Google Has Sued An SEO Agency Over False And Misleading Claims

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It doesn’t happen very often, but Google has brought an unethical SEO agency to court.

The court papers Google filed in California allege a local SEO agency, Local Lighthouse, made calls to businesses claiming to be working behalf of Google. During these calls the agency guaranteed to make first page placement in the search results. It appears to be the case revolves around three main issues:

  1. False or misleading advertising
  2. Trademark infringement
  3. Unfair competition

False or misleading advertising

The SEO industry is filled with snake oil salesmen who makes false promises they just cannot keep. Google’s case against Local Lighthouse brings false claims guaranteeing first page placement in the Google search results.

There are two issues at stake here. First, the papers claim that “the Defendant’s sales representatives were introducing themselves as ‘Google Local Listing representatives.’” Furthermore, the agency was making “false guarantees of first page placement in Google search results.”

This extract is from the court papers:

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Google is prosecuting this one case in California, still it looks like the problem runs rampart all over the globe. Here is one proof:

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However, despite the court case, there are claims on Local Lighthouse’s own website that might be misleading:

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Trademark Infringement

The second of the causes for action is Local Lighthouse’s illegal use of the Google trademark as part of their selling processes in order to deceive customers into thinking they have an approved relationship with Google. Here is a relevant extract from the court paperwork:

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Illegal Robocalls

Google is receiving hundreds of complaints, primarily from small business owners, of automated calls from businesses claiming to be affiliated with Google, making misleading offers and promotions for improving Google Search and AdWords rankings, or to improve their Google My Business profile. The court case in California makes specific reference to “incessant, unsolicited automated telephone calls” and that the Local Lighthouse “harassed consumers with unwatend phone calls.”

In fact, Google never practice this kind of marketing. If you get a phone call from “Google”, be confident in knowing that it is a scam. On their support form, Google makes it absolutely clear that they never:

  • Make automated sales calls
  • Ask you to update your front-page listing or claim your free website
  • Ask you to pay to be included in Google Search or Google My Business

Reporting Google Scams

Unscrupulous businesses are using the Google brand to make big money, and as a small business owner you need to be aware of how to protect yourself and your business. To avoid similar incident in the future, Google has created a support document describing the various Google scams, how to protect your business, and steps you can take to report them.