Local SEO, Ads and Google Accounts: Questions Answered
Local SEO and Google Business Profile problems, why Google Ads clicks can cost more than expected, and what to do about a hijacked Google account or a suspicious security email.
Each answer below gives the short version first. Open the full article for the steps, the reasons and the official sources.
5 questions on Local SEO, Ads and Google Accounts
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Local SEO Checker: Find NAP Issues Without a Subscription | A local SEO checker finds NAP issues by auditing your name, address and phone consistency across 20 or more directories, then scores your Google Maps 3-pack signals and verifies LocalBusiness schema. Even minor NAP inconsistencies dilute your local authority and push you down Maps rankings. |
| Why did one Google Ads click cost $78? | Your daily budget is an average, not a cap, and exact match controls which searches you show for, not how much you pay. With an automatic bid strategy and no bid limit, Google decides what each click is worth, and in a competitive local trade at peak season that can be a lot. |
| Why was my new Google Business Profile suspended after I moved? | When a business moves, Google expects you to change the address on your existing profile, not close it and create a new one. A new profile with the same name, phone number and category looks to Google's systems like a duplicate or a re-created listing, which is a common trigger for an automatic suspension. |
| My Google account was hijacked: what do I do now? | Use a clean device, start Google's official recovery by typing g.co/recover in yourself, and secure every other account that used the same password. Never pay or hand ID to anyone who offers to "recover" the account for you. |
| Google emailed me about a recovery email I did not add: should I be worried? | Usually not. That email normally means someone entered your address as the recovery email for their own Google account, by mistake or as part of a scam. It does not mean anyone is inside your account. The real danger is the next step: a page asking for your password, or a phone call asking for a code. |