Virtual offices and local seo

[corn2015]

Hi,
Are there any downsides to registering busiensses in directories that have virtual office addresses?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Cornelius,

Good question! Virtual offices are not permitted by Google's guidelines as they are not deemed to be real physical locations. If you have a client who doesn't have an official office, they will be better served using their home address and listing themselves on those directories that allow the address to be hidden, rather than using a virtual office which is a Local SEO taboo!

Phil Rozek has written a couple of good articles over the years on which directories allow one to use their home address while hiding it:

http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2013/04/22/private-local-citations-where-can-you-list-your-business-but-hide-your-address/

http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2012/08/13/can-you-rank-well-in-local-google-without-revealing-your-street-address-anywhere/

Hope this helps, and please let our community know if you have any further questions about this important topic.