Using PO Box/Virtual Address for local citations, but not GMB?
-
Hello. So, I am aware that it is in violation of Google My Bussiness's terms of service to use register a PO box/virtual address with GMB, but is it problematic to use such addresses for general link building with local citations, such as local directories and resource pages? Would the cons outweigh the pros (more backlinks)?
And what about using one of these kinds of addresses on my website, but not GMB? Is it all so interrelated nowadays that I should steer clear of publishing a virtual address anywhere? That just seems hard to wrap my head around as PO Boxes have served a valuable function for small businesses for some 150 years.
Thank you,
Jon
-
@elizabethrgoff Thank you. Yes, I am aware that I cannot use such addresses on GMB. But I was wondering about using them elsewhere on the internet, such as on my website or for other citations (such as local and industry-specific directories and resource pages).
-
Google is no longer allowing business owners to create a business listing using a P.O. Box. “Do not create listings at locations where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations.
-
@miriamellis Thank you Miriam. That makes sense.
I did meet with clients face-to-face in an office before the pandemic, and am currently working online out of my home, so I really won't have a business address that I care to make public once I release my office space in a couple of months.
I suppose I will list my business address on my website as:
Business Name
City, State, ZipOn another note, my GMB listing currently says: "Service options: Online appointments · Onsite services not available"
So it is aware that I'm not seeing clients face-to-face right now. From what I have read around Moz and elsewhere, I should expect a significant drop in my map-pack rankings if I delete my address from my profile and go SAB, but I'm wondering if I have a chance of retaining my rankings since Google already knows I'm online-only. In your experience, how much of a rankings dive do you see businesses take in GMB when they transition from a physical office to SAB in an industry that is primarily based around office visits?
-
@custardextract Hi Jon! My apologies that you didn't receive a speedier reply to what is a very good question. You are right that PO boxes have been a useful and necessary asset for businesses for many years, particularly in areas without direct mail delivery. Google's policy does not take this into account, so as you've said, you know not to use these in Google listings. While other local business listing platforms may not be a strict about this as Google, the trouble is, Google will crawl the ecosystem you build with P.O. boxes instead of street addresses listed as your business location. If you need to publish a P.O. box as your mailing address on your website (in addition to publishing your street address) that should not be a problem, but it may not be a great idea to build other citations or links around this version of your contact info. Are you dealing with a business that has no street address at all? Does the business meet with customers face-to-face (or, at least, did it do so prior to the pandemic?) You are welcome to tell me more and I'm happy to continue discussing the specifics of your scenario.
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
-
GMB for Auto Dealers - New Rules
Hello, I would love to confirm if I am interpreting the auto dealer rules for GMB correctly. My understanding is that two car franchises / brands (e.g. Ford & Chrysler) can share the same physical location, but have their own GMB listing? "New car dealerships are eligible for multiple listings. You can have one listing for your dealership and one listing for each brand you sell of new cars." https://support.google.com/business/answer/9074301?hl=en&ref_topic=9074323 Thank you!
Local Listings | | P.Myers0 -
Help - my boss wants me to duplicate websites for local SEO targeting
my boss is insisting that I duplicate a site that is ranking well and then roll it out across the UK on new domain names beginning with targeted city names in the domain name. I will then be going through each duplicate site changing the location keywords to the target city location Along with images etc. what effect will this have? Do you have any advice on the best way to tackle this? thanks
Local Listings | | platinumhouse0 -
Which Citation Sources Do You Implicity Trust?
I'm wondering what other SEO's process for selecting citations is. A coworker and I were speaking about the trust level of certain citation sites, and I'd like to get a wider view as well. I haven't really seen this addressed in any other thread or even with a Google search. How do you go about trusting particular citations? Do you have a process? Are there some you stay away from no matter what? I come across some that I feel are a bit sketchy, and try to stay away from those. Although, maybe they are more trustworthy than I give them credit for. Thoughts?
Local Listings | | Snaptech_Marketing0 -
Javacript & Schematic Markup for Local SEO
I am trying to apply schematic markup for a client who is using javascript for their store hours and maps. Will Google be able to comprehend the data in the Javascript file if I set up a schematic property for this? I wanted to use this specific property http://schema.org/openingHours. Our client is also importing reviews from a third party source. Would it be possible to apply schematic markup to a 3rd party source? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
Local Listings | | RosemaryB0 -
Multiple locations and local directories
Hello, A client has opened a new office in another city. I have created a local landing page for this city. Now I want to build citations for it. However, I have already set up directories like Yelp/Yell with the primary/original address in the original city. Is it OK to set up new citations using the new city local address. The company name stays the same obviously. So I will have duplicate listings on the directories for the same company. Will this work? Thanks for any help
Local Listings | | AL123al1 -
Creating a new Google local business page vs. adding additional locations to an existing Google business page?
We are a service company that both travels to customer locations and serves customers at our business location. The split is about 80/20 (travel vs. serve customers on location). We just opened up a new office in a city about 1 hour away from our main location. The question is, should we create a new business page and account on Google local or should we add the new location to our existing google local account? The new location has a separate website, phone number, email etc. My inclination is to create a new local business account/page on Google. Has anyone experimented with both solutions and tested which option creates more powerful local signals for ranking?
Local Listings | | Vspeed0 -
Local sites to make sure I'm listed in - which ones?
I'd love to know what sites this community deems most important when looking at whether my business & site are listed there. I know the obvious - Google Places, Yahoo Maps, Bing Local, Yelp. Foursquare. What others do you consider to be "mission critical" to the general market? Thanks!
Local Listings | | wcksmith10 -
Can we use different names in Google places for each location of a business?
I have a client who has several locations for their business. The company and the original location have one name - let's call it "National Clinic". Then, they have a series of urgent care clinics, named with the structure "National Clinic Urgent Care: Main St." and "National Clinic Urgent Care: Central Plaza". The When I'm creating my directory listings, for the urgent care locations, which option would you use for the name? a) National Clinic
Local Listings | | irapasternack
b) National Clinic Urgent Care
c) National Clinic Urgent Care: Main St.0