Google+ Company Verification Help
-
I am in a huge Google+ pickle. Backstory:
- Client's past marketing manager set up a Google+ Company Page with their old work email as the username - that marketing manager is now gone
- Client also moved into a new unit within their building, therefor keeping the same address but a different suite #
- Client's President (my point of contact) created a new (unverified) Google+ Company Page for the new address & suite #
If I verify the correct Google+ Company Page, does this overwrite the old one with the incorrect suite #? Or will I still need to dig up their old company page login to transfer ownership?
Also, does anyone have any helpful beginner articles on setting up Google+ Company Pages for businesses with multiple locations?
Thanks!
-
You don't want duplicate or near duplicates in the same account for sure. Last I checked, that's a violation of The Googles terms of service. Naturally you want everything to be as accurate as possible.
I would probably Report the old, inaccurate listing as closed and verify the new listing with the correct information at roughly the same time. Then hustle and update all of the top tier listings with the old suite number. And when I say Top Tier, I mean pretty much anything Moz Local would feed if/when you have an account. Then I would prioritize top listings by some combination of city and category. There are probably also some 'hidden gems' that show well for your client's geo/keyword combinations.
If you use Moz Local to do the job, make sure you submit the new NAP.
-
Thanks! This was super helpful.
I'm stumped on the best order for the following:
- Verify the correct business listing
- Try to uncover the old business listing and merge the two accounts
If I verify the business listing first, is that going to hurt any other efforts?
-
Just for the benefit of this discussion, Google now is allowing for automatic verification if the site has a verified GWT account.
Details below:
** Instant verification**
You may be instantly verified to manage your business if you’ve already verified your business’s website with Google Webmaster Tools.
Make sure you’re signed in to Google My Business with the same account you used to verify your site with Webmaster Tools. Note that some business categories may not be eligible for instant verification.
Once you’ve verified, you may see a banner asking you to review your information and make any final changes.
Click Done editing when you’re certain everything is up to date.
Note that you won’t be able to update the business’s name until the verification process is complete.
-
Is there some reason you can't access the old marketing manager's email? You could just get permission from the head honcho and have your IT let you in. Also, you would be surprised how easy it is to get into things when you simply ask for it. Maybe the old marketing manager would be receptive?
Either way, you still have near duplicate listings. It sounds like you have a larger job ahead of you than you know. I'm not envious, but I do feel your pain. Some of this information may be a little out of date, but this is pretty close to what you're dealing with. Report a Problem link will be your frenemy from now on.
Plug in your business name and ZIP here to get quick overview of the damage.
You should start here for the basics. It's pretty comprehensive, but you will eventually want to get into theory and trends.
-
You have to locate all instances of the NAP ( especially phone number), delete extra pages and make 100% all other listings reflect the current / new address.
Google will keep both on file and this will limit your client's site from the highest ranking. So, locate and eliminate/ merge / correct all G+ listings and it should be set to rights.
This is a great place to get hands on information and tips http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/
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
-
Google Is Linking to Wrong Local Page - How To Change?
Hi All Thanks in advance for any support. I've setup two "local" pages to target the next door town for one of my clients. One page targets "t shirt printing" and one page targets "embroidered workwear" However when I search for "embroidered workwear town in question" google connects the search to my t-shirt printing page and not the embroidered workwear page. Would it be possible to advise on what I need to do for the correct page to be linked to the search term? Here is a link to the search term in question **https://tinyurl.com/vvgr5r5 ** and the page that we would like to appear in the results, not our tshirt printing page https://tinyurl.com/s77md9o Thanks in advance for any help
Local Listings | | ruislip180 -
How do I win the Google knowledge panel?
Hi everyone, so my company has a knowledge panel that show up for some keywords. I use to be #1 on the map (for my favorite keyword) when Google was showing several listings. Now that it show only one, it's not me anymore and I wonder why. So what are the SEO leverage I need to focus on to win this new google knowledge panel? Thank you very much.
