How to merge old location listing with new location listing

[makanth]

Hi Everyone,

My client was located in Los Angeles with good local map rankings. He moved his business in to new location about 1 month back and he worried about rankings because we put all efforts on local seo from last 2 years. Please suggest me how to merge old location listing to new location listing without losing rankings and reviews. Is any tool available to change business address in local listed directories? Please let me know other process also to merge.

 

[Linda Buquet]

You can't really merge an old and new location. When you create a new listing you?ll lose all the reviews and ranking and basically have to start over from scratch. Google wants the old reviews attached to the original locaion.

You can also no longer suspend or delete a listing - including old closed locations. There is a whole weird complicated process you need to do when someone moves now. Google will no longer remove the old listing, so you need to mark it permanently closed.

 

[MiriamEllis]

This is one of those oh-no things like changing a business name. You're back at square one in Google's eyes. It's amazing to think that Google's local platform is now so powerful, it might make you decide not to move or change your name...but that's the lay of the land now.

 

[Linda Buquet]

This is one of those oh-no things like changing a business name. You're back at square one in Google's eyes. It's amazing to think that Google's local platform is now so powerful, it might make you decide not to move or change your name...but that's the lay of the land now.

LOL true. I'm picturing a company deciding they need to re-locate and then someone from the marketing department telling them they should check with Google 1st to see if it's OK.

If businesses only knew the full impact of a move or re-branding in advance - much less how to handle it. Google doesn't explain it anywhere. I've asked them to do a best practice help doc on it, but no luck yet.

 

[russofford]

Is any tool available to change business address in local listed directories?

Hi Makanth,


I just wrote a blog post on this topic called: How to Change a Business Address or Name in Online Directory Listings


In the article I point you to several websites that should help to propagate the new/updated business address to various online business listing venues.

Sincerely,

Russ Offord

 

[Linda Buquet]

Awesome, thanks Russ!

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

This is what p*sses me off about Google. On one hand they are so brilliant, but on the other hand they are so stupid. Businesses move and relocate all the time. The reviews should stick with the BUSINESS not their location. This should be common sense. It also shouldn't take an act of god to make a simple address change to a listing, but I digress.

This is why I continue to preach the importance of optimizing and ranking the business' website NOT their Google+ Local page. It's also why I preach to businesses to diversify their online marketing efforts. If a business goes under or loses significant sales because they lose their Google+ Local rankings, then that's a business built on quick sand. Never put your eggs in one basket

Travis Van Slooten

 

[Linda Buquet]

AMEN Travis. Couldn't agree more!

 

[makanth]

You can't really merge an old and new location. When you create a new listing you?ll lose all the reviews and ranking and basically have to start over from scratch. Google wants the old reviews attached to the original locaion.

You can also no longer suspend or delete a listing - including old closed locations. There is a whole weird complicated process you need to do when someone moves now. Google will no longer remove the old listing, so you need to mark it permanently closed.

Thank You Linda for sharing your valuable information. Now which is the best method? editing existing Google+ Local Business listing with changed address or creating new Google+ Local Business listing with new address. Please let me know which are best steps should i take in the next level.