2 Businesses, Same Location, Different Google My Business Accounts?
-
This is not my area of expertise, but I have a customer with a unique problem. They are primarily an agency that assists student-athletes nationwide with the college recruiting process. They also have a non-profit organization that runs soccer camps for local kids only. The soccer camp would of course benefit from having it's own GMB page, but they've been told by Google that they can't use the same address as their recruiting business. They are in the same office and moving/adding an office isn't an option at this time.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to overcome this issue without risking penalty from Google? Should they change their business name to combine both and add categories for their non-profit? They're such disparate businesses that I'm reluctant to have them do this, but is that the best/only option?
Thanks all!
-
Hey Paul,
I'm so sorry that I just now saw your question. So, a "duplicate" listing is a listing that shares identical or near-identical NAP with another listing. Co-located businesses aren't duplicates if they have different names and phone numbers. That being said, if Co-located businesses share a category, then Google may filter one of the them out of the local packs, per the "Possum" effect.
-
Miriam,
Does this mean that multiple businesses operating out of a building with the same address won't be viewed as duplicates?
-
Hi Camarin,
Thank you so much for the answers. Having read them, I am failing to see how the soccer business, legally registered as a separate business and unrelated to a college recruiting company, would fail to qualify for a Google My Business listing. The only obstacle I can see is if Google is treating the soccer business as if it is truly just a service of the college recruiting business, despite them being two legally distinct businesses. The "just a service of" issue is generally seen in a scenario in which something like an HVAC company tries to build one listing for heater repairs and another for air conditioner repairs, which is clearly not allowed. But that's not really what you're describing here: we seem to be talking about two different businesses.
Three more questions:
-
Are the names of the two entities totally distinct as in ABC Athlete College Recruiting and NY Soccer Camps, or do they share elements as in ABC Athlete College Recruiting and ABC Athlete Soccer Camps?
-
Do they each have their own phone number, answered with the appropriate brand name when it rings?
-
When you say "Google won't list the latter", are you positive the client tried to create a listing and it was in some way rejected by Google, or are you just saying you're not seeing both of them ranking when you do a branded search?
-
-
Glad to know I'm not the only one! I just posted the responses to Miriam's questions so hopefully that moves us in the right direction.
Cheers, Cam
-
Hi Miriam! I have your responses to this from my customer. TIA for your help with this!
1. Yes, each of these entities is it own legally registered entity. One has nothing to do with the other.
2. RE: Meeting at the office with customers/recruits: It all depends on where the family resides. If the family lives in or near the New York metropolitan area, we would most likely meet in the office. But for most of the families, we work with; communication is done via Skype, Phone, or email.
3. The recruiting service and the non-profit soccer camp's office work take place in the office building. But the actual soccer sessions take place at several parks and other locations across Nassau County, Long Island.
4. Yes, the soccer clinic is a year-round service. All our clinics are 6-weeks long, and we host one in the Fall and Summer seasons and two in the Spring and Winter seasons.
5. Since the recruiting business and the soccer clinic business work in the same office space, at the same address, Google only recognizes the first as a Google Business and won't list the latter as well.
-
Camarin,
I'm eagerly awaiting the answer to your question as a I have a very similar one. Keep up the great work.
Best,
Paul
-
Sounds like a good plan!
-
Thanks Miriam for the thoughtful questions and response above. I believe I know the answers, but let me verify with my client and repost. I don't want to surmise anything here that isn't entirely accurate! Thanks again - I'll write back as soon as I can!
-
Hi Kevin!
Thanks so much for joining in on this conversation. Just a heads-up that suite numbers are not a solution for differentiating businesses in Google My Business. Google doesn't pay any attention to suite numbers, and the use of fictitious suite numbers is actually a Google guideline violation, because Google requires that you represent the address of the business exactly as it appears in the real world.
-
Hi There!
Some questions for you:
-
Are these two legally distinct businesses? One being the recruiting agency and the other being a non-proft soccer camp, both legally registered as unique entities, or is the soccer camp just a service offered by the recruiting agency rather than a stand-alone "business".
-
Does the recruiting agency meet face-to-face with the student-athletes?
-
What is the exact physical location scenario? Is the soccer camp actually taking place in the same office as the recruitment work?
-
Is the soccer camp a year-round business, or is it seasonal? How does this work?
-
What, exactly is meant by "they've been told by Google that they can't use the same address as their recruiting business"? Does this mean that the business spoke 1:1 with Google support about this?
Please, answer all five questions as best as you can so that the community can be sure to provide advice most closely tailored to the specifics of this business. Looking forward to your replies!
-
-
Google has been very responsive when we expanded our business and split our brand, don't hesitate to call and explain your situation, setup a future email conversation and ask what the best practice is.
