Search for any small business in your market/city....

Search for any small business in your market/city. A photo, map, and critical information regarding that business will appear on the right side of your computer screen (sounds great right?). Amazingly, Google allows it's "users" to make suggested edits to those existing businesses you are searching for (including your own business). This sounds great, but only as long as the Google user is using ethical practices. Unfortunately, Google cannot prevent a competitor to make major suggested edits to a competing business that is not their own. These "suggested edits" are not monitored by Google and are always approved by Google robots 100% of the time without consent from the business owner that they re having their information changed. To make matters worse the business owner who is having their information changed isn't even notified by Google (by email) that it was changed. You have to hope that you catch the errors on your own... either by searching your own business or by checking your "My Google Business" page. Here are just a few suggested edits that are allowed by Google for any of their Google users (including competitors) on Google Search:

(1) Edits to "Has this business moved, closed, or never here"?
(2) Edits to Name of Business"
(3) Edits to "Business Address"
(4) Edits to Business Hours of Operation
(5) Edits to Business Phone Number"
(6) Edits to "Business website"
(7) Edits to "Business category"

Note: I contacted Google through my Adwords account. Once you get through you can speak with a Google My Business specialist. I spoke to a representative and management, but both of them lied to me and said this wasn't possible. I demanded a screen share and showed them how easy it was for me to change someones existing business information (don't worry I changed it back). Only then did I get the standard corporate line and apology. Either they were lying to me from the beginning of the call or they were uneducated at best about their own Google business practices. Shame on Google for not protecting their business owners!!