Atlanta, GA. Dec 29, 2020 – When Tom Nguyen, founder of Mr. Technique, moved his business from Atlanta to St. Petersburg, Florida, the relocation did not go as smoothly as he might have hoped. Google My Business automatically suspended his listing immediately after he updated it – something that can take a hefty toll on a small business.
This week on ‘The Trust Factor’ radio show, Nguyen spoke with host and best-selling author Neil Howe about how he dealt with this suspension as well as how he feels about his future in St. Petersburg.
Mr. Technique’s Move was muddied by an Unexpected Google My Business Suspension
In the last decade, Mr. Technique has built a loyal clientele in Atlanta, Georgia, but Nguyen recently expanded his business’s horizons to St. Petersburg, Florida. Even though St. Petersburg represented a bright new expansion prospect for Mr. Technique, Nguyen couldn’t shake off a slight unease as the move approached. Atlanta was his home, after all, and he didn’t want to risk losing his top local web design and SEO rankings by moving.
Once he changed his business’s address and phone number, Nguyen was surprised to see his Google My Business listing automatically suspended. “A Google My Business listing shows all the local organic listings [for a small business]; the phone number, the address, and a link to the website,” Nguyen explained. “A lot of the time, people don’t even go to the website; they just make a phone call using Google My Business.”
Google My Business listings are a large part of SEO because they appear above the regular organic listings in local searches. Business owners can use this listing to engage with their audience and gain insights into their local search performance. Having it suspended can drastically hinder a business’s ability to generate leads – especially in a new city. To top it all off, the reinstatement process can be tedious and confusing. “Support at Google My Business hasn’t been great since the COVID-19 shutdown,” Nguyen added.
After Restoring Mr. Technique’s Google My Business Listing, Nguyen Looks Forward to Helping Businesses Struggling with Similar Problems
Nguyen got to work following Google My Business’s reinstatement process – he filled out the necessary forms and followed the instructions, but the support team didn’t respond despite Nguyen sending multiple emails with proof of his business’s new address. So Nguyen turned to the GMB support forums but for naught. His situation was unique and help was nowhere to be found.
Then he had an idea. “I didn’t fill out another reinstatement request, [instead] I filled out a regular support request and referenced my reinstatement request’s case number in there. When I did that, they actually responded on the next business day, and I kept the conversation going,” Nguyen explained. Long story short: things worked out this time!
As difficult as the Google My Business reinstatement process was, Nguyen saw it as a learning experience. “It’s important that you don’t contact Google My Business via a regular email,” he said, recounting some of the lessons he learned. “You have to do it via support ticket. And then every time you reply, you have to reply via the support ticket response.”
All in all, Nguyen walked away from that situation knowing he could help other small businesses facing the same issue. “I actually had this [whole process] documented on a blog post on my website,” he added. Nguyen has plenty of informative blog posts on his website which include SEO, social media, and digital marketing how-to articles that can help small business owners, so it made sense to create a Google My Business suspension blog post for them to turn to should they face the same issue.
But a blog post isn’t all Mr. Technique has to offer on the subject – Nguyen understands Google My Business much more and has added Google My Business Management as a service on his website.. “[I’ve got] lots of ideas coming into my head; about how I can help my clients.” he said. And with all that trouble behind him, Nguyen is also now focusing on building a strong presence in St. Petersburg the way he did in Atlanta. “I feel refreshed being here in St. Petersburg,” he reflected. Although Nguyen’s new office is in St. Petersburg, he plans on returning to Atlanta frequently to visit his clients.
If you are interested in Nguyen’s work or are struggling with similar Google My Business or relocation issues, you can reach him at https://www.mrtechnique.com/.
Location Info:
Mr. Technique
136 4th St N Suite 204, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 209-7995