Should Business Expand Their GBP Service Area or Have Multiple GBP for Different Locations

[dotgal]

My client has recently closed on acquiring 2 other companies so their service business area is larger now. They send out technicians to where customers are located so no one really needs to come to the office. They have an existing GBP which hides their address but shows the areas served. A few questions:
1) Would they get more visibility on Google maps and local search with their existing GBP if they expanded the service area to include the other counties/regions? Or should they create new GBPs for the other locations and "show" the business addresses, but include all the service areas in the admin profile page?
2) If you do recommend creating new GBPs, should they service areas NOT overlap?
3) Do other 3rd parties use the business addresses on GBP as a reference and check? If so, would it make sense to show the business address?

 

[JoyHawkins]

The service area doesn't impact where they rank so if they are looking to expand where they rank, they would need new listings. I would read this article first to make sure you're clear on when a service area business qualifies for multiple listings.

 

[dotgal]

@JoyHawkins Should they create new listings for the new locations or update the existing GBP with the new company name? Can there be GBPs that share the same address? Will Google need to physically see proof of the new company name?

 

[JoyHawkins]

If a lot of the stuff is staying the same (phone, address, customer base), I would update the existing listings. I would not suggest having 2 listings at the same address and category.

If you're inheriting the old company's domain that should help Google be able to connect that it was an acquisition but I know a lot of companies also send out press releases.