Legacy Locations and Google Local - How to Handle
-
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,
-
Hi WebTalent, has your question been answered?
-
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:
-
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.
-
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?
-
-
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Yes, I agree - we're all definitely concerned about losing that local traffic - even if the branding is outdated.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!
-
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
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.
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
-
Inclusion in the Google Knowledge Graph, Positive Benefits and Outcomes
Mozzers, Google has recently begun to include some of our blog content within its knowledge graph, Not our company data for the branded searches, but within the results for general FAQ style questions and queries common to our industry. In a couple of cases using our content over Wikipedia which was really pleasing 🙂 My thinking is that this is not just general luck but that google likes our technical blog content and even as far as to promote it themselves and sees us as authoritative in this industry/field ? I see this as an opportunity to continue publishing if anything increase the frequency for this style of content to build up authority in this sector in the hope that google will look at our brand and maybe even our search positioning favorably. (Similar to the idea behind author rank possibly?) Just wanted some general opinions from some knowledgeable Mozzers on this or if maybe i am thinking too far into it? Maybe there is something i should be looking at to further improve how favorably google looks at our content for inclusion in its knowledge graph? Thanks James
Branding | | Antony_Towle0 -
Rebranding for Local SEO
I'm preparing to begin a rebranding project for a client who is changing their brand name, logo and primary domain name. They have dozens of locations (some that accept walk-in customers, and some that don't). What's the best place to get started? Once their rebranded website is published, should third-party sources like Acxiom & Localeze be addressed first, then move to Google+ Local, Bing Places, Yahoo Local, etc.? Is using schema for local business and the new company logo on their website a must-do action item? Just trying to be proactive & figure out the best process in order to maximize cost and time efficiency. Thank you.
Branding | | BT2110 -
How can I claim authorship for a doctor using their title "MD" on Google Plus?
Hi Everyone, I am wondering how to claim authorship for doctors while still using their title "MD." Adding MD to Google Plus profiles goes against Google name policy, but in order to comply with the FTC we need to include "MD" to our doctor's name in our article by-lines. I have sent in many appeals with evidence that they have a degree. I also considered creating a "Google Page," but had the impression that you cannot claim authorship with rel=author tags with a "Google Page," only rel=publish. Can anyone help me figure out how to claim authorship for a doctor using (first name last name), MD ?
Branding | | dirigodev0 -
How to improve the quality score (QS) when bidding on competitor brand names in Google Adwords?
Hi, I have researched few sites on this topic and I could see that the competitor keyword should match with the add text relevance, landing page relevance and CTR. Any other factors more to be included to improve the quality score? Reference: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2285536/Google-Updates-How-AdWords-Quality-Score-is-Reported
Branding | | zco_seo0 -
Google Plus for Businesses - Should I add users to Company's Circles (branded page)?
Hi All, I know (or think I know) that one of the easiest ways to gain followers for my brand on G plus is to add people to our company's circles. Naturally, they often add you back. However, what does it mean to people who watch my brand (my G Plus page), the fact that I'm following thousands of people? Should I do it? How does it reflect on us?
Branding | | BeytzNet
Is there a better way to gain followers (specifically for G Plus)? P.S
We obviously have the badge on site but we hardly gain followers that way. Thanks0 -
Why has Google started to re-write my page titles?
Since earlier this week I've noticed that Google has started to re-write several of our page titles and I'm not entirely sure why - does anyone have any info? We are a UK business and currently have top spot for the keyword 'toilet cubicles' - however, our index.html page title has changed as follows: FROM: Toilet Cubicles | WC Panel Systems for Washrooms | Cubicle Centre TO: Cubicle Centre: Toilet Cubicles | WC Panel Systems for Washrooms Is this Google favouring a more brand-led approach to search? Be interesting to hear everyone's thoughts... Cheers, Craig.
Branding | | cubicle_Craig0 -
Ranking Videos on First Page of Google
Hey Guys, My videos are doing well on YouTube with lots of views and comments (about 1.5 million views). Nevertheless, I can’t manage to get them to appear on Google’s first SERP for my branded keywords. What am I doing wrong? What in your opinion are the major ranking factors for YouTube videos? Thanks!
Branding | | ShivaS0 -
Google Places, Optimization when in the Suburb of a Metroplex?
A client's business just recently changed addresses. Even though they are physically less than a mile from the previous location, the city has changed. This has resulted in our Google Places results dissappearing (no surprise). What is the best practice for people searching for <product><metroplex-primary-city>to still get our Google Places result, even though we are technically in a suburb of this metroplex?</metroplex-primary-city></product> Already added the primary city name to the description. What else can I do?
Branding | | networkelites0