Service are business - change of address methodology
-
How would you go about changing an address for a SAB (service area business) ? Phone number will remain the same, the new address is about 4 miles away, same city, different zip code.
-
It is always my pleasure!
-
Thanks again Miriam, you have been very helpful indeed!
-
Hi Echo1,
Let me take your questions step by step for clarity here.
-
You may lose some or all of your reviews, unfortunately. When you move, it's as if Google considers you to be a new business. This is an unsatisfactory approach in many people's views. My take on Google's thinking is that if Joe's Restaurant on 4th Avenue closes because it was terrible and then Joe opens a new restaurant on 23rd Street, it might be great. Google applies reviews to a physical address, not a business name. So, yes, you may lose your reviews.
-
I agree with Nyagoslav's estimate.
-
Do not attempt to merge your Google+ Local page with a Google+ Business page. As Google has stated, this feature is meant for brick-and-mortar single location businesses - not for SABs like yours. And, just so you know, nobody I know in the Local SEO sphere is recommending that ANY business attempt to merge, because the system is so confoundedly buggy right now. So, avoid any attempts to do this. On a positive note, Google is currently rolling out a new Google Places for Dashboard. Few people have seen it yet, but when it does roll out, you will be able to activate social features, apparently with the click of a button, even if you are an SAB. So, stay alert for news of that.
Good luck, Echo!
-
-
Thanks Miriam, this is what I have gathered from the internet as well but I needed to be sure. The excel file with all the directories and citations is ready.
A couple of follow up questions:
-
What would happened with the reviews, are they moving the over to the new listing?
-
In your opinion, how long does it take to get the rankings back up (assuming they will go down for while). I read Nyagoslav's article where it says ""In a competitive niche it may take 6+ months for a listing to regain the same power as its old “closed” brethren. Even in very low competitive niches it takes at least a few weeks."
-
I am in the process of merging the listings (Google + and Google places), should I still proceed with changing the address or should I wait?
Update: See response from Google Help below_: "Hello, it looks like you verified a non-storefront business in Google+ which does not make contact with walk-in customers at the business location. We don't currently support this type of business in Google+ Local. We've ask that you continue to manage it through the Google Places dashboard." ; they are_ basically telling me they will not merge the two listings.
-
-
Hi Echo1,
The process of changing an address is the same for both a brick-and-mortar business and an SAB.
1. Change the address on the website
2. Go to the Google Places Dashboard and edit the address there. Follow these guidelines:
Verified business owner of a page, and is your business moving locations? Here's what you do.
"Edit your address in Google Places for Business or in the Google+ page admin area, whichever you are using to manage the page. This will either make a new page or edit the address on the existing page. It may take a week or two after editing your address before you see an update. At this point, you may need to go through a verification process again. Don't worry -- this is normal.
If you see a page that's still got the old address, click on Report a problem and mark that location as closed. Provide the link to the new address or information about the new location if possible. You can find more instructions on closing a location here: Remove a listing or mark a place as closed or moved - Places for business Help (http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=154102)"3. Locate all of your citations on other sources and edit the address there to reflect the change.4. Monitor your Google+Local/Place Page to be sure the listing never reverts to the old address.And that should do it. Not surprised if there is confusion surrounding this issue. Google has changed their policy twice in the past 6 months. The guidelines I've quote above represent their most current policy. Hope this helps!
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Two Distinct Businesses, same address?
I have a client who shares a location with another business. That is, they are both distinct businesses with unique names and phone numbers but they both share space in their suite – i.e. half the desks in the space go to the one business, the other half belong to my client. Can I set them up with Google My Business with this shared address and suite number? Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | EdmundMansfield0 -
Hello everyone! I have one question regarding local business listing
My Website is on 2nd position of the SERP but it is not visible on the first 3 list of Google Map. Although My website has 4.8 stars on the result page. https://mza.seotoolninja.com/blog/one-dead-simple-tactic-for-better-rankings-in-google-local: I got an idea from this post, but the solution that author has given is very time consuming one. could anybody help me, "how to be visible on the Google Map first 3 results? and also please share your ideas on How to rank for images and videos.
Image & Video Optimization | | Tabassum0 -
Any Legit Local Address Services Out There?
I have a client who lives in the UK but runs a US ecommerce site. I'd still like to get him some local trust signals but he has no options when it comes to getting an address here. Has anyone found a reputableplace where you can rent an address that isn't already being used by umpteen other companies?
Image & Video Optimization | | iAnalyst.com0 -
Is this business considered a SAB to Google?
Hi All, We have a client who designs and installs custom closets, garage systems, wall beds, home offices, etc. They have a showroom that displays all this for their potential customers to visit. I have hidden the address for this business but the client has an idea that, since they have this showroom that customers can go to, they should not be considered a SAB. My issue is with this part of Google's quality guidelines "If you don't conduct face-to-face business at your location, you must select "Yes, this business serves customers at their locations"" This client does occasionally conduct face-to-face business at the location BUT they serve the customers at their locations. Opinions and suggestions greatly appreciated!
Image & Video Optimization | | AmberRobinson0 -
Local business ideas?
Hello, if you are good at SEO and want to launch businesses thanks to your ability to rank high on local searches, what are some good ideas? I'm more interested in the market sizes than the difficulties to rank. Another important factor is the ease to do the actual business. Because of that, I'm looking for ideas like "appartment renting San Diego" because you can create a classifieds ads website where people pay for their listings. Another good idea is "marriage photographer New York" because if you have the orders you just need to hire a few free lance photgrapher. "car dealearship London" wouldn't work on the other hand because opening a car dealerhip is too costly. Thanks a lot!
Image & Video Optimization | | EndeR-0 -
Would listing an address on a location page for a franchise count as a citation?
If a small franchise with 15 locations implemented location pages for each location including address and phone then made them crawlable by the search engines and also accessible through a store locator, would this be counted as a citation for the location?
Image & Video Optimization | | JoshuaRich60 -
Encouraging people to review my client's business on google places
Hello mozzers, I would like to encourage visitors that come to my site's client to review their google places listings. In order to do so, I need the Google places badge or seal (if it exists) to place it on their website. Does anyone know if it is available or not? If it sn't available what should i do to encourage Google places reviews? Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | Ideas-Money-Art0 -
What's the best method for posting the same video with different phone and address on YouTube?
For a franchise network, what's the best method for posting the same video that is tagged with different phone numbers and address per each location on YouTube? Will this get removed as duplicate content eventually? Or if I use the geo-tagging feature, will this help?
Image & Video Optimization | | BasementSystems760