How Google's Updated Misrepresentation Policy Builds Trust: A Guide for Brands and Marketers

Is your business ready for Google's new policy? The updated misrepresentation policy from Google sheds new light on the importance of building trust and how this can affect your business's visibility on Google. Whether you are a small local business just starting online or an established brand looking to expand its digital footprint, this policy is crucial for you.

Google has updated the criteria for brands to display their offerings and products in search results. This update will be particularly beneficial for brands struggling with a suspension or warning for misrepresentation. Google emphasizes four key areas of focus to build trust and meet the new requirements: business identity, transparency, online reputation, and professional design.

Business identity includes consistent business and domain names, a clear 'About Us' page, and links to social media profiles. Transparency requires clear information about the brand's shipping, return, and privacy policies, as well as its business model.

Online reputation involves showcasing genuine reviews, mentions of badges or certifications, and clear communication options. Professional design encompasses a secure website with an SSL certificate, easy navigation, and no unnecessary redirects or broken links.

Additionally, Google suggests that brands take various steps to help Google understand their business more quickly and accurately. These steps include creating and verifying a Google Business Profile, sharing up-to-date information in the Merchant Center, linking relevant third-party platforms, following Google's SEO guidelines, signing up for review services, and synchronizing product data on the website and in the product feed.

In a statement from the Merchant Center, Google emphasized that it wants Google to be a safe and reliable place for both customers and retailers. Building trust is an ongoing process, and Google uses multiple signals from across the web to assess a business's credibility.

[@portabletext/react] Unknown block type "span", specify a component for it in the `components.types` prop