SAB Puzzle - Please Help Me Solve It

[Positiveim]

Hi all,

One of my clients has 3 listings in their GMB dashboard all covering their service area - only 1 listing is set up as an SAB

Location 1
Virtual Office
Non SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + virtual office city

Location 2
Virtual Office
Non SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + virtual office city

Location 3
SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + city in service area radius. Phone number displayed is taken from the website for the technician covering that city with the city area code. This phone number is not in the GMB SAB listing.

Citations
Majority use the address of the head office which is not one of the locations listed above but close to location 1 and in the SAB radius.

Website
Has phone numbers for all 3 locations + the head office

What to do?

Should 1 of the existing listings be converted into an SAB and the other listings removed?
Should all the phone numbers and the head office address be added to the SAB and the address shown?

What will the impact be on all rankings - or is it impossible to say?

ideally the client wants the SAB to be used and the correct phone number displayed for the location being shown.

What should my advice to the client be?

Thanks
Nick

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hi Nick,

Are you aware of Google's guidelines on virtual offices? I would suggest that it's risky to have virtual offices claimed and verified, especially in the same account as the legit business address.

Before moving forward with the questions you are asking I would make sure that you and the client are aware of the guidelines and the possible consequences of using a virtual office strategy.

 

[Positiveim]

Hi Colin,
Thanks for replying
Yes we are aware of the guidelines on virtual offices. We are now looking at how we move forward, maintain the rankings and ensure the relevant business details are displayed for the correct area.

Nick

 

[JoyHawkins]

Location 1
Virtual Office
Non SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + virtual office city

Not allowed. Should be deleted.

Location 2
Virtual Office
Non SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + virtual office city

Not allowed. Should be deleted.


Location 3
SAB listing
Ranks 1 or 2 for key phrases + city in service area radius. Phone number displayed is taken from the website for the technician covering that city with the city area code. This phone number is not in the GMB SAB listing.

You lost me here on what the phone number is. It's not the actual business phone number?


Citations
Majority use the address of the head office which is not one of the locations listed above but close to location 1 and in the SAB radius.

The address should match the actual business address. These should be edited.

Website
Has phone numbers for all 3 locations + the head office


These should each have their own location pages. I wouldn't suggest listing all 3 numbers in the header of the website. Just the main one with the real location.

Advice to Client: I would use the quote I stole from Andrew Shotland earlier this week. For clients who are experiencing success while breaking Google's rules, "You?re smoking a pack a day and you will eventually get lung cancer but for now it?s a good buzz?.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks Joy and Colan!

Joy I loved that quote too!

Sorry Nick, I've been meaning to answer, but was a little stumped.

You keep saying SAB or NON SAB. But I think these are all SAB listings right?
SAB stands for service area business. When you say SAB do you mean with hidden address?

You don't say where #3 is located. Is that one the REAL address? (Puzzled because you are talking about the tech that services that city and that city's area code, so sounds like it's the tech's house?)

If it's a tech's house it's not allowed. PLUS he does not want it. If tech leaves he'll have to change address which will hurt ranking.

So the only listing should be a the real address. If that's the owners home, even if not ideal location - that's what should be used. And phone # should be the business phone. And address needs to be hidden if it's SAB.

Sorry I don't understand this part at all???

"Phone number displayed is taken from the website for the technician covering that city with the city area code. This phone number is not in the GMB SAB listing."

The phone is displayed but it's not in GMB??? Or do you mean Google is displaying a different # than what's in GMB? Or???

 

[Positiveim]

Hi Linda, thanks for responding,

Thanks Joy and Colan!

Joy I loved that quote too!

Sorry Nick, I've been meaning to answer, but was a little stumped.

You keep saying SAB or NON SAB. But I think these are all SAB listings right?
SAB stands for service area business. When you say SAB do you mean with hidden address?

-- The 2 listings with the virtual address have the address showing with the full pin marker - NON SAB

-- Listing 3 has (REAL) address hidden and pin marker is a circle.

You don't say where #3 is located. Is that one the REAL address? (Puzzled because you are talking about the tech that services that city and that city's area code, so sounds like it's the tech's house?)

If it's a tech's house it's not allowed. PLUS he does not want it. If tech leaves he'll have to change address which will hurt ranking.

-- Sorry the area code I was referring to is the phone area code for that city. Only phone numbers are used for the techs, there is no house address involved. These are business landline numbers that are redirected to company mobiles.

So the only listing should be a the real address. If that's the owners home, even if not ideal location - that's what should be used. And phone # should be the business phone. And address needs to be hidden if it's SAB.

Sorry I don't understand this part at all???

"Phone number displayed is taken from the website for the technician covering that city with the city area code. This phone number is not in the GMB SAB listing."

The phone is displayed but it's not in GMB??? Or do you mean Google is displaying a different # than what's in GMB? Or???

--- When you search for keyword + location 3, the SAB listing comes up and the phone number displayed is the number for the technician that covers that city.
The only place I can see that number is on the website - it's not in GMB.

On the website they have;
Call Us Now - 0800 123456

Call Your Local Technician;
City 1 01234 124568
City 2 01345 124556
City 3 01564 456237
City 4 01589 896541

 

[Positiveim]

Hopefully someone can figure this out - i'm sure i'm not the only 1 with this type of issue.

 

[Linda Buquet]

I still totally don't understand based on the description, sorry.

Can you post the links so we can see what you are trying to describe?