How To Manage Multi-Location Of Your Law Firm's GMB Listing
Updated: Oct 17, 2022
Learn How To Optimize Local SEO for Multi-Location Law Firms
Some law firms have multiple office locations. This could be because some attorneys are licensed in other states, or multiple offices helps with client accessibility. After all, the closer your office, the more accessible you'll be—and a lot of clients go to law firms that are closest and most familiar to them.
That said, how does this affect your GMB strategy? How do you manage listings on Google My Business with multiple locations and the same name?
Let's talk about multiple locations, GMB management, and addressing possible duplicates:
Using Google My Business to Manage Multiple Locations
While handling several locations seems a lot, several Google My Business features can help you manage your law firm's marketing strategy.
1. Use A Single Google My Business Account To Manage All Your Law Firm Listings
To begin, you should create a centralized Google account. Operating from multiple accounts makes it nearly impossible to maintain a consistent brand experience from one place to the next. Still, errors, inconsistencies, or inaccuracies in your listing data, mainly your name, address, phone number, and website, can seriously harm your overall Lawyer SEO strategy.
Using a single Google account for all of your listings makes it easier to keep control of your data in the case of a management change. It also makes it much easier to access Google support if you need it.
2. You Can Grant Access To Different Account Managers
From the Google My Business dashboard, you can easily add managers to help you manage your multiple locations.
Remember: If you add a manager to your account, they will have access to update and alter all of your business locations.
3. You Can Upload Locations In Bulk
Adding each location manually if you have a considerable number of them might be a time-consuming task. Fortunately, you can bulk upload several listings to a single Google account using Google's bulk upload feature.
To use Google's import tool, simply add your location information to a bulk upload spreadsheet and submit it.
4. Request Access To Listings You Don't Already Manage
Maintaining control of your law firm's internet visibility is critical. It is, after all, the first impression you will make on a potential consumer.
You may attempt to add a listing that has been claimed and validated by someone else, whether you're creating your listings one at a time or using the bulk upload option. While this can be scary, it is a relatively normal occurrence. First, you must complete Google's ownership transfer request form. After you finish the upload procedure, you'll be able to view which listings are owned by others and access the instructions for obtaining ownership.
What Can You Do About Duplicate Law Firm Listings?
Even though duplicate listings no longer negatively influence your Google ranking as they once did, there are still various reasons to deal with them in Google My Business. Here are some of the crucial reasons why:
Due to the numerous duplicate listings, the original listings may lose the opportunity to receive additional online reviews. As a result, the original listing will receive fewer reviews because it will be divided among several duplicates.
New clients may be confused by duplicates. When potential clients see too many postings with the same name, they may become confused and give up hunting for the original.
There is a lack of exposure for the original listing because there are so many duplicates.
There's a chance you'll lose your verification, or it'll be more difficult to obtain one. A business will not be as trustworthy as it would be if Google verification was used.
As you can see, having several duplicate listings can severely impede your law firm's marketing strategy, therefore getting rid of them is the best option.
You can merge, update, or eliminate duplicates to ensure that your Google My Business listings stay an effective law firm marketing tool:
Option 1: Merging
When two postings are nearly identical, merging duplicate is a smart approach. For example, if you have two confirmed listings for the same business at the same address, ensure you remove the verification on one before merging them.
Additionally, you must own both postings before merging them. In any situation, contact GMB for assistance. They will assist you in merging the two listings and eliminating a duplicate.
Option 2: Editing
For example, when a listing has an incorrect address on Google Maps, the opportunity to change it is useful. First, select one of the correct alternatives, such as 'Place Never Existed' or 'Place Permanently Closed' from Google Maps' Suggest an Edit.
However, if a listing contains an outdated address, you can request to relocate it by contacting GMB support.
Option 3: Remove A Listing
You can remove a listing you added but later discovered you already had confirmed for the same place. In this situation, go to the "Account Summary" tab and look for "Duplicate Locations."
By choosing " Erase This Listing" or " Remove" on this list, you can delete all the duplicate places you wish. However, don't delete the certified listing, so you don't have to go through the hassle of getting it validated again.
Talk To The GMB and Local SEO Experts at LawyerLeadMachine
Google My Business listing is essential to the success of attorney websites, and it promises to increase your clients and revenue.
LawyerLeadMachine is here to help law firms with Lawyer SEO and content marketing. Whether it's content production, website automation, or Attorney Local SEO, there are options for you here.
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