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Understanding Google My Business & Local Search

SABS with Social Local G+ Page – Hide Your Address Now

The process of merging a social G+ Page with a non social G+ Page (AKA a G+ local listing, a Place Page, a non merged G+ page for local) was never intended for use by service area businesses (SABs in Googletalk) that were supposed to hide their address. That didn’t stop them and many of them merged their pages anyways. Google did alert those that did so to delete the +Page and return to a dashboard managed listing but many did not get the memo.

Google has announced in the forums that they have now upgraded the social local G+ Page management interface  to include the feature to hide the address and that SABs that currently have local social pages should hide their address.

Top Level for SABs?

  • If you have merged HIDE YOUR ADDRESS (or risk your listing being buried)
  • If you are in the Dashboard with a Hidden address – STAY THERE
  • DO NOT MERGE if you have not done so already

Here is the announcement:

SABs who already have verified/merged social local G+ page, hide your address:

  • Log into Google+, click Pages on the left, and Manage the page in question
  • Click on Edit business information on the page for your business
  • Click on the pencil next to the address
  • Check the box saying, “My business has service areas where I visit customers at their location.”
  • Uncheck the box saying, “I serve customers at my business address.”
  • Edit service areas as necessary.

Remember, businesses who do not serve customers at the business address should hide their addresses.

*** SABs with hidden address who do not already have verified pages that they created in Google+ should proceed using Google Places for Business at places.google.com. SABs with hidden address should not create new local pages in Google+. ***