Merging Businesses into One Address

[BenGMarketing]

Hi Everyone this is my first post!

I have a bit of a unique situation (don't we all?) and I wanted to see what you all thought this best case scenario is. I changed the industry and city, but here is the situation:

My client is a Pizza Hut. He just bought a KFC and is merging the business into the Pizza Hut location. He plans on using the same address and phone number for both businesses. However KFC and Pizza Hut will not allow my client to use the same website for their eCommerce content. He has a URL that he would like to use for a landing/content page. This would allow him to have 1 name, website, phone number & address for both businesses.

What do you think the best outcome is for SEO?

My thoughts... My client needs to split the businesses just for online purposes with separate phone numbers, address and websites. I'm not sure how complicated it is to do this however or even if my client would be able to. I know that they are on a large plot of land so there might be a way to get a separate address, but im not 100% sure.

If you look at brandoncars DOT com, they have done what my client is looking to do. They have separate phone numbers, websites, and name, but use the same Address.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[ARKlady ARKtechCo]

Good question. I am in the middle of merging under a brand name two different businesses with different clientele. Each has a unique website URL and telephone number (local) but the suites are different.

Personally I think you found a good model of how to pull something together as a landing page and marketing funnel for offline materials.

A unique website and telephone numbers will be of great advantage to the consumer to get rid of any confusion. The address might be easier if you had two different point of entries such as suite numbers.

There are some great pros here to help and I bet you'll get a wealth of other ideas.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Ben and welcome!

Thanks Diana!

"He just bought a KFC and is merging the business into the Pizza Hut location."

The option that might work is setting up the one that is merging INTO the existing business, as if it was a container store. I think this might work and seems to describe the real world situation.

A container store is like a Starbucks "inside" a grocery store. They are at the same address but separate businesses.

See more info here and see if it fits:

"Company/Organization: This is the official/registered name of your business. Some businesses may be located within a mall or a container store, which is a store that contains another business. If your business is within a container store or mall, and you'd like to include this information in the local listing, specify the container store in parentheses in the business name field. For example, Starbucks (inside Safeway)."

Now after having said all of this, I need to qualify the info with the fact that I'm not sure in this case. Like you said it's a unique situation I've never run into. So above is just a suggestion that seems to be a solution.

 

[ARKlady ARKtechCo]

Hi Ben and welcome!

A container store is like a Starbucks "inside" a grocery store. They are at the same address but separate businesses.

See more info here and see if it fits:

Now after having said all of this, I need to qualify the info with the fact that I'm not sure in this case. Like you said it's a unique situation I've never run into. So above is just a suggestion that seems to be a solution.

Linda, as always you have a great perspective and insight. I actually have experience with this type of case in a couple of situations.

The one I think fits is that we had to designate (and actually put in a map maker edit and argue the case with the editor a couple of times) unique identifiers for the address in question (which was a building that had three different entities and no specific suites or other identifying aspects).

Also, two of the businesses there were fighting for online visibility and one was engaging in really unprofessional things online--so to get control over that mess continues to be a big task.

What worked for us was making sure that the address had an identifier, in this case "First Floor" and "Second Floor" for the main entities, one of which was our client.

The big problem was the phone numbers since they had a shared switchboard with a main number and extensions. So if you are starting from scratch, be sure to use unique numbers for each property and franchise and mull over how you might establish the address location.

In your case, it might just be as Linda points out, making the owner's business DBA as the main location and then just inserting that in (parentheses) after the specific franchise name.

Great first post BTW!

 

[BenGMarketing]

Thank you so much Linda and Dianna!

I spoke my client this morning and this is how they have it set right now...

Current locations:

Pizza Hut - 1234 google road LA, CA
(123) 456-7899
pizzahutla.com

KFC - 4321 google road LA, CA
(800) 654-1111 (they previously had a 1800 number that is no longer available)
kfcla.com

They will be moving the KFC into the same store as the Pizza Hut. So it will look like:

KFC & Pizza Hut LA - 1234 google rd, LA, CA
(123) 456-7899
landing page: ownergroupname.com
KFC ecom site: ownergrouppizzahutla.com
Pizza Hut ecom site: ownergroupkfcla.com

I just found out that the old KFC did not have a local phone number.

I don't believe either of the brands (KFC or Pizza Hut) would allow me to make one a sub-business of the other if they ran a compliance check on us.

If I am unable to get a 2nd local phone number and 2nd local address should I then separate the businesses and use the landing page for offline and branding?

Can I just add a suite number to an address to insure they are different, the building takes up an entire block and they occupy the entire building.

Thanks, I look forward to contributing as much as I can as well!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Oh wait, isn't this how it should be???

KFC & Pizza Hut - One listing with both names?

Google wants businesses to represent as they are in the real world.

When I've been to combo restaurants like this... This is ONE counter to order from.
ONE number to call with questions. ONE shared seating area. It becomes more like different divisions of the same company.

Can't you do KFC & Pizza Hut - One listing with both names?

 

[BenGMarketing]

Oh wait, isn't this how it should be???

KFC & Pizza Hut - One listing with both names?

Google wants businesses to represent as they are in the real world.

When I've been to combo restaurants like this... This is ONE counter to order from.
ONE number to call with questions. ONE shared seating area. It becomes more like different divisions of the same company.

Can't you do KFC & Pizza Hut - One listing with both names?

Yes, we can do that!

There is 1 phone number, 1 address, & 1 sales team to meet when a customer arrives at the location, but there will be 2 separate "brands."

These 2 brands have mandated that we have 2 separate websites for their eCommerce content.

So we are creating a landing page for the joint business. But from what you are suggesting, I should market this joint venture and landing page through local channels? If that is the case then i'm going to turn that landing page a mini website so that I can have local content, etc.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Yep that's what I would do. They can each have their own site.

But the site that's tied to the combo name Place page is the combo name landing page on the new mini site.

 

[ARKlady ARKtechCo]

Interesting, makes sense but I'd suggest you research a bit more since franchises have so many restrictions and since there are other franchise owners doing combinations, you might be able to find some examples.

You'll want to make sure you are in compliance on both fronts.

Here is a search I ran to see what one combo group is doing in the area: http://goo.gl/x1Fa6i

• Green Burrito: green burrito big bear - Google Search
• Carl's Junior: green burrito big bear - Google Search

 

[Linda Buquet]

That was a great combo to research. Thanks for taking the time Diana!
Perfect example!

 

[BenGMarketing]

Thank you both for taking the time to reply to this!

I am going to dig into this a bit more over the weekend. I will be sure to follow up on my finalized game plan and results!

- Ben