2 Businesses + Same Address = Not a Problem?

[Rich_Coffman]

Imagine someone who has 2 separate businesses with the same (home) address. Both are verified Google My Business G+ pages, each with its own separate website.

Essentially the old business that is being de-emphasized is a guitar lesson teacher's studio. This G+ page is set as a storefront where people come to.

The new business is similar, it is music lessons (private in-home instruction). This G+ page is set to have a service area - this goes along with their new business model.

We all know that consistent NAP is essential BUT do you think these are competing against each other because they share an address even though the businesses are separate?

[MiriamEllis]

Google prefers local phone numbers that connect directly to the place of business, but in recent times, they have allowed toll free numbers into their system. You can read the guidelines here:

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

[VicMarcusNWI]

We have multiple 800 numbers that point to local DIDs. It is my understanding that a toll-free number cannot be standalone, according to our telephone company. I'd ask your client to find out what DID it's pointing at. A DID is usually a local number. Hope this helps!

[Rich_Coffman]

Thank you for the reply. A quick update, my client just informed me they purchased a new 800 number for the second business (instead of a local number). What are the implications with a toll free number?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Rich!

Good discussion going on here, and many thanks to Alick for surfacing an older response of mine. If you can get a local phone number for each business, that will be your best bet against what would be the chief worry in this scenario - that Google will believe this is really just one business promoting itself as two businesses.

I have become less of a fan of suite numbers in recent times, as Google has become more capable of handling multiple businesses at the same location. So, currently, what I would recommend would be this:

1. Assess internally whether this truly is 2 businesses, or whether it is really just 1 business offering both in-studio and remote lessons. I think this step is really important, as the basic product (music lessons) is the same for both businesses and the best-known scenario in which Google has trouble with multiple businesses occupying the same location is when they share an industry or when a single business is trying to branch out its services to appear like multiple businesses. They have gotten better about understanding shared locations (lots of doctors in one building, etc.) but there is a potential for 2 music lesson businesses in the same home being flagged as suspicious. Just like if an HVAC company wanted to represent its heating services as one business and its air conditioning services as another. Google does not support his approach at any time. There may be nuances to the 2 business models of which I'm unaware that make it appropriate to promote this as two companies, but at a glance, to me this sounds like one company with both studio and at-home services.

2. If you determine that there is, indeed, reason to view these as distinct companies, then unique phone numbers, unique websites and unique citations would be the way to go with this ... with the proviso that you have notified the business owner that there may be a measure of risk in this approach.

Hope this helps!

[Rich_Coffman]

thank you Vic

[VicMarcusNWI]

It is an interesting case here with lots of variables involved. Since your client wants to promote the new business over the old business, why not just get a brand new local phone number for the new business? You can still keep the old phone number as well.

The old number will have the NAP for the old business. The new one will do the same for the new business. Yes - It will be a bit annoying have two phone lines coming into the office physically, but it's doable and manageable.

And let's say your client decides to phase out the old business all together in the future. Then you'd simply forward the old number to the new one.

[Rich_Coffman]

So in this scenario the 2 businesses actually do share the same phone number.

My client wants to promote the new business over the old business.

The 2 businesses are different in one is a music lessons studio on site and the other business is private in-home music lessons where instructors visit homes for lessons.

The thing is Google verified and displays both business listings in the [extended] local map pack. It's because of this fact that I'm hesitant to just delete the older business G+ profile. I do not think they can be merged.

The old business listing ranks well for big search queries that the new business listing doesn't. I'd hate to miss out on visibility for those queries because I needed to delete the listing.

I think that they do not compete against each other, they actually take up more real estate which gives the client a better chance to be found. Think about fishing with 2 poles instead of 1.

What do you think?

[VicMarcusNWI]

You bet, Rich. As Alick points out you should also consider these points:

• It's a good idea to have unique local phone numbers for each business. The attorneys in the example above have that.

• Can customers actually come there on location and transact business with you?

• It's probably not going to be doable to add a suite number to your address since you're not in a commercial building.

[Rich_Coffman]

Thanks Vic

[Alick300]

Hi,

I am sharing answer given by Miriam Ellis (a moz staff) on exact query.

"In order to qualify for local inclusion, avoid penalties and prevent merging, your client must be able to answer yes to the following 3 points.

1) Does the business have a unique, dedicated physical address (not a virtual address, P.O. Box or shared address)?

2) Does the business have a unique, dedicated local phone number in the city of location (not an 800 number, not a call tracking number, not a shared number)

3) Does the business have in-person transactions with its customers, either at its own location (like a restaurant) or at the customers' locations (like a plumber)?

If the business does not meet any one of these 3 criteria, it does not qualify for local inclusion. I don't know where your client is at on points 2 and 3, but if they can't say yes to point one, Local SEO will be nothing but problematic for them. Here's why:

If 2 or more businesses share an address, suite address or phone number (or even if their names are too similar), Google will frequently merge the business details of the listings. This means that Joe the Barber can end up with Jim the Plumber's business name, phone number or reviews showing up on his listing. Merging is one of the most difficult issues to deal with in Local, and one to be avoided at all costs.

Here is a Google help file on this issue: http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=175290

Your client's best hope is to:

1. Secure a unique suite number in the building at which he/she works and at which mail can be received.

2. Search for all citations of the business web-wide to correct any existent citations so that they include the new suite number.

You can check full post here @ http://moz.com/community/q/local-seo-how-to-handle-multiple-business-at-same-address

Hope this helps

Thanks

[VicMarcusNWI]

A friend of mine is an attorney that shares a law office space (an old house converted into an office) that’s located in a mixed-zone area downtown. If you looked at the address and the physical space, you couldn’t tell it’s a commercial building. There is a small sign that hangs outside of it that says “Law Offices” and has each attorney's name on it. He specializes in personal injury and has his own brand/practice/website. The three other attorneys he shares the space with have their own practices (divorce law, traffic tickets, etc.) They also have their own brands & websites.

All rank pretty well in local search for their respective markets.

In my opinion, as long as both services are unique in what they are offering, having the same address should not be an issue.