Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
[Local Search] Do you get penalized by using a Google Voice number for each seperate business location?
-
My client is expanding and opening up separate locations and I will be getting all their online business listings up and running. The client wants to use a single 1-888 number for all locations, however, it was my assumption that they would need a local number for each location to improve their ranking. Could I suggest using free Google voice numbers that get forwarded to their 1-888 number or will Google discredit us for this?
-
Thank you everyone. I think this client is small enough and with only three locations, we're safe to proceed with Google Voice for now.
-
Hi there!
I have to agree with Miriam. Because Google is constantly changing or getting rid of things they offer, I would be weary of building out all your online citations with a phone number that could eventually need to be updated—causing you a lot of headaches until you get this updated across the board.
I would look into setting up some type of call tracking. This will be an easier way for you to determine where users found your number, which location they're calling into, etc. If you're interested in learning a bit more about why we suggest call tracking, check out this blog we wrote about it.
Let me know if you have any other questions—happy to help!
-
Thank you. I think just starting out with Google Voice for these locations is just fine. They literally opened the offices just to have some presence in the areas. You can do that in Cleveland, Oh (cheap rent)!
-
Hey There!
There are several important reasons for not sharing a phone number between locations:
-
Google states that they want the number to connect as directly as possible to the individual location. So right there, Google's own guidelines are warning your client not to share phone numbers, whether they are toll free or local.
-
When numbers are duplicated, there is a risk of listing conflation ... in other words, there's a chance that the listings for City A could have their details mixed up with that of City B. Merges do not appear to be as common as they once were in Google, but the risk is still there. Address and phone number are the key factors that differentiate multi-locations from one another. Separate is better.
-
I can almost guarantee that, at some point, a business which is branching out into a multi-location model is going to want to utilize call tracking at some time. Before you begin building listings, you may want to bring this up to the client. If the client decides to buy new numbers, he may want to make them call tracking numbers from the get-go, so that NAP inconsistencies don't start populating the web. With a single phone number, tracking is simply not going to be possible for a multi-location business. For more on PROPER call tracking (that won't get you into trouble) see: https://www.callrail.com/resources/mike-blumenthal/ and https://www.callrail.com/blog/guide-to-local-seo-and-nap/. Pay special attention to porting.
-
My main concern about using Google Voice would be that they could sunset it. They've done the same with so many products over the years, I would personally feel anxious using it to build citations with for my important company. If they should shut it down, what would happen to all those numbers that users have used for their local business listings? Could be a big headache. I'm not terribly well acquainted with Google Voice, and am not sure of what the rate of adoption is, but I'd rather go with a different company for calls and call tracking.
Hope these suggestions help you assist your client!
-
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
-
Fighting spam on Google Maps
"Suggest an edit" on Google Maps works occasionally and so does Google's Redressal Form. Sending a DM to @GoogleMyBiz on Twitter does too. But it seems like the vast majority of spammy businesses that I report, go unnoticed by Google. I'd really appreciate hearing from some other SEOs on how they remove crap from the map, with better results. Thanks.
Local Listings | | Jason_Taylor0 -
How do I rank for a different business categories on google local?
Hello, How do I appear on the local listings for google in different categories or services that I offer? For instance, we're a physical therapy clinic by trade but we specialize in orthopedics, sports medicine, and lower back pain. Thus, how do I rank on google local for these types of services? Currently, we rank for physical therapy but we also miss out on a big part of our business by not ranking for these listings on local. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Scott
Local Listings | | scottgray06200 -
Another Business is Using My Client's Address
This morning my client contacted me that another business is using their address as their own! They received a Google verification postcard with pin number on it, but luckily had the foresight to not give it to the person when they called. After some research, we also found out that they are using our address on Facebook and LinkedIn as well. The kicker is: this business is another SEO firm! You would think they would know that using our address would cause NAP issues for their own business. Has anyone dealt with another business trying to hijack their address for local rankings? Any advice on steps to take to report this abuse would be appreciated. Since this person is obviously unscrupulous, we don't want to provoke them into taking any other negative action online that could affect our business.
Local Listings | | IlluminousGwen0 -
Scoot local links
I've been approached from Scoot trying to sell me their local directory links.
Local Listings | | LaurenGT
Its a one-off price of around £80 to be listed on all of their 500+ directories and £20 a month to be able to do any changes and to keep the web links active.
The list of the directories are here - http://submittrackz.scoot.co.uk/directories The question is, are the links of much benefit for local seo?
I was thinking of reselling this so the cost is not the problem so much, its just the quality of the links in question.
Thanks
Dave0 -
SEO - Should individual doctors at facility claim a Google My Business profile?
My client is a physician facility with several doctors practicing at the facility. When doing a Google search for some of their practices such as "family practice" one of the doctor's profiles will display in the Google Local pack - however it is not linked to the facility website where their profile exists. As of right now, we are using YEXT and other tools to claim Google Business Profiles for each practice, not the individual doctors. If there are unclaimed accounts for individual doctors, they are alerting Google that it’s a duplicate and should be taken down. Is this the right process to follow for SEO best practices or should we be claiming both the business and individual doctor profiles? The reason they are not claiming individual doctor profiles is to cut down on duplicate reviews as part of the Reputation Management Program. Advice much appreciated!
Local Listings | | chrisvogel0 -
Using same business number on different websites
Hello, I have number of websites in different locations with different business name and address with verified listings. However, I am thinking to use the same phone number on all the websites as it is difficult for me to keep track of all the numbers. So, is it okay to use the same phone number on different websites with different business name and address? Waiting for your thoughts. Brian
Local Listings | | BrianBotts.0 -
2 businesses same phone number
I was wondering how I should approach a scenario where I am optimizing two different companies websites that have the same phone number but different addresses. This sounds like a weird scenario, however it is out of my control. Is treating them as two separate companies fine, or do I have to take special precautions when submitting business directories and what not? Thanks for everyone's help! As a side note, is their a way to use Moz Local with both companies, right now it is getting confused as to what business belongs to what listing.
Local Listings | | brfieger0 -
Address Format for Local SEO
Hi, Ive been reading how important it is to get the address of a business consistent and written in the right format to help with Local Search Engine Rankings. Is this correct? If this is the case, are there any online generators to help create this html in the right format to put into a webpage. Thank you.
Local Listings | | Ampweb0