Google Places with locations inside of a mall

[SarahGoliger]

I got a great question from a franchise owner today regarding Google Places for his business. His businesses are all in malls.

With Google Places there is an emphasis on using consistency and full contact details, as we well know. The issue is his locations are in a mall and don't have a physical address to receive mail or verify their address. Is there a way to leverage Google Places in this kind of situation, or do you just use the general mall address?

[anjonr]

When I have done google places optimization for businesses in malls I have used the general address. When I have done the verification process the clients haven't had any trouble getting their mail even if it is sent to the main mall office. I have just told them to keep an eye out for mail from Google and tell anyone who might get the mail by mistake.

Note: I live in a small town(50k) and our malls are not gigantic.

[MiriamEllis]

Hello Brian!

Thanks for coming to Q&A with your question, which is an excellent one. I'm the Local SEO Associate here in the forum and will do my best to give you a helpful answer.

The situation you describe is common enough for Google to actually have spoken up about it within one of the most recent updates of their guidelines (see: http://support.google.com/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=107528). The guidelines state:

Some businesses may be located within a mall or a container store, which is a store that contains another business. If your business is within a container store or mall, and you'd like to include this information in your listing, specify the container store in parentheses in the business name field. For example, Starbucks (inside Safeway).

This is meant to resolve situations like the ones you are describing of businesses being located within container stores, but the details you have provided throw a monkey wrench into the works. You are saying that your potential client has no physical address whatsoever at which to receive mail? Are you 100% sure he is correct about this? He doesn't have a suite number of anything like that within the mall? I would double check on this with him.

If it turns out that he gave you the correct answer the first time around, then yes, there is going to be a significant problem here. The business, if new to Google Places, is very likely to be given the postcard-only verification option. If he can't receive mail, he's out of the game. In order to qualify for inclusion in Places, every business must have a legal business name, local area code phone number and physical street address. Without any one of those 3 items, the business doesn't qualify.

Again, I would return to this franchise owner and make sure he is positive that he has no address. Having one is is only hope of inclusion.

Best of luck!

Miriam