How should I handle a company name change at G+
-
Hello,
I am wondering how you would suggest handling a company name change as it relates to a Google Plus page that is already setup and getting listed. Our company went through a name change this year and we want to update that info on our G+ page. Of importance to us, is that we have several excellent reviews that we don't want to lose.
So, is the best way to handle this for us to go in an simply adjust the info on our G+ page or will we have to kill our current page and start over - losing our reviews?
I would especially love to hear if you have experience with this scenario or a similar one.
Thanks in advance.
-
My pleasure, Kirk. Thanks for bringing your good question to Q&A!
-
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for the insight. What you say totally makes sense. I have already begun changing citations and links over to the new address. I really appreciate your willingness to jump in and help out.
Take care.
-
Hi Kirk,
Quick word of warning here: changing your business name could cause you to lose your reviews. If there are 20 reviews for Joe's Autobody, Google may not know that these reviews would be applicable for Joe's Muffler and Oil Change. Here is an example of lost reviews following name change as reported in the Google and Your Business Forum:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/google-plus-discuss/he9yex_ceog
This has always been the case, pre-Google+, so you have to be prepared to possibly lose some or all of your reviews following the change of business name.
As Googlelegaladvice has mentioned, it will be very important that you change your name in every citation you can find on the web, so that as these become updated, Google will find multiple instances to back up the fact that a new business name is, indeed, associated with the address that previously featured the old business name.
-
Thank you! Any idea how long it usually takes to see the change in place?
-
just update the page I have done it quite a few times in google places also try to update most of the main citations you have on the web
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What happens if I structurally uploaded two different images under the same name? Will Google penalise me for it?
Hi, we are a self storage company (www.boxie24.com) and for every url (500 url's) we use 1 head image containing the keyword of the url, so for instance: https://www.boxie24.com/en-us/self-storage-west-village the main image on top is self-storage-west-village-sm.jpg. It was uploaded months ago. Now we are adding more images between the content. But we call them: self-storage-west-village-sm.jpg as well and self-storage-west-village-boxie24-storage-sm. But for almost every url we have "duplicate image name". Is that bad and should we fix it or is it ok? It are different images though. I noticed it today, the images have the same name
Image & Video Optimization | | Boxie24TEAM0 -
SEO benefits of terms used in Alt-tag, image name, page title
On our website, we have products that come in different colours, and we have created a different SKU for each one .e.g. our Acacia Evening Dress comes in 3 different colours (black, blue and red) - Acacia Evening Dress Black (J7048BLK), Acacia Evening Dress Blue (J7048RB), Acacia Evening Dress Red (J7048R). Would it be beneficial for SEO if on the image Alt-tag we used the terms 'Jadore J7048 Red Acacia dress', 'Jadore J7048 Black Acacia dress' and 'Jadore J7048 Blue Acacia dress', because 'Acacia' is the internal name we have given to this dress, not the name provided by the label, Jadore, as more customers would search for terms such as 'black dress' or 'Jadore J7048'? Can we use the same terms in the Alt-tag on the image and the page title? How important is the Alt-tag in searching?
Image & Video Optimization | | CostumeD0 -
G+ branding page?
My company has a G+ page for each of our 60 locations. Do we need a branding page as well?
Image & Video Optimization | | SSFCU0 -
Multiple Locations for Tire Shop Should I Name them Differently?
We just started SEO for a shop that has 3 locations. Oddly 2 are on one road and the other is not. Should we name them differently in Google? Bobs #1 Bobs#2 Bobs #3 Wondering if there is an SEO benefit to that? Also should I set up directory listings for each location? There is not ONE main location they are all equal.
Image & Video Optimization | | greenhornet770 -
Which direction should I go with NAP change?
After watching Benu Aggarwal's webinar, I have updated the NAPs for local search for one of my clients. She recommended getting rid of "Inc" for incorporated companies if that is not how the name is displayed in other places. Most of the NAPs already had the Inc, but some spelled out "Incorporated", and a few left out the inc entirely. So my question is - How much damage do you think is caused by having a minor difference in the name, such as "Inc"? Is it worth my time to edit listing just for that one minor change? I'm guessing yes, but just wanted to hear some opinions.
Image & Video Optimization | | jastos0 -
[local seo] How to compete against e.g. yellowpages on Google Rank 1 - 4?
Hi Folks, How to compete against the big SEO-powered pages like Yellowpages in the SERPs? I mean, they have thousands of Rd -> Rd Links as well as super Page and Domain Authority. How has a let's say Dentist or Electrician a decent chance to compete against those? Does Google give credit to them because of the Content they have on their page? These yellowpages totally take the fun out of it for my clients. Answeres would really much appreciated. Thank you. For me it feels like Don Quijote.
Image & Video Optimization | | gooddy1 -
Image Names
What is the optimal image naming strategy for the following? Should it be A or B or something else? a) disease name-topic name-treatment-studies by age b) diseasename-topicname-treatment-studiesbyage Thank you.
Image & Video Optimization | | Mont0 -
Street name or Highway number- which is best ?
In Google places my address shows up in two different ways. I want to establish a consistent way of listing my business, but how do I determine what's best at this point? My listings now show up as the street name: "122 Maple Street" and in other listings as the Route number: "122 Route 44 " The locals all know this street as Maple Street, but we are a tourist business and tourists probably know the Rt. # better. Is there a systematic way I can determine which is going to be the best way to list this? I have the same question about variations like using Rt. or St. versus Route or Street. Thanks Tio
Image & Video Optimization | | stephenfishman0