Legacy Locations and Google Local - How to Handle

[WebTalent]

Hello -

I'm working with a client who has some transitioning brands - and they're hesitant to change the legacy branding in Google Local and on their website because they're afraid of losing traffic from the old brand.

Is there a standard practice for keeping traffic on the old brand terms, while still adjusting to the new branding on Google/Yahoo/Bing?

Thanks,

[Christy-Correll]

Hi WebTalent, has your question been answered?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Web Talent,

You write: is there a point, say of visibility and traffic - where it simply doesn't make sense to change branding online?

My answer would be, no. Here's why:

1. What's on the web is supposed to be an identical reflection of what's off the web. So, if you're Woodlands Dental Clinic in Dallas, TX., you need to be that on the web as well to be appropriately marketing the business. If you change your name to Woodlands Family Dentistry, that change needs to be reflected everywhere to be accurately marketing the business and avoiding customer confusion.

2. Remember, too, that offline sources make their way onto the web as well, in the form of Yellow Pages listings and the like. So, having consistent offline citations is actually very important.

So, basically, because of the reality of possible lost traffic and rankings surrounding the re-branding of a local business, what is most important is that the business owner understands it is almost like he is starting a new business if he chooses to re-brand it. Explaining this to a client in this way will help him to understand what a serious/weighty decision he has to make about whether it will really be worth it. In my view, online has to reflect offline, so every business needs to be sure they are truly ready to deal with loss when they rebrand. In the best case scenario, they will eventually be able to rebuild what they've lost in terms of authority and reputation, but that may not always be the case. I'd rather be a deeply embedded lawyer with kind of a funny name and high rankings in LA than a re-branded one trying to break back into a deep pack, even if my business name was more to my taste. You know?

[WebTalent]

Thanks Miriam -

Yes, I agree - we're all definitely concerned about losing that local traffic - even if the branding is outdated. In most cases, their attempts at branding the services of the locations have proven unsuccessful (in terms of uploading into the Google Local Listings - and they haven't attempted local for Bing/Yahoo or any of the the other smaller sites for any of their locations) so we're optimistic that for most locations we should only see an improvement.

I appreciate your thorough response and will read the resources you've provided.

In your opinion - is there a point, say of visibility and traffic - where it simply doesn't make sense to change branding online? In the 'real world' changes to these brands have and are occurring...is there ever a point where it's simply inadvisable to change online local? Seems like a strange question, but given the visibility concerns you're stating, is there a point where we should just advise against it? We weren't on board to consult about rebranding - and in this situation, I don't think it could've been prevented anyway (acquisitions and the associated re branding). You're left with lots of strong brands, that aren't valid anymore - but the traffic is real? I find myself wanting to create the best long term scenario possible, but is this a bad idea in this case?

Thanks for your help either way!

[MiriamEllis]

Hi WebTalent,

The client's concerns are legitimate here. If the company is transitioning to a new business name, then from a Local perspective, this will be viewed as a new business. Google will not view Bob's Auto Parts and Superior Auto Parts as the same business, even if the location and phone number remain the same. It is likely the client will lose Google-based reviews and may lose rankings. Googler Jade W. has stated:

"We will not always transfer these reviews if the business goes through a significant rebrand."

Basically, you will need to research and discover all local listings for the business and update them to feature the new business name. This may require re-verification on some platforms.

Here are some good resources for you and your client to read:

http://searchengineland.com/the-smb-guide-to-changing-business-names-seo-128939

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!searchin/business/business$20name$20change/business/5DDVEHLpN2g/EurLN152DZEJ

It's really important to understand what a big undertaking re-branding a local business is, because of the issues I've mentioned, and the work of local listing/citation cleanup will be considerable. I'm with Andrew Shotland who states in his Search Engine Land piece that you shouldn't change the brand unless you really have to, but if you do really have to, cleaning up the NAP record web-wide will be vital work in hopes of eventually re-gaining the trust and visibility the business previously enjoyed under its old brand.