But, in this post I want to bring to your attention something that some unsavvy folks might decide to do to your local listing especially since now the local listings are becoming more prominent.   It’s something called MapSpam and even though you may not have heard of it, it’s extremely important that you understand what it is and how it works to prevent your own listing from being hi-jacked.

I made a video about this issue around six months ago when the floral industry was the victim:

Here’s what’s important to understand:

• If you do not claim your local listing, it can be hi-jacked.
• This issue may become more prevalent since Google is now showing local listings for more competitive terms.
• If you’ve never claimed your listing, you wouldn’t be notified.
• If you attempted to later claim it you have to jump through hoops to do so proving you are the original business owner.
• To claim (or add) your local listing visit https://www.Google.com/local/add/