Local Listings | | JimJ0 -
How best to delete a duplicate Google My Business listing
Hi Mozzers, I am in need of help please. What is the best way to remove a duplicate GMB listing? Is best practice to a) Mark as permanently closed and wait for Google to update b) Call GMB in India and ask them to delete the redundant listing (do they even do this for you?) c) Delete the page from within my dashboard settings I am worried my NAP data is being diluted by inaccurate historical listings (most of which I have been able to claim ownership of) Any help appreciated. Ben
Local Listings | | Bendall0 -
Google My Business listing - listed at CLOSED (how do I open)
Good afternoon Mozzers, I hope you can help me. I have a business listing, which is listed as being "PERMANENTLY CLOSED". In fact the business is OPEN it has just changed business name. I have ownership of the listing. I have "reported an issue" to Google and asked them to list as open, however how long will this take? Is there anything I can do to fast track this and limit the business impact? Any help welcomed, Ben
Local Listings | | Bendall0 -
Don't Let Your Google My Business Dashboard Become Inactive
Google's Jade Wang has offered some important clarification on the scenario of set-and-forget Google My Business dashboards - Google could determine that they are inactive and un-verify the listings they contain. She writes, "In some cases, we may contact Google My Business users via email to confirm that they are still actively managing a business page. If a user is unresponsive to our attempts to contact him or her and has not logged into Google My Business for a significant length of time, then we may unverify pages in the account. We're doing this in order to continue to provide users with the best experience when they’re looking for local businesses like yours. If you find that a page in your account has been incorrectly unverified, please contact support to get assistance restoring verification. It's a good idea to keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Google My Business (Locations) account. It's also a good idea to regularly log into Google My Business (Locations) to confirm that your business information is current and accurate." Mike Blumenthal initially posted that it was necessary to perform a null edit (a tactic in which you view the edit screen of your Google+ Local listing and hit 'save' without making any changes), but Mike has since updated his post to clarify that a null edit isn't actually necessary. According to what Mike learned, you can simply log into the dashboard once every few months, or if you have to make real edits or you post on your page, that should provide an adequate signal to Google that the dashboard is still being actively managed. In the past, an agency with a limited contract with a local business could create the company's Google+ Local page and step away from it. Of course, it's the ideal that your clients are actively posting to their Google My Business page, if it's the right social strategy for them, but many clients don't do this. And so, they'll likely be getting an email from Google one of these days asking if they are still active. If that's the case, you may be hearing from past clients asking if the email is real and what they should do. Fortunately, they should be able to make the the quick visit to the dashboard without help. But for agencies with large numbers of long-term clients, this business of keeping track of how often you've logged into the clients' dashboards could be a bit of a hassle. Just one more task to add to the to-do list. Google has been going through some growing pains recently. With the lock-down of the editing function on Mapmaker and the further removal of Google+ links from more places, many Local SEOs and local business owners are wondering where Google is headed in the local space. To my mind, the fact that they are trying to police active vs. neglected listings is a bit of a sign the Google remains serious about delivering Local quality. And for all of us ... that's a good thing!
Local Listings | | MiriamEllis4 -
Do Citations help will all local rankings/Pages on my website or just the page it's linked to
Hi All, My ecommerce site has different category/landing pages for each of my branches . I'm currently getting some more citations done as wondered the following Is it a general rule to say, that the more citations you have the better as long as they are consistent and free? Given that I have different categories /landing pages showing the NAP of my individual branches along with unique content, should all these extra citations help with local rankings across my whole site or is it usually just helping the specific localized webpage it's pointing to ? I can get a company to help me do my citations but to do all the branches, it is going to be quite expensive. Is citations quite a big individual SEO factor in local search as opposed to on page seo factors etc etc. Any advice greatly appreciated. thanks Peter
Local Listings | | PeteC120 -
Google Maps redirect notice on track-able URL's (how do I track maps visits in analytics?)
We've been using trackable URL's to track Google My Business visits in analytics for years.
Local Listings | | RedNovaLabs91
Example: ?utm_source=GoogleLocal&utm_medium=example&utm_campaign=example In the past month I've noticed Google showing a redirect notice on any listing with a trackable URL. It happened for a day or so a few weeks ago - and then it's been a more permanent situation since this past week. Redirect Notice
The previous page is sending you to: www.example.com
If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page. I'm fine with removing the trackable URL's - however - I'm not sure how to track maps visits via analytics without using them. I can't find any updated information on options. The last post on moz was in 2011 (http://moz.com/blog/tracking-traffic-from-google-places-in-google-analytics). The alternate tactics in that post no longer work. So my question is:
- How do I track Google Maps (My Business) visits through analytics without using tracking URLs?1 -
Completely lost Google Local rankings for main keywords
Hi there, Our website, petmedicalcenter.com, used to rank very well in Google in the local section - usually within the top 3 spots for 8 or so keywords. Then last fall our rankings started to diminish. We would rank really well for a few days and then would be no where to be found in the local section - this cycle kept going for a few months. Now, within the last few weeks our website is nowhere to be found in local for our usual keywords. After a few years of success with SEO, I know the landscape is really starting to change. My problem is that I don't even know where to start to try and get us back on to the top spots. I know this question is rather broad, but I am really at a loss here. Any help is greatly appreciated!! http://www.petmedicalcenter.com Main Keywords: veterinarian las vegas, vets in las vegas, veterinarians las vegas, las vegas veterinarians, vet las vegas Thank you for your help! Brant
Local Listings | | BCB11210