here’s a look at the beta Home Services Ads experience for users.

Ads feature three home service professionals

Three listings for professional service providers appear in the Home Services Ads block when Google thinks a user is trying to find a service professional based on the search query.

The ads include a photo of the professional, their location and phone number, along with any ratings and what look like callout ad extensions that detail qualifications and service qualities and offers such as 24/7 services and free estimates. Users can click the profiles for more details — more on that below. Earlier this month, Recode reported that Google hired a team of former Homejoy engineers to build the search matching technology for the service.

How Is Google Qualifying Providers?

User trust that these providers are safe and reliable is going to be a pivotal factor in whether this beta takes off. Clicking the drop-down icon on the Home Services ad box brings up an explainer stating that to be eligible for inclusion in the listing ads , the professionals must pass a background check, be licensed and insured and have a strong track record.

What constitutes a “strong track record?”

The “Learn more” link in that drop-down goes to a support page detailing how businesses qualify for business services ads. Google says it conducts a “reputation assessment” on all providers, including reviews from users who’ve found and used them through the ads and mystery shoppers:

“We collect ratings and reviews from people who hired home service professionals through our home service ads, and use mystery shoppers — customers who communicate and hire professionals on our behalf without mentioning any affiliation with Google — to help us learn more about the customer experience. ”

The background checks also include cross-checks against national sex offenders, terrorist and sanctions registries.

Select Up To Three Professionals For Responses

If you’re comfortable with that vetting process, the next step is to find a provider — or three — that might suit your needs.

Here are two ways to do it:

1. Click to view an individual profile featured in the ad block like the one below and contact them directly, or click the Send request button.

2. Click the “More [locksmiths or plumbers] to view or contact” link at the bottom of the ad.

This is where the real power of this new service lies for users looking to get multiple quotes. From here, you can view a slew of profiles to learn more about each service provider listed. Then you can narrow down your choices to up to three providers to request a follow-up after entering your contact info and details about the job you’re looking to have done.

The process is similar to Google Compare, which allows users to request quotes from credit card, auto insurance and home mortgage vendors right from ads in the search results in the US and UK.

Once you submit the request, Google sends it to each professional, and Google’s role in the referral process ends until a job is completed. Unless:

• Your request is declined because the provider is too busy or can’t do the job requested: Google will email you and include any notes from the professional about why they declined it.
• If a provider doesn’t follow up within one business day: You can either move on and find another provider or contact Google. There is a consumer contact page for Home Services Ad Support that includes phone and email contact information.
• If a provider cancels and the appointment and can’t reschedule: Google invites you to contact it to find another professional.
• If you’re not satisfied with the work done, and can’t resolve it with the provider first: Contact Google for help finding someone else to do the work.

Once a job is finished, Google will email you a ratings and review request. (It’s not clear if the professionals submit a job completion notice to Google.) Professionals that get repeat negative reviews could get suspended or kicked out of the program entirely.

At this time, we don’t know much about how the process works for advertisers in terms of the ad auction, managing the ads, and so on. Google is aiming to have more details on the program to share later this summer.

Google’s entry into this market could have big implications for home services professionals and the other companies vying for their attention online. Locksmiths and plumbers are just the beginning. Yelp appears to stand to lose the most, just in terms of lost organic visibility on Google.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

New on Search Engine Land

About The Author

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin wrote about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

The post Google House Providers Adverts For Locksmiths, Plumbers Hit San Francisco Market appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.