What Google requires of chains
Google sets rules for brands with several locations. In Google’s guidelines for representing your business:
- All locations of a business within the same country must have the same name.
- All locations must share the one category that best represents the business.
- There should be only one profile for each location.
Sub-brands and departments are the stated exceptions. For everyone else, consistency is a requirement, not a preference.
Why branch profiles drift
A profile can be changed by staff, by Google, and by suggestions from the public. Without one owner, hours change at one branch and not another, categories differ, and photos age. The customer sees many slightly different businesses under one name.
What one standard covers
- The business name, written the same way at every branch.
- Categories and attributes.
- Opening hours, including special hours.
- Descriptions and photos that follow the brand.
- Links to menus, ordering, booking, or products.
- Who may approve a change.
Why it matters to customers and to ranking
Google states that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results, and that local results are based mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence (Google’s guidance on local ranking).
Google also reported that 76% of people who search on their smartphone for something nearby visit a business within a day (Google and Purchased, May 2016). The branch they choose is the one whose profile is complete and correct when they look.
Who should own it
Central ownership works better than branch ownership, because consistency is the goal. Branches should still report what changes on the ground: new hours, renovations, closures.
The owner can be an internal team or a managed service. What matters is that one party is accountable for every branch.
Related: Local visibility for chains
By Bremark. Last updated: