NAP/Citations - Physical Address Vs. Virtual & PO:? - Local Search forum at WebmasterWorld

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NAP/Citations - Physical Address Vs. Virtual & PO:?

Is a physical business address better than a virtual one, if so why?

AySEO

6:30 pm on Apr 5, 2021 (gmt 0)

So... I just have a general citation/NAP question for you guys that maybe you could help me with because I've not been able to find any direct answers. I have a client that is looking to let go of their physical office address for their business and possibly get a virtual listing or PO box instead.

My question is - Are there any negative effects to doing this as far as citation listings and Local SEO? I've always understood that it's best to have a physical location for local SEO authority but can't seem to find any direct answers on the difference between having a local, virtual, or PO Box address, or how they may affect SEO.

Or - Are the virtual and/or PO addresses just as valuable and useful as a physical address?

Thanks!

londrum

6:41 pm on Apr 5, 2021 (gmt 0)

i dont know about it for SEO purposes, but i have changed my mind about using a company because they didn't have a physical address before. i checked their address online and it was a virtual place that was home to about a bazillion different businesses . i know there's nothing wrong with doing it, but i it just seems a bit shifty, trying to pretend you have a better address than you really do.

AySEO

6:52 pm on Apr 5, 2021 (gmt 0)

For sure, I totally get that. I just feel like ever since COVID a lot of businesses are doing it, and with this company, for instance, they are an IT company and everything they do is remote/online so they never have anyone in the office anyway and its just a waste of money for them to pay for the space rather than have a virtual address or PO box, ya know?

Just want to make sure it wouldn't negatively affect their SEO to stop renting the space and go virtual or PO... and if it would affect it, to what extent is my main concern.

lammert

7:11 pm on Apr 5, 2021 (gmt 0)

It will affect your presence on Google Maps and will therefore have impact on local SEO. OTOH, why would you care about local SEO if the company is virtual? For a truly virtual company, the world is the market.

A PO Box address is the worst of all options. It shows potential clients that the company is literally nothing more than a letterbox. If I see online companies with a PO Box as address I refuse to do business with them. A shared office space center is more trustworthy.

anallawalla

9:10 pm on Apr 5, 2021 (gmt 0)

The client could keep an existing listing but remove the hours of operation. I work from home but it's not the kind of business where people will knock on my door (home address) but for good measure I don't show hours of operation. Unless the listing title contains the money term, you are unlikely to see a map result for it.

AySEO

12:50 pm on Apr 6, 2021 (gmt 0)

Right, apparently what I've been seeing is that GMB itself does not allow (virtual or PO addresses) and will flag for them if they notice it... and that the best option supposedly is to just hide the address on GMB altogether and just use general service areas. But still use a PO or Virtual for other general citations and Site info.

lammert

1:02 pm on Apr 6, 2021 (gmt 0)

Reviewers for GMB will from time to time check if the GMB listing is consistent with the site info. The listing might get flagged anyway.

What is more important, is that a PO Box on the site is a red flag for many visitors/potential clients. And in the end, the visitors pay the bill, not Google. The company profile should be trustworthy for people, not for algorithms.