We’re extremely excited to announce that our SEO Director, Dan Foland, has been recognized as a Google My Business (GMB) Gold Product Expert (formerly Top Contributor) by Google. This esteemed designation is only awarded to a handful of people around the world. Dan joins an elite group of local SEO experts, Gold Product Experts, and well-known industry leaders such as Joy Hawkins, Mike Blumenthal, and more.
What is a Google Product Expert?
A Google Product Expert is someone who Google has designated as an expert in their field and on at least one of Google’s many products. Google Product Experts have shown knowledge and expertise by helping users with product issues on Google’s product help forums. Google Product Experts are hand-picked by Google employees for their helpfulness and expertise.
What are the benefits of hiring a Google Product Expert?
As a GMB Gold Product Expert Dan Foland has direct connections to Google employees (Googlers) to receive product updates, ask about issues, beta test new features, and more.
Additionally, Dan gets is invited to a yearly product summit at Google’s headquarters where he and the rest of the Product Experts meet with Google employees, learn about upcoming features, ask questions, and network.
Dan is also able to escalate issues directly to Google employees when other methods available to users don’t work.
The legal industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to violating Google My Business guidelines. Since the legal industry is one of the most competitive and Google only displays 3 local results in the 3-pack, some law firms turn to using spammy tactics such as stuffing keywords in their business name, faking their office locations, and more, which violates Google guidelines.
Google has made it more difficult for users to report and remove GMB spam, so it’s extremely beneficial for Dan to be able to escalate rule violations directly to Google.