I just found original business name for client - its not the same as GMB or any aggregate site. What to do?
-
the business filing with the Secretary of State is a name of an individual (e.g. Matthew Smith, M.D.). This is on reflected on Localeze and such. However, the business is operating under a name "Healthy Body and Minds Clinic", which is the Facebook, Google My Business, and website name and info. So, how is it best to get consistency in NAP with the two different business names being used? (Ideally, no change in State registration or filing for a DBA). Thanks much! One idea I have seen is to include both and separate them by a colon. As in "Healthy Body and Minds Clinic : Matthew Smith, M.D."
I appreciate any suggestions or tips to help. Thanks.
-
Hi Mark:
Two things should help you get this client on track.
-
Read Google's guidelines (https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en) and pay particular attention to the sections on Name and Individual Practioners. Read them closely to avoid making costly mistake and let me know if you have any questions.
-
Know that what Google wants to see on your GMB listings is what customers see at street-level. Whatever is on the street-level signage and print marketing, and however the phone is answered by the customer service team, is what Google wants on the listing. So, if the sign on the business reads "Jim's Paint Shop", that's what goes on all of the local business listings that represent that business, even if the legal business name is "Jim's Paint and Sign Shop, LLC".
So, please read the guidelines and take point #2 into consideration and then let us know of any further questions.
-
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
-
Is It Beneficial to 'Like' My Clients Google Reviews?
I have a client who is insisting that all of us in the office 'like' his positive reviews on Google. My boss & I are fine with doing this, but due to the industry the client works in, my staff is questioning doing this or not because they do not want to be associated with his company outside of work. Is there any SEO benefit to us liking his reviews or is this more for him to feel better that people are reading them? Does my staff have anything to worry about if they do 'like' his reviews?
Reviews and Ratings | | Justine.Hedge3 -
Local Business Page Ranking Issue
**Concern:- **Please try to understand my concern. I'm not worried or talking about my ranking. #1. Business Name - Law Office of Paul M. Marriett
Reviews and Ratings | | jeenu_svs
Address - 308 West State Street #97 B, Rockford, IL 61101 #2. Business Name - Law Office Of Brendan Caver, Ltd.
Address - 308 W State St #96, Rockford, IL 61101 These are two business pages and both have different location as you can see in mentioned address. If #1 (Law Office of Paul M. Marriett) ranked on any keyword then #2 (Law Office Of Brendan Caver, Ltd.) does not appear anywhere in result. That's not for a single keyword. Issue is running for all keywords Approx (8-10). Keywords :-
DUI Lawyer Rockford,
DUI Attorney Rockford,
Criminal Lawyer Rockford,
Criminal Attorney Rockford,
DUI Lawyer Rockford IL,
DUI Attorney Rockford IL,
Criminal Lawyer Rockford IL,
Criminal Defense Attorney Rockford, Law Office of Paul M. Marriett ranked for upper mentioned keyword and you can see Law Office Of Brendan Caver, Ltd. is not appear anywhere in search.
....................................................................................................................................................................................... Keywords :-
Best Criminal Attorney Rockford IL,
Best Criminal Lawyer Rockford IL,
Best Criminal Lawyer Rockford,
Best Criminal Attorney Rockford,
Best DUI Lawyer Rockford,
Best DUI Lawyer Rockford IL,
Criminal Defense Lawyer Rockford,
Criminal Defense Lawyer Rockford IL,
Criminal Defense Attorney Rockford IL, Law Office Of Brendan Caver, Ltd. is ranked for upper mention keywords and Law Office of Paul M. Marriett is not appear anywhere in search.
Please check deeply and let me know.0 -
What types of businesses does Google display reviews in SERP for?
In just the last week, it seems like Google has removed reviews for businesses in our industry (staffing), which is unfortunate since we've been working hard for those reviews. The effect has been to be completely left off the local google business results. One week, we're at the top of the business reviews with our location prominently featured on the map and the next, we aren't even listed. It seems like there must be list of industries in which Google takes reviews into account (or if they do, then at least displays the reviews in the results). For us, up until last week, if you searched "temp agencies", these reviews were included in SERP. Now, nothing. Is this fairly normal behavior for Google?
Reviews and Ratings | | Parker8180 -
Why does this business have an average of 4.8 and not 5?
I was doing some research today and came across a business that has 5 reviews, all 5 stars. For some reason, their average is showing as 4.8, instead of a perfect 5. Looking at some other businesses, I see one with 4 5-stars, 1 4-star, and 1 1-star. 25/6 = 4.1666666. That would round to 4.2, but Google lists them as 4.3. Is Google just bad at math, or are they using some other factor in calculating these averages?
Reviews and Ratings | | irapasternack1 -
What's the best way to keep Google My Business reviews when the business changes names?
I work with an interior designer who is re-branding and changing her business name to focus specifically on windows. Can she keep her GMB reviews and just change the name of her business, then reverify with Google? She doesn't want to lose her current local pack ranking.
Reviews and Ratings | | obkommy1 -
Want to use Google Business Pages but Spam Reviews are putting me off
Not sure if I am missing something here...I have phoned and asked Google business how they deal with reviews which are potentially fake and damaging to a business reputation, it seems there is very little a small local business can do about them other than report the review with no guarantee of anyone helping ...Has anyone else had this issue as I would really like to use this service to assist with rankings on google? It is hard to convince (and to be honest I don't want to have to convince!) a local business that this is a good service at the same time as informing them they will more than likely have to spend extra time fending off fake reviews...Not seen any good answers anywhere else, ignoring the reviews, adding more positive reviews or replying/managing reviews are not an option. Hope someone can help with this, thanks
Reviews and Ratings | | imoprojects0 -
How to display reviews from review sites on your own website?
Is there a good way to display reviews that people have left on sites like Yelp, City Search, Google, etc on your own website without triggering duplicate content issues? It's hard to get reviews, so I'd like to make the most out of the ones that I get.
Reviews and Ratings | | atstickel0 -
Google Warns Local Businesses: You Have 3 Weeks to Save Your Places Listing
Has anyone heard anything about this Google warning that was supposedly sent to some Google Place owners recently. The message says: We are making some changes to Google Places for Business and Google Maps so we can continue providing people with the best experience when they're looking for local businesses. As part of this process, we're asking business owners to review and confirm some of the information in their Google Places accounts so we can keep showing it to Google users. We know this will be a few extra steps for merchants, and we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your time. We have sent business owners affected by these changes an email entitled "Action Required: You have 3 weeks to save your Google Places Listing". Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2327744/Google-Warns-Local-Businesses-You-Have-3-Weeks-to-Save-Your-Places-Listing I haven't found much other information in the SEO community but I just wanted to see if anyone has actually received this notice or not? Someone suggested it may just be a test in Australia/Austria. (Not sure which one it is as the comment in the above list references both countries) Thanks for any information you have on this topic.
Reviews and Ratings | | DCochrane1