Google Encouraging More User Edits on Google Place Pages
Don’t edit my client’s beautiful Place page below! I’m warning you!
I will smack you hard if you do!!!
Remember when Google put the big red write a review button at the top of Place pages to encourage reviews??? They just added a new button in that spot yesterday that says “Edit this Place”. Front and center, plain as day. So I guess they are encouraging even more user edits and crowd sourcing of Places data. See my concerns below the image.
Yes Google I realize that many Place pages are not kept up-to-date or are unclaimed. Let users edit those, but NOT Place pages that are pro-actively managed. Please give owners that are actively managing some type of lock feature so user edits can’t happen. As a Top Contributor in the Places forum I see the negative affects of malicious user edits every day. I just think making the button so obvious, is asking for more trouble.
After weeks of fighting dupes for this Dr, then all kinds of crazy merge problems with missing listing, then wrong phone#, then losing all his reviews, PLEASE don’t put me through the increased potential risk of bad user edits!
Wanna know what’s crazy? The OLD edit link is still there above the map on the right, next to “Owner Verified”. But NOW when you click it, it says “This place has been claimed in Google Places and can only be edited by the owner.” YEA!!! I’m all for that! BUT that big new edit button that’s front and center let’s you edit – PLUS the link at bottom let’s you edit. So what’s the point of having the one link say it’s protected from edits, when the other 2 allow edits???
So I started editing other people’s Place pages yesterday to see what would happen. But I only did corrective edits on spammy pages, so I’m assuming they will go through. Maybe will try to find a couple blatant spammers and change their address or phone just for fun to see what happens. 
Big hat tip to Joy Hawkins for pointing this out to me yesterday.
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#1 SearchCap: The Day In Search, April 6, 2012 wrote on April 6, 2012 :
[...] Google Encouraging More User Edits on Google Place Pages, marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com [...]
#2 Phil Rozek wrote on April 6, 2012 :
I noticed that today, and thought I was going bananas. Thanks for confirming that I’m not (well, I am, but just not for this reason)!
Such a waste of time on Google’s part, though. The last thing we (and they) need is MORE edits that get ignored when they’re right, and more evil edits that shouldn’t stick but that do anyway. Lunacy, I say.
Thanks for posting!
#3 Dave Foertsch wrote on April 6, 2012 :
Linda, any insight yet from Google? Figured your contributor status might trigger a relatively quick response.
#4 Linda Buquet wrote on April 6, 2012 :
Hey Dave, thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been out most of the day so have not even brought it up to Google yet. Not sure I will either unless I see a bunch of new problems as a result. They read my blog though, so they likely saw it and have probably gotten feedback on it from others as well.
#5 Susan Walsh wrote on April 8, 2012 :
Hi Linda,
Thanks for the update – this means we have to keep checking our clients Place pages to make sure nothing has changed. We do monitor their pages, but not daily. Will Google notify the user that a change has been made on their Place page?
I noticed that if your logged out of Google, the new button doesn’t show. When I log back in, it appears. Looks like only Google users can make changes.
Please keep us posted and Happy Easter!
Susan
#6 Linda Buquet wrote on April 8, 2012 :
Hi Susan, Google has been allowing user edits for quite some time and there have been 2 links – above the map and bottom of page.
So the only thing that’s new is they have added the bigger button in a more prominent position, I assume to encourage even more user edits.
I believe Google is supposed to send an email – but not positive they are going out for every edit. Assume they would only alert for NAP changes, but not certain. I’ll try to ask Vanessa this week.
#7 A Week in Google - 8th April wrote on April 8, 2012 :
[...] our classifications.Hmm… vague as ever.Google Places Encouraging More User Editing?Linda over at Catalyst eMarketing has blogged about this one. She’s seeing a new “Edit this place” button on Google Places [...]
#8 Jeff Downer Indianapolis, IN wrote on April 9, 2012 :
I just wanted to add my voice in support of your position on this new “feature”. Please take note Google.
#9 Linda Buquet wrote on April 9, 2012 :
Thanks Jeff for weighing in!
#10 Jeff Sararas wrote on April 11, 2012 :
I also believe I’m going banana’s — I cannot for the life of me find an Add Review button while viewing a Places listing on mobile (iPhone). Has it been removed, along with the above changes?
ps Great to find your blog Linda! I must get involved in the Places forum.
#11 Linda Buquet wrote on April 11, 2012 :
Hi Jeff, a little embarrassed to admit but I never look at Place pages on mobile. I’m always tied to my PC so never need to use my phone. PLUS I don’t have an iPhone so can’t check.
BUT one issue could be… are you looking at your own Place page and logged into your account? Because it won’t let you leave a review for yourself so if looking at your own Place page there will not be a review button. Look at a random Place page for someone else and see if you see the review button then. Let me know if that’s the issue.
#12 Jeff Sararas wrote on April 11, 2012 :
Ah sorry I meant to mention that for clarity – yes i am logged in, and looking at a clients Places page. Tried viewing from Safari as well as from within the Google Search app. It’s really weird. Seems the desktop now has an abundance of ways to add/edit, and the mobile has a deficiency
And you know, Places on mobile has always been a bit klunky, so I don’t blame you for overlooking it!