Hi Berner,

Good question and some thoughtful answers here. I'll chime in with my 2 pesos.

A citation is defined as a web-based reference to a local business' complete or partial NAP (name, address, phone). A citation does not have to include a link the company website. For example, a blogger could mention your restaurant's name and address, leave out the phone number and not link to the restaurant's website and that would still count as a citation, meaning that the business owner must be certain that the blogger has accurately published the restaurant's name and address.

On more standardized platforms, like local business directories, nearly all allow you to include a link to your website. This does count as a link, but whether it is nofollowed or not is up to the individual directory. So, this does bear on how much 'juice' a given link is passing your way.

Regardless, if your business is a local one, citations are a core part of the work you will be doing to promote your business on the Internet. If your business model isn't truly local, then citations aren't really meant for you.

I think you'll really enjoy reading the great section in the new Moz Local Learning Center that covers the ins and outs of citations. Tons of great resources here for you: http://moz.com/learn/local/listings

Hope this will help, and kudos to all on the good responses on this thread!

Hi P J,

Good question. Unfortunately, Google isn't fond of call centers and call tracking numbers are taboo in Local Search. Let me provide some resources for you here so that you can learn more about these issues.

Here are the Google Places Quality Guidelines:

https://support.google.com/places/answer/107528?hl=en

These guidelines state:

Website & Phone: Provide a phone number that connects to your individual business location as directly as possible, and provide one website that represents your individual business location.

• Use a local phone number instead of a call center number whenever possible.

So, you're looking to publish a local phone number that connects directly with the business.

Call tracking is a whole other kettle of fish. Recommend that you read:

http://blumenthals.com/blog/2013/05/14/a-guide-to-call-tracking-and-local/

You will want to be publishing an identical local area code phone number across all of your citations. Hope the above resources are helpful!

Hi Ruben,

Sounds like a good plan, and it's one you should continue to go by, for all time.

Hi Blair,

Funny, I recalled this question, too, but didn't realize it was yours

I wish we could get an 'official word' from Google on this, because it's something the guidelines hint around but don't speak to directly. Have you ever posted this question in the Google And Your Business Forum, just to see if you get any feedback from the TCs there? Maybe even from a staffer? What's really important, I think, is the distinction between what Google's guidelines state about rental properties, etc., and the fact that a main office is being located on the property for several years. I mean, if it were a watch repair store that opened for several years and then closed, no one would fault them for having a G+ Local page, right? So, I think there is grey area here. You've been told by a Google rep not to do this, but I am truly curious as to the reasoning behind that individual's advice, and whether they could have been misinterpreting the guidelines.

Blair, as this is a business model you deal with constantly, I'd suggest trying again to get feedback from a Google staffer on this, maybe via their forum. If that doesn't work, you might try contacting a TC, like Linda Buquet or Mike Blumenthal to see if they would consider writing about your topic ... because there just isn't a clear guideline for this, in my opinion, given the exact details of the business model.

Hi Ruben,

I would not advise going for 8-12 new reviews in a week. I think Andy's suggestion of staggering your requests over several weeks is a better idea. What you're trying to avoid here is having your hard-earned reviews filtered out by Google's review filter. Frequency is one thing that appears to trip that filter, so most Local SEOs recommend a slowly-but-surely approach to requesting reviews.

Hi Alex,

I agree with Dana. It will be important for the new dentist with the separate business name to establish his own suite and local phone number for a variety of reasons.

• He needs to be able to get his own phone calls

• He needs to be able to get his own postal mail

• Were he to market himself at the same address and phone as the other practice sharing the office, he would likely end up harming the other dentist and precluding himself from being able to develop his own business on the web.

The new dentist needs to set up his own website, of course, and be sure that all of his citations reflect his own name, address, phone and website.

The only alternative to this would be for the 2 dentists to combine their practices under a single name, but it doesn't sound like this reflects their real-world situation.

Hi Blair,

I am a bit surprised, too, by the advice you were given. I wonder if the rep could possibly have been thinking of this entry under the heading of 'ineligible business models' on the Google Places Quality Guidelines:

"Rental or for-sale properties, such as vacation homes or vacant apartments, are not eligible to be listed on Google Maps and should not be verified. Instead, verify the listing for your sales or leasing office or offices. If you have a property with an on-site office, you may verify that office location"

It says right there in the guidelines that if you have a property with an onsite office, you can verify it, and that appears to be what you are describing, even if it will be closing in three years. I guess maybe it's a grey area and you probably shouldn't go against what Google has told you.

If, despite what they said, you decide to go ahead with the plan, it's a bit hard to advise you. Right now, if a business needs to be closed, there are specific options, some of which are described well in the Google And Your Business Forum thread:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!searchin/business/mark$20as$20closed/business/ybLoj6VAtMk/EwGnYbVT9aoJ

But, what the options will be 3 years from now, who can say? So, you'd probably need to look into this again when the time comes.

You would also need to try to shut down any citations you may have built, or they may cause a new Google+ Local page to be automated. Hope this helps!

Hi Couponguy,

Smart question. You're right to be concerned here. Swapping out a geo term across near-identical pages is not going to be enough to differentiate your pages. You could, indeed, be at risk for a duplicate content penalty. I highly recommend that you write unique content for each page. My rule in this scenario is: if you can't find something unique to write on a local landing page, don't create the page. There are instances in which a company is covering just too many cities to create unique pages for all of them, in which case, they might be better served by creating an interactive map of some kind to show their service areas to their clients and then utilizing PPC, instead of of SEO, to gain visibility for all of these cities. Hopefully, though, you can find a creative approach for creating unique content for your pages. This is ideal, when it is possible.