Lawyers guilty of Google MapSPAM? (and what is MapSPAM?)
Next time you are tempted to paint the legal industry with a Luddite brush consider this: Technically savvy personal injury attorneys have allegedly been changing their listed address with Google Maps in order to “show” proximity to the Chatsworth Metrolink accident which killed 25 people on September 12th in Los Angeles. See the Google map results for Metrolink accident lawyers near Los Angeles, CA. Not only have the addresses allegedly been changed, but an enterprising attorney identifies himself specifically as a “Train Accident Lawyer” on his Google listing.
Mike Blumenthal brought this to my attention in his article Ambulance Chasing in the era of Google Maps which questions if these tactics are against the ABA’s Rule 7.3 against barratry. I’m torn on this one – enterprising attorney cutting above the digital clutter to provide valuable services to consumers or manipulative online ambulance chasing? I’d love to hear what you think . . .
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:46 am
HI Conrad-
Mike Blumenthal here.
To do this the lawyer (or more likely their search marketing proxy), needed to create a new business title for their business. While it may or may not violateABA’s Rule 7.3 it most definitely violates Google listing guidelines and could lead to their expulsion from the Google Maps listing.
Mike Blumenthal
February 15th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I agree with Mike, but the ABA Rules do not apply in California. But it definitely violated the Google Mapspam guidelines. In fact, today, almost every attorney listing in Los Angeles that ranks high in the one, three and ten packs are in violation of the Google Maps guidelines.
My guess is that so many businesses are spamming Maps, there is no way to stop it, short of shutting down Google Maps.