More threads by russofford

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I remember in the Google Places training that we went over the process of editing a business name... a special way.

I believe that was to correct something minor... or perhaps to remove superfluous words that could violate Google's guidelines... such as changing from 'Fred Smith - Chicago Accountant' to just 'Fred Smith' (without a keyword in the name.)

Where do we draw the line between changing a business name from within the Google Places dashboard and closing the listing altogether when a name change is needed?

This is probably pretty straightforward, but an example would be a name change for an accounting firm... From the old name (fictitious) of: Smith & Doe LLP to the new name "Smith LLP" (Mr. Doe left the firm).

In this case, would we attempt to simply 'edit' the Google Places business name (as all other NAP info remained the same) or do we close it and create an new listing with the new name?

I assume the latter, as there would be many many many citations for the old firm name in existence, and forcing a name change via the dashboard would only cause the name to flip back and forth between the old and new name at best.

I also ran into this issue with Google reviewers when trying to 'correct' a company's name where their official name is something like "Example Inc" but they made the mistake of opening a G+ Local listing as "Example Widget Services Inc" (to get keywords in their company name.)

When I tried to edit (or 'correct') the G+ Listing (and GMM POI), the reviewers (and Google's algos) seemed to insist that the longer, incorrect, name was the real name. Reviewers didn't want to OK the edit in GMM and Google's algo didn't want to 'take' the name change from the dashboard. (Most likely due to the abundant propagation and popularity of the old/incorrect name) in IYP sources.

Thanks for you input.

Russ
 
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Hi Russ,

Moved to the moving and name change forum where you'll find lots of info. Here is one thread:
Rebrand or Name Change - Map Maker Says Open New & Close Old

However things have changed. Even with a move now Google says just edit the listing, don't open new and close old. And rebranding rules seem to follow moving rules.

Plus in that thread I quote the MM rules which say if it's a minor name change like the ones you mention then you should just edit listing.

If the name is correct in dash and changes on live, instead of trying to edit in MM and fighting with those guys, I'd just call phone support and take care of it with a rep.
 
Hi Linda,

I just had an idea that could be helpful for many. Since the Google rules are always changing, could you create a page or post dedicated to a 'timeline' of changes?

This way we can keep track of what method we should be currently using... and compare that to past/present posts.

I find it difficult to keep up with the latest changes in Google, but especially when reading previous posts... it is hard to know if the info is current or not... so, for example, in the old posts, you could easily/quickly link to the 'timeline' post or page.

In my mind, the way it could work would be having a rough date of the discovery of new info, with a dash after it, then a quick description/explanation of the change.... so that when one reads a past post, they can scan the dates of the threads/replies to know if someone is talking about / commenting on a new or old procedure.

Thoughts?

For the sake of other's reading this post... I'll link to the post you mentioned regarding the newest rules: http://localsearchforum.catalystema...-moves-procedure-changes-again-just-edit.html (Posted: 02-20-2013)

Russ
 
Does this new rule (just edit the business address - don't close and open new) apply to the old dashboard as well? I have a service client who still has the old dashboard and has moved. He's an electrician so his home address is his business address and he just moved to a new home.

If I edit it in the old dashboard a post card will be triggered, which is totally fine, but I just want to be sure this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Thanks,

Travis
 

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