Beware of Telemarketers Who Claim to be Google Local Business Listing Specialists

I’m sure I’m not the only one that receives telemarketing calls from people who claim to be Google Local Business Listing Specialists. I receive almost one call per day from these spammers. I also see many complaints from other people receiving these types of unwanted calls. You can check the phone numbers on sites like 800notes, or just search Google if you are not familiar with the number. I usually run a search on Google for unfamiliar phone numbers, and 95% of the time the number is linked to a spammer or telemarketer.

At first, I used to answer these phone calls because they’d use a local or domestic phone number to make you believe that they are legitimate. Also, when you answer the call, they talk as if they are actual Google employees, when in fact, Google does not make cold-calls like this. These are nothing more than unscrupulous spammers who are trying to make a quick buck from unsuspecting business owners. The only time Google would actually call you is if you are an active Adwords advertiser and they are calling you regarding your account or campaign. It is very rare that Google would even call you. I’ve been an Adwords advertiser for over 10 years and they’ve only called me once.

So what are these telemarketers trying to sell you?

They are trying to sell you a local business listing on Google. Don’t do it! This is something you can do on your own, for free. Besides, Google may automatically list you if you already have some presence on the Internet. These telemarketers remind me of those mailers I used to get telling me to renew my domain name for $150, or those sites charging you to register/submit your websites to a list of hundreds of useless search engines. Google will find you! Don’t waste your money on services that are not necessary.