Executive Office

[jamesjd8]

Hello, I've been reading about all the chatter about how using a virtual office or even an executive office would hurt local search because it is a shared address.  I just want to make sure that virtual office or executive offices are not allowed by google.

The guidelines do not mention virtual or executive offices as being prohibited.  They say don't use a location where you don't meet clients.

There are different grades or ways of using virtual offices.

1.  List a bunch of virtual office even though you can't man those many offices.  You are a one man shop but have 20 listings.  Obviously, you don't have a physical location at each of the 20 offices.  This is a clear violation.

2.  Mailbox rentals such as at a UPS store.  This is a clear violation.

3.  PO Boxes.  This is a clear violation.

4.  You have an executive office or a virtual office.  You see customers there.  The virtual office has a receptionist receive clients and take calls.  Every SEO says that this is a violation and an instance waiting for a penalty.

Does anyone have an example of example number 4 being penalized?  Or, is everyone just rehashing what someone else has said.

Examples of penalties would be great so that we can see what does and doesn't work.  I've seen examples online for situations 1-3 but not 4.

[MiriamEllis]

So glad if the links were helpful, James

[jamesjd8]

good links.  advice well taken.

[MiriamEllis]

Hey James!

Good for you for doing your research and questioning stated best practices. It never hurts to ask! You are not going to find many examples of actual businesses that have been penalized for use of virtual offices because:

A) The business owner is hardly likely to advertise the fact that he was taken down for guidelines violations

B) Most SEOs don't consider it ethical to call out spammers by name. That being said, this is a good thread on this topic at Linda Buquet's forum about an attorney (unidentified) being caught for spam: http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local-important/26844-busted-warning-attorneys-regus-non-compliant-offices.html. While I believe that instance related to a combination of fake locations and UPS store addresses, the thing to pay attention to is how easily the spammer was caught. TCs and RERs can act very quickly in escalating something like this when reported. I also recommend http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local/38965-virtual-office-question-issues.html and http://www.localsearchforum.com/local-search/37981-personal-injury-lawyer-wants-rank-tons-cities.html

If you know a business is operating out of a virtual office with a shared receptionist, then it's the Google forum folks (some of whom are speaking in the above threads) who would be determining your fate should your competitor report their suspicions about your GMB listing to them. It's pretty clear that your listing would fall under the close scrutiny of TCs and RERs who really do not go easy on guidelines violation reports to Google.