Not every business has a just one storefront, and these businesses need to make sure each of their business locations is most easily accessible to their customers. Typically, people use Google Maps or Apple Maps to find the nearest one, and your business information in your Google Profile is what gives the app the proper information.
So when you’re creating your Google Business Profile (GBP), also formally called Google My Business (GMB), it would only make sense to create one for each location.
This type of arrangement allows for users to interact with their desired location, like getting directions to the nearest one, finding the right number to this location, or even leaving the proper location a review.
Let’s look at how to set up a multi-location GBP.
How to Set Up Multiple Locations in Google Business Profile
Below you’ll find the best practices for business listings which are multi-location businesses.
Login
The first step is to login to your Google Business Profile, if you already have one. If you don’t, you’ll need to setup your Google Business Profile first.
In either case, make sure the primary location or headquarters is fully verified by Google before claiming any alternate locations.
Create a New Business Group
If you have newly created your profile or have not yet created a group, you’ll need to create one first.
- Step 1: In the top left menu, you’ll want to click on the “Businesses” tab. It’s near the bottom of the menu.
- Step 2: You’ll want to create a new new location group, so click on the “Create group” button in the top left and give your group a name. This should clearly identify the group as a whole, and not a single location.
- Step 3: When you’ve entered a name, go ahead and click “Create” and begin adding your physical locations into the new group.
Add New Locations to an Existing Location Group
What if you already have a business group and you want to add a new location?
- Step 1: In the top left menu, you’ll want to click on the “Businesses” tab. It’s near the bottom of the menu.
- Step 2: You’ll want to select the proper group from the drop-down menu and click “Add location.”
- Step 3: Now fill in the new locations business name, fill in the location details, and complete all other necessary fields.
Why You Want to Consolidate Your Google Business Profiles
Technically, you can create multiple accounts using different logins, and have individual Google Business Profiles which are not connected.
But, there are several reasons why this is not a good idea.
- Having several logins to deal with is simply annoying, by itself. Keeping track of all the logins can be daunting, and could lead to losing account passwords if you’re not careful.
- If you need to make changes across all profiles at the same time, you’ll find yourself logging in and out of each one to get the job done which can be very time consuming.
- If a manager or location owner owns their profile login, you not only have less control over the profile, but if the manager or location owner were to leave, it could create issues of reclaiming the profile.
- If you have several locations which are all very tightly held geographically, it can actually confuse Google on whether they are all accurate and each profile is under the same owner, or if they are being created with a more nefarious purpose.
Having each location tied together within a single group helps you keep tabs on each profile with one login, maintain ownership of all profiles (and transfer it when needed), make updates quicker, and keep things clear for Google.
Some other pretty basic benefits of keeping up with an organized Google Business profile include:
- Being able to update a single business for more up-to-date or accurate information, like business hours, business phone number, or store locations if they relocate. This keeps potential customers from being confused or thinking you’ve gone out of business.
- Capturing Google reviews (the star rating you see next to the business name) for each individual location and not just the “headquarters” or main entity. This helps each specific location stand out for its service area and showcase positive reviews for the employees working at different locations.
- It also, helps to prevent duplicate listings, since you’ll have all the locations under one umbrella. This will help the local listing to rank higher in the maps results, which is commonly referred to as the Google 3-Pack.
All of these things are an easy way to help your local SEO (search engine optimization) and increase the number of times your business shows up in Google searches. Since local businesses can be somewhat dependent on foot traffic, your online presence is paramount to helping passersby find your location information quickly and accurately, especially mobile users already passing through or en route to a nearby destination.
How to Transfer Pre-Existing Profiles
In the instance where you already had multiple Google Business Profiles setup, whether created by your or another store manager or owner, you can simply transfer those accounts to your primary one.
Before you begin the transfer process, though, you’ll want to make sure you’ve met both of these prerequisites:
- Both the beginning and destination business groups should be listed as primary owner by the master account.
- The login you’re using should already be a member of each organization.
If these conditions are not met, you won’t be able to go any further.
Once these are complete, here’s what to do next:
- Step 1: In the top left menu, you’ll want to click on the “Businesses” tab. It’s near the bottom of the menu.
- Step 2: You’ll want to select the proper business group and click “Transfer location” from the “Actions” drop-down.
- Step 3: Select the location you want to migrate to the primary account and click “Transfer.”