This week’s Ask an SEO question is from Ursula, who asks:

Should a small business with a local office (more workshop than sales office) and a Google Business Profile listing delete the GBP listing if they want to focus on selling their product nationwide?

Great question, Ursula! I hear this question all the time at conferences and online, but it’s not a simple answer. Like everything with SEO, it depends.

If you were asking in person, I’d first ask what kind of business we’re talking about – it’s possible that they’re not eligible for a Google Business Profile (GBP) in the first place.

Which Businesses Are Eligible For A Google Business Profile?

Any time you have questions about Google Business Profiles, it’s best to check the guidelines to see if there’s an answer buried somewhere in there.

Google keeps an updated list of GBP guidelines in the Help Center that explain eligibility requirements and rules that businesses should follow.

Most people don’t realize that not every business qualifies for a Business Profile. According to the GBP Guidelines,

“To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours.”

Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but this statement is the most important element of the eligibility section. If a business doesn’t do face-to-face business with customers during the stated business hours, it’s not eligible for a GBP.

Brick-and-mortar locations are clearly eligible, but service-based businesses like plumbers or electricians are also eligible. Doing face-to-face business with customers at the customers’ locations still counts. Barring a few specific exceptions, that’s the main qualification that businesses need to pass.

In this specific case, we don’t know what type of business Ursula was asking about, so let’s walk through the two options.

I’m leaning towards saying that the business isn’t even eligible for a GBP.

Since Ursula said “more workshop than sales office,” that leads me to infer that sales don’t really happen at this location. If that’s the case, then they’re not eligible and can’t have a GBP.

The guidelines list several examples of ineligible businesses, including “brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses.”

On the other hand, if they do sell their products at this location but also sell online to the rest of the country (or even the world), then they’d be eligible for a single GBP at this workshop/sales location.

You can’t use a Regus or other coworking space – the location must be separate for your business, not a shared space. You need permanent signage for the business, and your staff needs to be present during posted hours of operation.

So What? Couldn’t You Set Up A GBP Anyway?

Pretty much every time someone finds out they aren’t allowed to have a Google Business Profile, they ask why they shouldn’t set one up anyway.

Actually, it’s a really bad idea.

First of all, Google stopped using postcard verification and now exclusively uses video verification. Part of that verification process will include proving that you meet the guidelines – so if you’re not eligible in the first place, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get verified.

Over the last few years, Google has become more aggressive in enforcing the GBP Guidelines.

Anything that looks suspicious (and even some activities that are completely benign) can cause a suspension. So, even if you happen to have a profile that you’re not eligible to have, it’s likely that you’ll get suspended in the near future.

Once that happens, if you’re not eligible for a GBP, you won’t be able to get your profile reinstated.

Will A GBP Hinder Nationwide Visibility?

The second half of Ursula’s question is the most important bit. She asked if they should delete the Google Business Profile if they’re trying to concentrate on selling nationally.

As I walk through this part of the answer, I’m assuming that the business is eligible for a GBP (since if they aren’t eligible, this part of the answer won’t matter anyway).

Taking a bit of a step back, local SEO isn’t only Google Business Profiles, as most people assume. Google has multiple algorithms in play, and whenever a search query has local intent, the local algorithm will be used to display the search results.

The local algorithm displays localized search results in four areas:

• The Map Pack (or as it’s sometimes called, the “Local Pack”) – The local map with 3 search results either below the map or to the left, typically displayed above the organic results on the SERP.
• The Local Finder – The page you see if you click “more locations” under the Map Pack. It displays every search result in the area that matches the intent of the query (instead of only the top three).
• Google Maps – The results on Google Maps are powered by the local algorithm. While it looks like the same interface as the Local Finder, Google Maps typically has a narrower radius of results than the Local Finder since it’s more likely that the user will drive to the location.
• Organic search results – The results below the map pack are still localized and powered by the local algorithm.

Local SEO and traditional SEO aren’t mutually exclusive. The same business or website can optimize for both algorithms and achieve great visibility on both sides.

So what should Ursula do? Nothing, really!

If the business is eligible for a GBP but also sells products nationwide, the GBP won’t hinder its nationwide visibility.

But What About Showing Up In The Map Pack?

If we assume that the business is eligible for a GBP and I gave Ursula that answer, it’s pretty likely that either she or her boss will come back with a question next: “Well, how do we show up in the Map Pack in other cities?”

You can’t show up in a Map Pack if you don’t have a GBP – so keep that in mind. If the important queries that matter to your business have local intent and a Map Pack is displayed, you won’t be able to show in those Map Pack results. Period.

You’ll still be able to target the localized organic results below the Map Pack though, so concentrate your efforts there. Create awesome content that answers potential customers’ questions, but create multiple iterations for each big market you’re targeting.

Let’s say you sell blue widgets. You’d need a stellar blue widget page for the main menu of the site, and that’s likely going to be optimized around the city where the store is located. You’d then have several other uniquely written versions of the page, and each individual page would be optimized for a different target city.

With the right internal architecture and some solid SEO, you can get your site to show up in multiple cities, even though you don’t have a GBP in any of those cities.

TL;DR Summary

Having a Google Business Profile for your single location will not affect your ability to appear nationwide in search results – but realize that you’ll only appear in the Map Pack for the city where you’re located.

Also, always remember to check the GBP guidelines for any questions about eligibility or what you’re allowed to do with your profile

More resources: 

Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal