Escort Services and Google Places

Many of you have experienced your Google Places escort service listings being deleted in the last 6 months. I discussed this previously a few posts back. However, if you have followed the guidelines stated back in March and again in July 2012, and checked the box to "hide your address" - your Places listing should show. All listings that were deleted should be reinstated.

A search for "Miami escorts" (substitute any city) today shows a bunch of absolutely irrelevant listings. For example, a financial planner, armed security services, animal control, a photography design studio, a magician, a university, a high school, a law firm etc... How absurd, right? These people have literally ruined Places. The good news is that now you can make them repair it by resubmitting your listing..

It was indeed a couple of renegade Map Makers that have caused all these troubles. They would have someone higher in the group that despised escort services as they did approve the delete while claiming that it was the rule. It was never the rule as I stated back in July. Escort Services are allowed listings in Places. This has been, once again, confirmed by Google. Push it as far as you must and keep resubmitting the listing until it shows.

This is the statement made by Google on a thread in the Map Makers forum in relation to escort services:

Update on Escorts and SABs (announcement is dated 16 August)

An excerpt (the forum link is to the July discussion):

We have been hearing various concerns on forum about redirecting mappers to Google Places for certain listings that are Service Area Businesses (SABs). Here are the details,

Why mappers adding Service Area Businesses are redirected to Places?

• Google Places carries out specific verification process to verify the physical location of businesses and SABs in particular.
• Google Places also gets in touch with the owner of the SAB in order to get specific details and verify them to avoid spam.
• Map Maker currently does not have this facility
• There have been higher instances of spam in SABs
• Its advisable for mappers adding SABs, to add them through Google Places to ensure correct business verification

So it is not Google's fault, except in that they were of no assistance to anyone that suffered a deleted listing. Apparently enough of you complained and they have made the policy clear. Do not allow these renegade Map Makers to get away with deleting your listings. Let's repair Places. Just make sure that you follow the Google Places guidelines for Service Area Businesses (SABs).

Thanks to Debb for emailing me this information! My health is not great and I can't fight the world anymore. If you care about your Places listings, push until it is reinstated.