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ToggleThe heart of Google Business Profile (GBP) lies in one crucial aspect: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Business owners who prioritise their Google Maps ranking understand that the address of their business significantly impacts their online visibility. As a result, many are actively seeking the ideal lease space in the bustling centre of their city to set up shop.
Securing prime real estate can be challenging, often leading businesses to share office spaces within multi-business buildings. This arrangement is common across various industries, with setups like spas operating within hotels, for example.
However, when multiple businesses share the same address, things can quickly become complicated on Google Maps. Managing your Google Business Profile(s) effectively in such scenarios becomes paramount. And as is often the case in the realm of SEO, the answer to the golden question, “how do I do it?”, is simply, “it depends.”
In this guide, we’ll delve into different scenarios to help you grasp how Google treats businesses situated at the same address. Moreover, we’ll offer valuable insights on how to optimally handle your local business listing when co-located with other businesses.
Multiple Businesses, One Address
In most cases, getting verification for your Google Business Profile (GBP) when your office is located within a building housing multiple businesses is relatively smooth. As long as none of the nearby businesses operate in your industry or directly compete with your services, you should appear on Maps without any problems.
However, challenges arise when a business in your industry is situated too close to your physical address, such as being in the same building or an adjacent one. In such situations, you may encounter issues with Google’s local filter, leading to a lower ranking for your listing than it could potentially achieve.
Use Local Filter
We’re all well aware of how important the primary category is as a ranking factor for Google Business Profile (GBP) listings, making the right choice paramount.
But what exactly is the local filter?
What many people might not be aware of is that if two businesses share the same physical address and have identical categories, they will be impacted by Google’s local filter. It’s essential to note that simply adding a suite number does not suffice to be considered a separate address by Google.
In essence, the local filter operates similarly to the organic filter, as it sifts through listings, identifying those it deems similar or duplicates. The local filter primarily considers:
- The main category
- URL and business name
- Address and proximity
Google will prioritise the listing with the highest authority for a particular keyword, leading it to rank prominently while omitting other listings sharing the same address from ranking.
For example, consider flower shops located at the same address. One flower shop may rank well for “flower arrangement London,” while the other rank for flower bouquet London.” However, they won’t both rank simultaneously for the same keyword.
In each search, Google will pick one listing to rank, and the other listing(s) typically won’t rank at all. Different listings may be filtered for one keyword while remaining unfiltered for others, as the local filter strives to select the “best” listing and filter out others that are too similar, much like the approach taken in organic search.
What To Do If The Local Filter is Affecting Your Business
If you’re facing the challenges of the local filter impacting your Google Business Profile (GBP), don’t worry, here are some friendly and effective strategies to boost your visibility:
- Check those categories: Take a moment to review the categories of the listings that rank well. Ensure you’ve included all the relevant ones for your business. It can make a big difference!
- Combine and conquer: If you have duplicate listings, no worries! Simply consolidate them to clear up any confusion and give your profile a cleaner look.
- Rise in the ranks: Elevate your website’s organic ranking for that specific keyword. It may sound intimidating, but trust us, it can work wonders!
- Get creative with your name: Consider rebranding your business to include relevant keywords. You can do it legally or register a “Doing Business As” (DBA) name. This way, you’ll have those precious keywords in your GBP business name without breaking any rules.
- Office makeover: If none of the above seems to do the trick, and it’s feasible for your business, you might want to think about relocating your office. It can be a game-changer!
Thinking of Moving for Better Rankings?
If you’re thinking of moving your office to boost your local map rankings, make sure to take a good look at the current businesses in your potential new location. You don’t want any direct competitors, especially those using the same primary category in their GBP, in the same building or next door. By avoiding such situations, you’ll steer clear of the local filter and give your listing the best shot at rocking the search results.
Should You Have More Two Google Business Profile Listings?
We’ve come across scenarios where business owners have two separate businesses operating from the same addresses or multiple practitioners verified at the same locations. While this could be a viable strategy in certain cases, especially when the businesses belong to distinct industries with no service overlaps, there are important considerations to keep in mind.
Firstly, it’s crucial to ensure that if you have two listings using the same addresses, they must have legally distinct names and business documentation to prove their individual identities. Moreover, having different phone numbers and, if possible, separate websites will help distinguish the two businesses and safeguard against any potential merging actions taken by Google.
A Word of Caution: Google has the authority to mark two listings as duplicates and merge them, even if they have different categories. This can happen without warning, and unfortunately, Google support cannot undo these merges. Hence, taking pre-emptive measures to prevent them is vital. However, it’s important to note that if merges do occur, they may not always be bad things. There are instances where being merged can actually have positive outcomes.
While having two Google Business Profile listings might be advantageous under specific circumstances, it’s essential to handle the situations carefully and ensure proper differentiation to avoid any unwanted merging surprises from Google. Stay informed and make the best decisions for your businesses!
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