a competitor Ellis Moving and Storage is at 1580 Columbia St North Vancouver V7J1A4

My business ranked at the top and the competitor didn’t rank at all. Now it’s their name, my website their phone number, mixed photos from both of us…it’s nuts.

It’s been 1 week and my fear is does google give my great ranking to them? It’s really confusing for clients who just want to call us. THey get another company!

Like puresheer mentioned, add a suite # to the addresses so they become unique. AND, this is extremely important, each listing (yours and your sub-contractors) MUST be using unique phone numbers.

You said “The business address, name and phone number are the same with me and my competition.” That is the problem. Address and phone numbers are the primary location signals Google has to work with. Business names and categories are not as important. Think of a chain of fast food restaurants where name, descriptions, categories would be the same but they have 3 location across the same city. Their listings don’t merge if they each use unique addresses and phone numbers.

just couple of suggestions-
1. You can register a DBA that will present your service & name (that way it’ll be much more unique & Local SEO oriented).
2. Try to use your current address + a suite # (or something like that) with your listing.
3. Each & every detail that will differ you from others is holly (ph. #, key words, categories, custom Attributes, year of establishment, operate hours, etc.., etc..).
All the above will definitely help!
Be strong (& VERY creative!)

Thanks!

There is a way to do it right. But without full information about the locations AND lots of time, very difficult to summarize here.

My situation is a little different than most. The business address, name and phone number are the same with me and my competition. I own the business, lease, phones, numbers, etc. I have sub-contractors who are also independents, so we all share the same physical location, etc. It just turns out, as someone mentioned earlier, Google merged everyone’s information, reviews, etc., but also picked a website to be dominant (which is one of my sub-contractors and not mine). So, I need a solution to ramp up the business I’ve lost due to the merging.

One thing to keep in mind, I’m a medical provider who does business face-to-face with a customer base within 50 miles. Online sales don’t apply, so local traffic is my bread and butter.

Based on Googles lack of response over the past year, I can’t rely on them to undo bad merges, so I need to come up with another solution.

I plan on re-launching my website with a new domain name, new look, etc., and will be launching a big local campaign based on the new site. But I need to make sure with all the work I plan on doing, the new site, info etc. doesn’t end up merged with the other mess. What do I need to change to make sure this doesn’t happen? I plan on launching the new site based on my name rather than my business name, and plan on using a different phone number (one of the other phone lines in the office) and different email address. Is that enough? If I use the same address as my sub-contractors, all else being different, do I still stand the risk of being merged?

I don’t have the mental energy to have to do this a 3rd time, so I need to get it right this time around.

Thanks again!

I think it is a bad idea. Your business location is what gets ranked and it needs the support of the whole local ecosystem to achieve its real potential. Changing your address for this one purpose is counterproductive.

What are the business titles of you and the company with which you are merging that are being used in Google? Is it possible that both of you, in search of higher ranking, added similar keywords to your business name? If so that could very well be the cause of the merging.

So, my idea (and what I’m hoping for feedback on). I am located at a cross street…corner of 48th and 135th. My address is 4800 – 135th ave. I am going to create a new listing but list my address as 13500 – 48th ave. It is a fictional address (so no other business at this address), and comes up as the right location on Google Maps. I will also use my second line or cell number in the add and have secured a new domain name. I am trying to change as much info as possible from my merged listing. Will also be using a new domain name.

Is this a realistic option? It’s like starting all over again, but Google doesn’t seem interested in fixing the merge so I don’t see what other option I have.

Thanks Mike!!