Office destroyed in hurricane, what should we do about the GMB listing?

[IanJohnson]

My client's law office was destroyed in a recent hurricane and they informed me that they will not likely be able to return to the space until sometime next year. Understandably, they are concerned about their GMB listing getting suspended if Google finds out that the physical location is "no longer there."

My initial thoughts were to consider marking the listing as Temporarily Closed until they are back open (though I suspect this will not be an attractive option to the client as they are still able to take calls) OR to move to a temporary location and update/re-verify the address on GMB, their website and citations (which we would have to change back once the office is rebuilt).

Has anyone ever dealt with a situation like this before or have any advice for the best course of action to take?

 

[Tim Kahlert]

Hi Ian!

If the physical location no longer exists I would simply clear the address on your GMB dashboard and continue as a service area business. The reason why Google doesn't like businesses that pretend to be physically available for their clients is that Google doesn't want its consumers to show up at a location where nobody can serve them, which is considered bad user experience. If you hide the address and make that information crystal clear on your client´s website you'll be just fine and your client will still be able to take on calls.