Any Legit Local Address Services Out There?
-
I have a client who lives in the UK but runs a US ecommerce site. I'd still like to get him some local trust signals but he has no options when it comes to getting an address here. Has anyone found a reputableplace where you can rent an address that isn't already being used by umpteen other companies?
-
might be best to use a professional mailing company. that could also help if you get any actual mail there. most mail forwarding companies will do additional services like mail scanning too. we recommend- US GLobal Mail- www.usglobalmail.com
-
There are actually a lot. One thing it depends on is the price range. One that I have had clients use before is regus and using their virtual office packages. http://www.regus.com/products/virtual-offices/virtual-office-bundles.aspx
-
But if he is not trying to get a Google Places listing, but just establish that they are a US based business for Google.com organic listings, then I think that would be appropriate use of a mailbox service in the US. He is trying to show to Google that they do service the US via an ecommerce websites.
I have used Earth Class Mail earthclassmail.com as we are a virtual company in the US. Everyone works out of home offices, but we deliver services via the web. ECM can give you a physical address (not a PO box) and scan all your mail in and then you can access online. If you need the actual copy, you just pay the forwarding fees. Has worked great for us.
-
Often you can use the address of an attorney as a local address. If you have a relationship they may not charge you. They will charge you time for any calls they have to answer as well as the time and cost associated with forwarding any mail. If these terms are acceptable this works fairly well.
-
Hi Erick,
Good question. There are services like ActivSpace.com which will rent a small, legitimate office with a front door and phone hookup for a modest fee. This would normally be utilized by local business owners who do not have an established professional office, do not want to publish their home address as their office, and who are hoping to make headway in the local search engine rankings with a modest but legitimate local address that will be staffed during normal business hours so that customer can come to conduct face-to-face business.
In my opinion, this would not be an appropriate option for your client for two reasons:
1) You do not mention that your client plans to staff an office. Without staff in place to accept face-to-face business and phone calls during normal business hours, the location does not qualify as truly local.
2) E-commerce businesses are not deemed to be truly local, and therefore must pursue organic rather than local visibility.
Here are the sections of the Google Places Quality Guidelines which refer to this:
"Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing."
"Do not create a listing or place your pin marker at a location where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations.Your business location should be staffed during its stated hours."
While it may make sense for your client to set a goal of establishing a physical presence one day in USA as his company grows, it would not be honest for him to fake a presence in the meantime. I would explain to the client that honesty in business trumps all other concerns as there is no more important factor that earning client trust. In order to earn real trust, he must present his business as it genuinely is.
Hope this helps!
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
-
Right hand side Google Local profile image pulling from 3rd party site
Hello! When googling our company's name, the Google Local profile comes up on the right hand side with the reviews, address, phone number, etc. Those are all fine but the main photo being used is not the one specified in the Google My Business profile but it seems to be pulling from a 3rd party site that recently added a link and an image to our website. Why is this happening and can we specify the image that shows up? Your help will be very much appreciated!!!
Image & Video Optimization | | uniseo10 -
Localized SEO for Restricted Niches
Sorry for the hypothetical, it's a sticky subject! Suppose I work for a company that offers Online Widget Counseling. Due to the fragile nature of Widgets, this service is only legal in one state and must be administered by a registered and regulated Widget Counseling company. Widget counseling is only available online so there is no competition from bricks and mortar stores. Unfortunately the SERPs are dominated by unscrupulous black market outfits offering Widget Counseling illegally. If we were to use intensive and strong local signals, could we expect the SERPs to favor our pages for searches "in or about" the state in which we are registered? Thanks for your help -SEO Newbie
Image & Video Optimization | | bbarber570 -
Google local listings question
im working with gutter installation company, and we're ranking for all the top keywords in google. the only thing that we're not ranking for is for the map results, for the keyword "gutter ma" since we're located in Springfield ma, i thing Google considers certain areas from Boston, because its more center of Massachusetts, What can i do to improve my rankings in maps for this keyword, because i know it wont work with PO box since i need to confirm an address? Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | vladraush990 -
Does anyone have experience with ecinity.com as a vehicle for populating local search directories? If yes, how would you rank it as a competitor to Localeze and UBL?
I've been approached by the company to use their tool. It has functionality beyond just populating local data sources which I'm not concerned with. I just want to know how it ranks in terms of local directory coverage. They claim 85% of the local directories will be populated.
Image & Video Optimization | | DonnaDuncan0 -
Local listing sites - are they better than directories and is there a list?
Do you guys know of any local listing sites that are better quality than general directories that still give you a link back. I know a lot of them for local citations, but I'm wondering if there is a list somewhere of ones that include a link. Thanks.
Image & Video Optimization | | BobGW0 -
Local Citations Directories - UK based - hotel/restaurant
Hi I am looking for some advice / lists of recommended local search directories / citations that I can add my hotel/restaurant to - as part of our strategy to improve local search rankings and increase our visibility on the web. For example I have added the business to the likes of Yelp
Image & Video Optimization | | ocelot
Qype
Urbanspoon
Tipped
Ufindus
Hotfrog
Freeindex
Brownbook
Trip Advisor But are there any specific hotel, wedding, conference and restaurant specific sites that I should add the business to also. Many Thanks0 -
Local directories
I was wondering if there is a comprehensive list somewhere of places I should enter in my business information. I have done the usual google places, city search, yahoo, and many others. i have just been cruising for places to enter my information, and I am sure I have missed some.
Image & Video Optimization | | ayetti0 -
Local Search - New Business - 4 different Erroneous, Unverified Google Places Pages
My client is a new business <1 year old. Google has 4 unverified places pages for this business - all have slight errors in the business name and address. Which one should I claim? Will Google let me change the business name once I verify ownership? How will I get rid of the other listings once I claim and correct one of them? In light of these data errors and/or as a general rule do you recommend the paid submission services for UBL and Localeze (http://getlisted.org/resources/why-listing-services.aspx)? Thanks for the help! Jeff
Image & Video Optimization | | jeffgibson0