Renting Multiple Low-Cost Office Locations or Mailing Addresses for Local SEO?

[consultant]

Now I know it's okay to rent multiple office locations and have a Google+ location for them, even if you don't regularly use the office. Many businesses are "by appointment only" anyway.

We all also know that geographic proximity to the user's location or search intent location is a pretty big factor as far as local organic ranking factors.

It would seem to me someone could rent UPS boxes in multiple locations and create Google+ locations for them. I would imagine though that Google would begin building a database of location addresses like this. But would they even care if the business has designated themselves as "by appointment only" ? You could easily have a multi-suite building where UPS is one suite and so they might be 123 Broadway Ave Suite 523 and each mailbox address would be 123 Broadway Ave Suite 523-{mailbox number}. But it's probably rare UPS business locations don't have a non suite address.

Has anyone tried this? Results?

---------- Post Merged at 06:31 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:16 PM ----------

Well I may have answered my own question by taking a closer look at Google search results where they show map results also. I scrolled through three pages of business listings for the map results, and 100% of them had detailed addresses. So it appears any business that doesn't check the box "I also do business at my location" on their Google+ My Business Listing isn't going to get listed anyway, so that throws out the utility of the UPS address strategy from a maps listing SEO perspective does it not?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Now I know it's okay to rent multiple office locations and have a Google+ location for them, even if you don't regularly use the office. Many businesses are "by appointment only" anyway.

We all also know that geographic proximity to the user's location or search intent location is a pretty big factor as far as local organic ranking factors.

It would seem to me someone could rent UPS boxes in multiple locations and create Google+ locations for them.

Setting up listings at more that one address is not allowed, especially if it's a service area business. (Different story if it's a walk in location like a Dental office or a store - they can of course have multiple locations.)

FYI UPS addresses have been a violation for a long time.

Well I may have answered my own question by taking a closer look at Google search results where they show map results also. I scrolled through three pages of business listings for the map results, and 100% of them had detailed addresses. So it appears any business that doesn't check the box "I also do business at my location" on their Google+ My Business Listing isn't going to get listed anyway

Not sure what queries you were checking, but that's incorrect in general.
Hiding address does not affect ranking any longer, hasn't for a couple years.

Check out <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=plumber+san+marcos+ca&ie=UTF-8">plumber san marcos ca</a>. All 3 that rank on page one have hidden addresses.
Some of the ones that don't rank and are lower down, do have address showing.

 

[joedillon68]

Google is definitely keeping track of this. How do I know? I recently rented a space in a building that was used by the previous owner as a virtual office. I had to have a rep from Google talk to my receptionist and send Google a photo of our sign to get listed!

 

[Linda Buquet]

Ahhh good to know Joe! So does that mean your office is in a Regus type set-up, but you use it as your full-time office so you are really there?

I often wonder why Google requests paperwork or additional real world verification for some users and not others. I guess if the previous tenant was a virtual office, that would do it!

 

[joedillon68]

We have a receptionist there full time to handle calls and walk ins (which are rare in divorce but happen on occasion) and then my partner and I travel to clients for appointments so yes, we have a person there M-F 9 to 5 and we see clients face to face there. Sometimes we rent space from Regus but other times it's in an independent office.

We have gotten verification calls from time to time and it really freaks the receptionist out when she gets a call fro ma guy with a foreign accent asking lots of questions about our business!

 

[Eric Rohrback]

I usually advise against the regus/shared space type places, but if it's what the business needs then it is what it is. One thing I would recommend checking is what businesses were located there before you. Assuming you've already started some citation work, try this Google search:

"{full address}" -"{your phone number}" -"{your business name}"

That should help you see what was at that location before you. If it was businesses that tried to spam the system, I would be cautious. This will also help you identify what major citations need some cleanup work. The fact that Google's making you jump through hoops to get verified isn't a great sign, so definitely do a little research into previous tenants.

 

[Stefank]

"{full address}" -"{your phone number}" -"{your business name}"

Thats a great little trick. I also use that as my first look at competion citation numbers.

 

[Eric Rohrback]

My recommendation is to use a program like ScrapeBox to pull a large list, then export to Excel. It makes analysis much easier.

 

[cdawg2610]

The NAP Hunter plugin in Chrome is also great for searching out address and phone number combos, especially for hunting previous business listed there.