I would ask if changing the soccer club to a suit # would be acceptable or acquiring its own unique address. Consider a complex with lots of doctors or lawyers, what method do they adopt to have their GMB page?
I hope this helps.
KJr
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
-
Yahoo Local Business Listings Hijacked
We are a solar company with three locations. When claiming our business listings on Yahoo (Yext), we noticed that one of them had already been claimed. The name of our company and our phone number were changed to a lead generation company. Upon further inspection, this company has hijacked hundreds of listings throughout the state and the country. To see the extent of it, go here:
Local Listings | | SS.Digital
https://search.yahoo.com/local/s;_ylt=A0SO8odHUOZZdVUAYwBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByNWU4cGh1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTExOARfcgMyBGdwcmlkA3loNXdiQlJqVE9HMm9MdXlUSklLdEEEbl9zdWdnAzEEb3JpZ2luA3NlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20EcG9zAzAEcHFzdHIDBHBxc3RybAMEcXN0cmwDMjIEcXVlcnkDc29sYXIgY29ubmVjdG9yIGlydmluZQR0X3N0bXADMTUwODI4MTk4MA--?fr2=sb-top-search&p=solar+connector+irvine&fr=yfp-t- Or, just search in Yahoo's Local search section for "Solar Connector Irvine" or pretty much any city in California. On every hijacked listing, the company name is changed to "Solar Connector" and the phone number is changed to a unique local number, but all the other information is left the same. Now when people think they are calling our business, they get a shady lead gen company instead. I have submitted a request to Yext and have tried (and failed) to find a support phone number. This is a widespread, blatant fraud, and I would hope they would have interest in fixing it. Solar Connector (fake name) is associated with SolarAmerica.com, which is run by Clean Energy Experts, which was purchased by Sunrun (a publicly traded company). My specific question is, does anyone have any insight on the best method for getting help from Yahoo/Yext? Other than through their "help portal" on the website. I need to speak with a human being.1 -
Is there a way to see all of the Google My Business Accounts that Have been created for a Property?
I feel like so many of my clients have multiple Google my Business Pages for one location. Is there a way to get a list of all of the Google My Business Pages that exist for a given property and then effectively remove duplicates? Thanks, Adam
Local Listings | | aj6131 -
How do I treat multiple buildings on the same college campus on Google for local SEO?
Should I delete them? Simply give them a different address like "City, State, Zip"? I see the benefit of having key buildings on campus in Google Maps, but I don't want those to affect my accuracy score and, thus, my local rankings for SEO.
Local Listings | | GabeGibitz1 -
Google maps listings
Hi all, I just wondered what determines the company listings that are displayed in maps. From what I can see any businesses highlighted in these lists have optimised Google Places pages and it doesn't seem to be based on general ranking as these lists seem different to the general SERPS. Any thoughts at all appreciated. Pls see attached image. Also, is there anything other than optimise your Places listing that might help ensure you are seen in these results? IUK871m.jpg
Local Listings | | davidmaxwell0 -
How to add a branch location to Google+ Page
I have a verified local Google+ Page all set up for my local business and linked to my website.. it shows up nicely in local results for my city. Being ambitious I am expanding my presence into another city and would like my website to start showing up in local search for that area as well. What is the protocol for best results ? Start a new Google+ page or somehow add the branch onto the existing page (although there does not seem to be anywhere for this as the page is a local business and seems to lock it in with only a single address)..
Local Listings | | wicko1 -
Google my business
Hi, I have implemented the code [https://plus.google.com/+Thezenagency](<a href=)" rel="publisher"> on my website. I have also linked my google+ page which shows a tick with the words "verified local business" next to my logo and name. The problem is however i still do not have the box appear on the right hand side of a branded web search with my location, picture, reviews etc. Is there another step which needs to be completed? This was a couple of weeks ago it was done. Thanks in advance
Local Listings | | TheZenAgency0 -
Google Local Search
I have a customer who is frustrated that Google local search seems to favor businesses that are closer to the center of the city. He wants to be on the local results area on the SERP with his (keyword + city, state). His website is optimized, Google+ is using the keywords, more reviews than his competition and his MOZ local rating is 88.. It seems the only problem is his business is on the edge of town(same zip code). Google fills the local search area with businesses that are "downtown". Is there a way to overcome this?
Local Listings | | seomn0 -
Google+ Local and a Google+ Company Page
I have an established G+ company page but also want a G+ Local listing in order to appear on Google maps. The company does have a physical address, phone number etc. to qualify for a G+ Local listing. No current local listing exists to claim. Should I: a) Switch the currrent G+ company page to be a G+ Local page; or b) Create a new G+ Local page and keep the G+ company page; or c) Ignore G+ Local and create the listing through Google Places Thanks
Local Listings | | bjalc20110