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July 10, 2026 • 54 mins

👉 https://www.sterlingsky.ca/local-seo/

Fake reviews that won’t get removed. Listings suspended without warning. No clear answers from Google.

In Part 2 of this exclusive episode, ex-Googlers explain what actually triggers suspensions, what qualifies a review for removal, and how to recover your profile fast.

If your business depends on Google visibility, this is the side of the system you can’t afford to ignore.

Links:

https://www.thegbpexperts.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradwetherall/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelheadley/

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction: Understanding Google Business Profile issues

01:03 - The truth about flagging negative reviews for removal

04:01 - Brute forcing support vs. algorithmic approaches

05:22 - 3-step process for dealing with negative reviews

06:33 - The "Trust Score" concept for users and businesses

08:31 - Why authority matters when flagging content

11:41 - Can factually correct edits hurt your trust score?

12:42 - Local Guide levels: What it takes to get edits processed

14:11 - Is the Google Product Expert forum still effective?

16:14 - Google's shift toward cost-consciousness and data purging

18:51 - Gmail vs. Corporate domains: Which does Google trust more?

22:06 - Security tips: Managing primary ownership and managers

23:16 - How to avoid business profile suspensions

25:54 - Dealing with suspension backlogs and support queues

27:19 - Pro tip: Contacting support in different languages

30:12 - "Duress Verticals": Why some industries are scrutinized more

33:54 - Proactive steps to prevent suspension (Photos & Activity)

36:00 - Business vs. User-generated photos: Which is better?

39:58 - Why owner replies are engagement signals, not ranking factors

42:37 - Future Outlook: AI local packs and the evolving role of GBP

43:30 - What to prioritize in the next year (Citations & Third-party sites)

46:59 - Final thoughts and where to find the experts

To add these to your video, simply copy and paste the timestamps and titles into the video description in YouTube Studio\!

EP 26102 part 2

#localseo #digitalmarketing #localsearch

__________________________________________

READY TO TAKE YOUR LOCAL SEO TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Websites:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/

https://localu.org/

https://localsearchforum.com/

Blogs:

https://www.sterlingsky.ca/blog/

https://localu.org/blog/

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