Rebrand and move but keeping phone number

[Rich Owings]

Hi all,

I have a client that is splitting their business (retail and wholesale pharmacy). The existing website will 301 redirect to the retail pharmacy, which will get a new name and will move a little more than a mile away from their current location. Part of the reason for the rebrand is that it will now be a pharmacy + urgent care clinic.

So, NAPW -- new name, new address, same phone number, 301 redirect to new website. How will GMB handle this? Any chance I can change the name and address in their existing listing or am I going to end up with a new listing with the old one marked closed? Or...?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[jvaquino]

What will happen to that other business? Does it stay the same location? Does it share one phone?

If you plan on re-branding, I do think you need to update your business info. Not just on your GMB listing, but on every citation you have.

This article from Joy Hawkins about moving a business to new location can help. http://www.localsearchforum.com/mov...-losing-your-google-rankings-joy-hawkins.html

 

[JoyHawkins]

Having a URL in GMB that 301s can get your page suspended so make sure you update the website field.

 

[Rich Owings]

Hey Joy and jvaquino,

Apparently I lost track of this thread. Thank you both for taking the time to reply.

The wholesale biz does not share the same location or phone number, just name and website. I agree that I need to change every citation I can find.

Excellent point Joy. I think I would have remembered to do that anyway but a reminder never hurts.

So my plan is to update citations starting about two weeks out and then on opening day, change the NAW in GMB. Joy, do you think Google will let me get away with changing that much info or do you think it will trigger creation of a new listing?

Thanks!

 

[JoyHawkins]

Rich,

Based on experience with some of these nightmare NAP situations you are probably better off starting fresh. If it was just a name change or just an address change I think you'd be fine, but when it's both and it also might be some new categories, it's just way too different.

 

[Rich Owings]

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of.

Their category is Pharmacy, which will stay the same. Their clinic will be eligible for a separate GMB listing as a Medical Clinic. You see this with CVS's Minute Clinics or Walgreen's Healthcare Clinics. Google treats them as a separate department and lists them as "located in" CVS or Walgreens.

Does that change your advice any?

Thank you, Joy!

 

[JoyHawkins]

No. If it's a new website, new location, and new name, it is probably too big of a change. Google clarifies a bit on what a "big change" is in their guidelines for when they'll remove or move reviews: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3098204?hl=en

 

[Rich Owings]

Thanks Joy -- for your reply and for sharing your local SEO knowledge with the community in so many ways.