Comments on: Getting A Virtual Office For Your Google Places Page Is Risky Business

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:19:54 +0000

I haven’t seen Google provide an answer to whether a business is allowed to use a UPS box as the address by hide it in the listing. I own a business ans have the Legal address setup at the UPS box. What’s the deal?

By: Will This Work As a Physical Address?

Will This Work As a Physical Address? — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:05:19 +0000

[…] ago, and things have changed since then. I would also be reluctant to use that method now. Read this and this for deeper insight. If everything is strong (listings, citations, site optimization and […]

By: Google Local Hide Address Policy | Blog | ESQ Creative

Google Local Hide Address Policy | Blog | ESQ Creative — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:43:57 +0000

[…] this shouldn’t be problematic for attorneys, there is some discussion that virtual offices, sometimes used by attorneys to expand geographic presence, possibly violate […]

By: Justin Sous

Justin Sous — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:03:43 +0000

In reply to Business Owner. The problem here is that virtual offices are being used primarily to manipulate and create a local presence, not to do legitimate business. Sure, there are a small percentage of businesses who may actually use the location for an occasional meeting or two, but Google is making the decision that it does not want to rank virtual offices. Just the name "Virtual Office" gives all of those addresses less credibility. Like Joseph said, it's not hard for Google to connect the dots.

By: Joseph Henson

Joseph Henson — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:34:08 +0000

In reply to Stephen.

The best thing to do in your case is to setup you company on Google Plus Local (formerly Google Places) as a service-area listing without an address. Google’s guidelines state that

“Businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a single location, should not create a listing for every city they service. Businesses that operate in a service area should create one listing for the central office or location and designate service areas.”

“Listings with a designated service area and no address appear on Google search results with a red circle and the city the business is located in.”

Here is a link that further explains setting up service areas on your local listing

http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=177103

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:51:36 +0000

I hope someone here can advise me. I was thinking a virtual office would be great for my business. I run walking tours in various cities. We have no need for a brick and mortar building, as all guests meet our tour guides in various locations. In most cities I have opened in, I have partnered with local tour guides and have and currently used their addresses. I see my business like any corporation with multiple locations. The main difference being we don’t need locations. We seem to be more like a cleaning service (just national). I think Google doesn’t account for us.

Is it possible to have one company address and have service areas throughout the U.S. and Canada? If so, is that a prudent thing to do? It certainly would save me a lot of headaches.

By: Business Owner

Business Owner — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 07:19:29 +0000

Google can’t keep changing the rules and expect everyone to beg for mercy. If a business purchases a virtual office location in different cities, then it’s establishing a local presence. In fact the physical location is real and the company may enforce a policy where clients may meet at the virtual office location by appointment only. This gives a company a local physical address and a possible employee dispatch center for the surrounding service area. I hope Google leaves the Virtual office locations alone! If a business is creating an ad-boost with the physical location then what is the problem? Google is still earning money!!!!!! I miss the old days!

By: Manchester bloke

Manchester bloke — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:28:33 +0000

I agree that strategy is too risky, the only answer if you really need to rank locally is to get a proper office, an expensive solution forced on us by the virtual monopoly posision Google holds at the moment.
I notice it allows you to create any address you wish to list next to an adwords advert enhancement.

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:31:25 +0000

I’m late to the discussion but I see the following all the time.
A successful business has a full page YP ad covering multiple incorporated municipalities that butt up to each other. Business is good, they can afford the full page ad.

Now YP ads lose pull and the shift is Google, Yahoo and Bing local. However, these businesses have their physical address in one municipality and are able to list on G Places for that address. But they have always serviced or brought in customers from the other municipalities. But they don’t show in P Places for their business because they don’t have an address there. Now they’ve lost a huge chunk of their market due to the digital age taking over.

What are their options?