Virtual Offices & Google Search

[ChristinaRadisic]

United Kingdom

We have a client who works from home and wants a virtual office so his clients do not know where he lives.

Can a virtual office address be used on his business website pages & contact pages, in title tags and descriptions as well as Google places.

The virtual office is manned at all times and phone calls will be directed to the client, the virtual office company say effectively it is a registered business address.

Look forward to any helpful responses.

[UmarKhan]

Christina,

Although it's seems kind of illegal activity but I'm telling you with confidence that there are thousands of IT companies operating in this manner. They put all the infos on websites including; Physical address, zip code, phone numbers (Skype number) everything..

Virtual offices works in a very smart way.. They delivered and respond to every query they receive regarding your business to you. Even, I have worked with the company who had virtual office and their google local listings were all perfectly placed. The problem arises when you have to change your virtual address due to any reason and then the cleaning mess starts.

So be careful!

Hope this helps!

Umar

[ChristinaRadisic]

Thanks for your response Umar

The cleaning mess you talk of.  Is this simply having to find all listing with the business address and having to change them?

• Christina

[MiriamEllis]

Hi There,

Very good question! While you can use any address you like on your own website, virtual offices are expressly forbidden by Google's guidelines. See: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en  The guidelines state:

Use a precise, accurate address to describe your business location. PO Boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations are not acceptable.

While Umar is correct that many companies are violating Google's guidelines, (and, yes, getting away with it!) the problem with doing something you know Google doesn't want is that you never know when consequences may arise. If this were your own business and you were willing to take the risk of a possible takedown of the listing, then it would be a risk/benefit question you would need to carefully consider. It's different when it comes to advising a client. Most good Local SEOs will agree that advising a client to violate a Google guideline isn't the right thing to do. Some folks will argue that they can profit short-term from a guideline violation, and that's likely true, but most clients care so much about their businesses that they are looking for advice that will help them both now and in the future - they want a sustainable marketing strategy.

Highly recommended reading on virtual office takedowns: http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local-important/26844-busted-warning-attorneys-regus-non-compliant-offices.html

You've asked an important question. It's these types of questions that can help us to be so useful to our clients!

[MiriamEllis]

Hey Umar!

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond to this thread, but I'd urge you to consider that just because businesses may be getting away with the violation today, doesn't mean that they'll continue to do so tomorrow. Bending Google's rules to suit one's circumstances may not be a sustainable approach to local search marketing, given the numerous crackdowns we've seen over the years. They happen quickly and can sometimes be all but impossible to recover from.

[ChristinaRadisic]

Thanks for that link (we had just found it when I received your response), we are ok - YAY

Many micro businesses work from bedrooms, garages or garden sheds and they don't want their clients to know where they live or want to look more professional by having a virtual office.  Which is the case with this client.

In the real world having a virtual office is perfectly acceptable, because the office is manned at all times, by real people and meetings can be held at those premisses.  The virtual office also allows the micro business owner to meet his clients at that address and to use it as their registered business address. He can also have phone answering services as well as call and post forwarding.

What I have discovered is to set the business up within Google places as servicing customers at their locations.  It is perfectly ok to use a virtual office if it is manned and the customers can get hold of the business owner and that permission is given to represent that address.

As far as I'm concerned this is a legal way of running a business and isn't spammy in the real world.  Google should understand how businesses work in real life - my concern was simply would Google attack when it is legitimate and not an attempt at spamming multiple locations.

My client and I are not looking at spamming Google, but needed to know if a legitimate way of running a business in the real world translates to being on Google.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Christina,

Unfortunately, Google does not always reflect how things work in the real world. Their policy on virtual offices is clear and they are also not in favor of re-directing phone numbers. Home-based business are not the same as virtual offices. Google make provisions for home-based businesses via the hide address function in their dashboard. The owner is providing their real home address but then opting to have it hidden. A virtual office is providing an address at which the business isn't actually located, and this is what Google does not want. But, it's always up to the business owner to interpret the guidelines, assess risks and go with the strategy they feel confident with.

I can completely understand your position that Google 'should' see things a certain way. There are many things Google does with which I don't personally agree and their weird treatment of SABs over the years has always vexed me, but, it won't do me any good to insist that Google should see things my way if, in going against their stated wishes, I end up penalized. Google isn't interested in how I think things should work. They are interested in how they think things should work, and if I want to win the game using their system, I consider playing by their rules a prerequisite for participation.

[ChristinaRadisic]

Hi Miriam

Thanks for the response, I completely understand what you are staying and agree with you.  I always play by Google's rules, but occasionally the real world has to be considered.

In this instance it is more important and more financially beneficially to the company to have the virtual office near to where all their clients are currently based.

But we don't want anything to happen to the website as it is a source of reference for their customers, so we have already put in place hiding the home address and showing Google the area serviced by the client.

We won't be targeting the virtual address as the business is strong enough to appear within the location they service.

-Christina