Google Maps buried listing after updating address

[etrey]

I updated the maps listing address on a clients GMB page to reflect the majority of the citations online. I removed STE and replaced it to reflect the # sign on most listings.

Now the listing only shows in results when I zoom in. It is a dental practice if that matters.

After calling Google they blamed it on the address update from January 7th, but this listing burying only happened within the last day.

Any ideas?

 

[etrey]

Also FYI, there is a Pediatric Dentist and an Orthodontist at the same address with a different STE number. The Pediatric Dentist is now ranking higher. We have almost 60 positive reviews, they have 7 reviews.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Eddie, can you give us the website for the business in question? It's really hard to say without knowing that.

 

[etrey]

Wow this Forum is amazing, first post and Joy Hawkins replies to me . I've watched quite a few of your webinars.

Two birds one stone, here's the maps link - https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3306818703307642187&hl=en

I know there is some on-page SEO that needs to happen as well. We're working on that.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Eddie,

This forum is like my online version of a Starbucks (in the sense that I love hanging out here) so hopefully we see more of you!

I checked that listing out in MapMaker and confirmed that Google isn't reading the suite number as a suite number, basically meaning it doesn't get put into the suite number field. Can you try editing the listing to make it exactly like it was before you changed it? I want to see if that does something different.

 

[etrey]

I went ahead and changed it back to Ste 107, which from everything I could tell was what it was prior to the change.

Glad to run into you in the digital Starbucks, I'm sipping espresso on the other side here!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Wow this Forum is amazing, first post and Joy Hawkins replies to me . I've watched quite a few of your webinars.

Welcome Eddie. Yep, Joy is one of our biggest superstar members!

Also Eddie, keep in mind that these days Google is pretty good at figuring out Ste, vs Suite, vs # and Rd vs Road, etc. ANY time you change NAP it can cause problems. So unless something is blatantly incorrect, I normally would not change it just to match citation formatting/abbreviations.

 

[etrey]

Welcome Eddie.

A personal welcome from the founder, I am more than elated .

That makes sense, is it important still to correct NAP on other sites however?

 

[JoyHawkins]

I'm still seeing it as the #107 so let me know when you see the change go live.

 

[Linda Buquet]

A personal welcome from the founder, I am more than elated .

That makes sense, is it important still to correct NAP on other sites however?

Haha. We're always happy to help!

If the citations are correct except for the street abbreviations/variations like above, I would not worry too much. Google is much better at matching things up these days. But if you build new ones, follow the format you end up with in GMB.

 

[cd2]

I had a similar thing happen with a client. The client was number one on the map listings. Then all of the sudden, Google displayed the wrong address, and the client went down on the map. I fixed the address and the client went further down.

When I called Google, the Googler said it was because I changed the address. (But Google changed it first.) She said if I looked up the address several times a day and had my friends look it up, the client would go back up on map listings. That was surprising.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Haha, some of advice those support reps give. Was she from Ann Arbor? Wonder if they realize what they recommended is against Google guidelines. Spam = doing anything that artificially inflates traffic or attempts to increase rank.

Wonder what she meant by "looked up the address several times a day". Did she explain? Did she mean literally plug the address into maps - don't think that would do anything. Did she mean look up directions to the biz? Some say that's a ranking factor.
Or do you think she meant search for the business (not the address) on maps? That seems more likely. If nothing else it would go up for you due to personalization.

Silly reps...

 

[cd2]

Now that you ask, I'm not sure. I think she meant asking directions to the business. I'm not doing that all day, and I don't have friends with that much time on their hands either. Lol. It'd be interesting to do a case study to see if it worked...seems spammy to me, however. If it seems like spam, it probably is spam.

Or maybe she meant looking up on the business on maps. Wouldn't that amount to same thing? Anyway I'd like to the ranking to up from the quality of the site, and real traffic, I'll work on that instead.

 

[ApexMedicalBilling]

I am having the SAME issue.

my listing is: https://www.google.com/webhp?source...=UTF-8#q=apex+medical+reimbursement+Solutions

and our competitor is at the same address just different suite #: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=arizona+medical+billing

 

[cd2]

Interesting. Luckily for you, it looks like your competitor hasn't claimed their Google My Business/Google plus page. Are you coming up higher on the map? Is Google confusing the two addresses?

 

[ApexMedicalBilling]

Yes Google is confusing them. So I was curious if it was due to me putting in the Suite info the wrong way?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Apex,

Please carefully read all the advice above. It's generally a bad idea to reformat address unless something was incorrect. Google can match up Ste, #, Suite pretty well. But you have no designation at all, which may be a prob. Not sure. I'll wait for our expert mappers to weigh in.

But yours may not be that prob at all. Since possum Google is filtering out similar businesses at the same address, so typically only one will rank. So that could be what you are dealing with.

 

[ApexMedicalBilling]

Thanks Linda,

Do you show us coming up on the map at all, when you search medical billing service Phoenix Arizona?

 

[JoyHawkins]

@Apex,

From where I'm searching (I used a tool that set the location to Phoenix) you guys are filtered.

 

[ApexMedicalBilling]

Thank you Joy for taking the time to check, I appreciate it.