1 company, 2 locations (one physical, one service) - what to tell google?

[Conor Treacy]

Hi Guys,

We have a client that has ONE company name and has had a physical location in Papillion (a city that borders Omaha). He's had the physical location for the past 8 years and does OK with his local rankings. Customers do come his physical location, or he can go to theirs.

He also has a location in Omaha proper, but it's a location that only his employees go to and use it as a base of operations for their mobile business. No customers come to this location.

Each have a different phone number, and each are answered as "XXXX located in YYYY". (where X is the company name, and Y is the city location they called.)

With the recent changes in Google's Local Pack, he's wanting to get the Omaha location on the map, as well as the Papillion location. While setting the Omaha location as a service area is fine, it would overlap the Papillion location too.

Are there any issues with this on the display map? Anything that we need to watch out for?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Conor,

What industry specifically?

 

[Conor Treacy]

The industry is Locksmith. It's one that's being pounded into the ground especially with the latest update from Google.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Oh that's even worse then. I thought you were going to say plumber...

If you had said plumber I would have simply said:

Service area businesses should not set up more than one listing. (At least in close proximity it won't fly. Franchises in totally different markets is OK.)

Guidelines: "Service-area businesses--business that serve customers at their locations--should have one page for the central office or location."

But since you said Locksmith and as you know they are under intense scrutiny. AND get reported by competing Locksmiths ALL THE TIME at the Google forum for the slightest breaking of the rules.

So I personally would not risk it. But then I'm ultra conservative and careful because I usually help people after they get whacked. And I'd rather have one listing in an area that's not ideal, then have both suspended, have NOTHING showing and possibly fight for weeks to get the original listing back up. (But it's a crap shoot. You could do it and be fine for awhile.)

 

[Conor Treacy]

Thanks Linda,

That's pretty much the road that I was on, so you've just reinforced it for me.

I'm certainly more of the inclination that a "get away with it" or "for a while" falls very much in line with "a new Google trick". Generally those tricks get picked up pretty quickly, and then you're right back at the starting line again.

I'll update the client and let them know. Locksmith is certainly cut-throat, and we see the franchise companies snagging the top spots for locations based out of a house all the time - we'll just keep working the physical location end of things and see if we can't get them into the "crap pack" as it now stands.

They were in position 2-7 depending on search phrase, but they pretty much went into panic mode earlier today and trying to do anything to stay in front of customers due to the new Google changes.

Thanks again for the feedback. If anyone else wants to join in on this, feel free!

 

[regl8r]

Sorry Linda but I disagree. He has 2 legitimate locations, it would be silly not to use them both. Put a sign in front or on the door so it is is blatantly obvious the company is there. If you are postcard verified it is unlikely you will have issues. If you do you can call Google support, they will probably ask for some proof which you can offer picture of storefront and utility bill. Save the URL of the listing and they will be able to get the same one back up and you won't lose rankings.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Again, the guidelines state:

"Service-area businesses--business that serve customers at their locations--should have one page for the central office or location."

In the past it said more, something like: do not set up additional listings. It still means that, just does not spell it out that way.

I work with directly Google and discuss stuff like this with management all the time and service area businesses, are only supposed to have one listing per service area. And any time it's a locksmith the guidelines are even stricter.

Here is a post at the Google forum about a similar locksmith issue. Treebles one of my fellow Google Top Contributors said: "This type of businesses are allowed only one listing per service area."

<a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/business/7CEuVxnQXms/GO_FVFAifkQJ">Why is my new location for AAA Locksmith Waxhaw being blocked as possible spam after I have verified the page with the pin code Google mailed me? - Google Product Forums</a>

In another thread he said: "Service Area businesses are allowed only one business listing for geographical area and once the Local anti-spam team find these listings chances are they are all going to be deleted."