What's the best way to open a new location and get the most out of our Google My Business listing?

• We are about to open a new office in another location. When setting up the Google My Business (GMB) listing...
  1. Do I create and verify a new GMB Page? Or;
  2. Do I add the new location to my existing GMB Page? (I do not anticipate we will ever have 10+ locations - only 2-3 max)
  3. Should I create a new location home page on my website to link to the new GMB listing?
  4. Is it essential that I have a local phone number? Our calls come through a central reception and are transferred via VOIP to the other location.
  5. Anything else I need to be wary of?

Answer:

1. Ideally yes, you should create a new Google My Business listing for the new physical address.
2. No, a GMB listing for the new location with the new address will expand your reach into that area.
3. Sorta, we recommend having a locations page with one URL that represents each physical location. On each page would be the unique NAP (name, address, phone) contact information, then maybe directions/map, and a description is often beneficial.

   For example "Our Dallas office serves the great Dallas Metroplex including Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, ... "

   Don't go crazy by stuffing in every conceivable keyword but that should give you a general idea. Anything else you can add to be helpful to the customer or make the page unique would also be advisable.

4. Yes, ideally you should have a local number with area code / exchange for each location. This is an integral part of the strategy — the number goes out to phone directories, which help validate your NAP across the entire local ecosystem. IF that number needs to route to your call center in some way, you can usually use some form of call forwarding to accomplish the task.
5. We typically link each city location GMB page to the locations page that represents that city on the website. However, you don't have to do that. You can link to the home page if you prefer. If you need examples, take a look at how the big hotel chains like Holiday Inn do it.