Chandler-Based GBP Ranking in Phoenix – Need to Publish (Public) the Address

[Syed Amir]

We recently rebranded one of our GBPs (new name and new website). The profile is a service area business originally located in Chandler (as I believe).

Before the rebrand, about two months ago, the profile got suspended. I submitted an appeal with a full set of documents, all showing the same Chandler address, the same address where the profile was originally verified. The profile was successfully reinstated using those documents.

However, I’ve noticed that the profile has never ranked in Chandler, not before the suspension, and not after reinstatement or rebranding. Instead, it ranks in Phoenix within a small radius for “near me” searches. We want to rank in CHANDLER, NOT PHOENIX…

My first question: Is it possible that Google verified the profile and updated the address on the backend?

Second: The Chandler address is a commercial location. I’m considering making the address public, but the area (radius) where the profile currently ranks (in Phoenix) is around 25–30 miles away from that address.

I’d like your suggestions and recommendations on how to handle this situation so that we can make the address public, rank in the appropriate city (Chandler), and keep all 1000+ existing reviews.

 

[JS Girard]

Honestly, it doesn't seem that complicated? You show the address and go through the process that the vast of SABs do when they switch to showing the address. You said yourself Chandler is where you want to rank, so you're going to have to be more specific as to what you're scared of...

 

[Syed Amir]

Honestly, it doesn't seem that complicated? You show the address and go through the process that the vast of SABs do when they switch to showing the address. You said yourself Chandler is where you want to rank, so you're going to have to be more specific as to what you're scared of...

As I mentioned, we reinstated the profile with the Chandler address. However, when we look at the rankings, the profile is only showing up in Phoenix.

My director and I are concerned — is there a possibility that the profile was originally verified in Phoenix, but when we applied for reinstatement with all the supporting documents, Google reinstated it and updated the address to Chandler on the backend? Could this location shift be causing a glitch, resulting in the profile still ranking in the Phoenix area?

One of our biggest concerns is whether updating the address of this newly rebranded GBP might cause Google to remove the existing reviews.

 

[JS Girard]

As I mentioned, we reinstated the profile with the Chandler address. However, when we look at the rankings, the profile is only showing up in Phoenix.

My director and I are concerned — is there a possibility that the profile was originally verified in Phoenix, but when we applied for reinstatement with all the supporting documents, Google reinstated it and updated the address to Chandler on the backend? Could this location shift be causing a glitch, resulting in the profile still ranking in the Phoenix area?

One of our biggest concerns is whether updating the address of this newly rebranded GBP might cause Google to remove the existing reviews.

Okay, just to be 100% clear, the address is not visible right now, correct? It has been shown time and time again that you cannot "move" a SAB without displaying the address, no matter how many suspensions or revalidations. If so it doesn't matter whether you reinstated the profile in Chandler or in Antananarivo.

I think it's safe to assume at this point that if the GBP has never ranked in Chandler, it just plain is not validated inside the Chandler city limits, despite your initial assumption.

Given these two facts, I would make the Chandler address visible if it is not.

I genuinely do not understand where the theory that the address was changed to Chandler by Google in the backend comes from. Your wording implies this change is incorrect, and yet in the same breath you say Chandler is where you want to rank? These two things are in direct contradictions to each other and with the reality: you're ranking only in Phoenix not in Chandler, which means you're not within the Chandler city limits.

There is one other thing that may also be involved, and which I cannot confirm since you refuse to provide further information. this seems unlikely, but could the Mailing address say "Chandler" while being in fact located outside city limits? This is a common problem in the US and certain countries and regions with lots of unincorporated urban areas.

 

[Syed Amir]

Sorry for the confusion, let me break down it for you:

• The GBP is a Service Area Business.
• We have not made the address public on the profile yet.
• Regarding the theory about the address “changing to Chandler”: Based on the current ranking in Phoenix, I’m under the impression that the profile may have originally been verified in Phoenix long ago. The client, who took over the business after several years, was not aware of this and shared Chandler’s address with us, which we believe is the actual address (though it has never generated rankings). Two months ago, the profile got suspended for unknown reasons, and we submitted all the necessary documents showing Chandler’s address. Because the profile is still ranking in Phoenix, we suspect that during the reinstatement process, Google may have updated the address to Chandler, which allowed the profile to be reinstated.
• Currently, we are not ranking in Chandler, where we want to, and we are not certain which address was actually used for verification, Chandler (as we assume from the reinstatement documents) or Phoenix (because the profile continues to rank there).
• The Chandler address we have is near the city’s centroid.
• Now, we want to publish the Chandler commercial address publicly. We are concerned because we are unsure about the correct address, whether the profile might get suspended, or require re-verification. We also want to ensure that the 1,000+ existing reviews remain safe if we take this action.
  
  I hope I have conveyed my concerns.
  
  
  
  
  

 

[JS Girard]

• Regarding the theory about the address “changing to Chandler”: Based on the current ranking in Phoenix, I’m under the impression that the profile may have originally been verified in Phoenix long ago. The client, who took over the business after several years, was not aware of this and shared Chandler’s address with us, which we believe is the actual address (though it has never generated rankings). Two months ago, the profile got suspended for unknown reasons, and we submitted all the necessary documents showing Chandler’s address. Because the profile is still ranking in Phoenix, we suspect that during the reinstatement process, Google may have updated the address to Chandler, which allowed the profile to be reinstated.

Okay, this clarifies everything indeed. I now 100% believe that at every point in the process, the backend address was always in Phoenix. Reinstatement did not change that, and since the address was hidden, that would easily explain why it never ranked in Chandler. Showing the address is a straightforward fix for this, but will very, very likely require a validation (as frustrating as it is) because that is a different address from the backend Phoenix address, so no chance of a free pass like the one I described in my earlier post.

The question of the "correct address" is mostly irrelevant, since you already used it once with the recent reinstatement. I am not super concerned with that as long as you make sure there is signage and the like for a visible address validation.

The reviews should be mostly unaffected, especially now that we are not concerned with trying to move them between profiles. Google often does a pass and remove a few it decides are suspicious during a reinstatement or merge, but since you recently reinstated the profile already, I'd be very surprised if you noticed a difference. Reinstatements and mergers sometimes cause review to disappear for a few days only. Do not panic if this happens: I have never seen it last more than three or four days.