Your landing page URL typically refers to your homepage and plays a crucial role in determining your rankings on the map.
I cannot stress enough the significance of your landing page URL, its backlinks profile, and how you optimize that page for your local SEO. Your landing page URL typically refers to your homepage and plays a crucial role in determining your rankings on the map. If this field gets wiped or changed, Google won’t associate your GBP page with your domain in the same way, and your Maps rankings will likely plummet. The stronger your site is in terms of on-page optimization and backlinks, the more responsible it is for how well you rank on the Map. Losing your landing page URL can leave you with just one oar in the water.
In the event of a hack, Google usually takes a light-handed approach and won’t remove your GBP page, make you re-verify, or auto-update other information. Google’s main objective is to keep searchers engaged in the search results for maximum ad revenue, and kicking legitimate businesses out of the search results would be counterproductive. The GBP page serves as a substitute for websites, especially for those businesses that don’t have one.
If your site gets hacked, you must take immediate action to clean up the infected files and harden your site’s security. Resubmitting your XML sitemap under “Sitemaps” and requesting reindexing of your homepage through Search Console can help bring your deindexed pages back to life. You shouldn’t assume that Google will automatically scoop up your deindexed pages any time soon, so it’s crucial to go into Search Console and give them a nudge.
In my personal experience, after my site was hacked, I added my landing page URL back to my GBP page manually, and it stuck right away. Re-adding your website URL to your GBP page should be one of your first orders of business post-hack.
In conclusion, a hack can have a significant impact on your local SEO, and it’s vital to take measures to prevent such occurrences. Regularly updating your website and plugins, limiting access to sensitive information, and using reliable security software to protect your site from malware and hacking attempts are some of the best practices to ensure your website’s safety. Contact We Do SEO Today!