A rebrand can be an exciting and transformative time for any business. Whether you’re refreshing your logo, changing your business name, or introducing a new product offering, it’s essential to make sure that your rebrand is reflected across all of your business listings. Business listings are vital for your visibility on the web, particularly for local SEO, and keeping them up-to-date during a rebrand is crucial for ensuring that your customers can find you and trust your business.
In this article, we will outline the best practices for maintaining and updating your business listings during a rebrand, ensuring a smooth transition and preserving the integrity of your online presence.
Why Updating Business Listings During a Rebrand is Important
When you update your business name, logo, or other key elements of your brand, it’s important to ensure that this change is accurately reflected across all platforms where your business is listed. Business listings typically include information such as your business name, address, phone number (NAP), website URL, description, and more. If your listings are outdated, this can confuse your customers, lower your rankings in search results, and even lead to missed business opportunities.
A rebrand is the perfect opportunity to ensure that all the details about your business are aligned, and this will help you maintain your SEO efforts and local visibility. By managing this process carefully, you can avoid penalties from search engines and ensure that your customers always find accurate and updated information about your business.
Step-by-Step Guide to Updating Your Business Listings During a Rebrand
Step 1: Plan Your Rebrand and Listing Updates Simultaneously
Updating your business listings should not be an afterthought once your rebrand is complete. Ideally, you should plan your rebrand and the necessary listing updates simultaneously. This will help avoid any discrepancies and ensure that everything is aligned.
Make a checklist of all the business listings where your company is present, including platforms like Google My Business (GMB), Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages, industry-specific directories, and any local listings that are important for your business. As part of your rebrand plan, include the timeline for when your new brand elements (name, logo, website, etc.) will be ready for deployment across your listings.
Step 2: Update Your Google My Business (GMB) Profile
Google My Business is one of the most important platforms for local SEO, and it’s crucial that your profile reflects the rebrand accurately.
- Business Name: If your business name is changing as part of the rebrand, update it in your Google My Business profile. Be sure that the new business name aligns with your website and other branding elements.
- Business Address: If the address of your business is changing, this update should be reflected across all listings, including GMB. It’s important that your address is consistent everywhere, as Google uses this information for local search results.
- Business Hours: Ensure that your business hours are updated if they are changing. You should also take into account any special hours or temporary closures during the rebrand, such as for store renovations or events.
- Business Description: Update your business description to reflect the new branding and messaging. This is an opportunity to describe what’s new, what’s improved, and what customers can expect.
- Photos: Replace your old logo and images with the new branding. High-quality visuals that reflect your rebrand are crucial for maintaining a professional and consistent image.
- Website URL: If you’ve launched a new website as part of your rebrand, make sure your GMB profile has the updated website URL.
Google will also provide an opportunity for customers to leave reviews. If your rebrand includes a significant change to the business, be prepared for customers to comment on the transformation. Be proactive in responding to reviews, whether they are positive or negative, to show that you’re engaged with your audience.
Step 3: Update All Other Online Listings
After updating your Google My Business profile, move on to other online business listings. Depending on your industry and geographical location, you might have a presence on:
- Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- TripAdvisor
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Urban Lens
- Local Industry Directories
Ensure that you update each platform with your new branding, business name, address, contact information, and website URL. Some platforms may require manual updates, while others may offer bulk upload features for larger businesses. Don’t forget to check for inconsistencies across platforms, as they can impact your rankings and visibility.
Step 4: Monitor NAP Consistency
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number, and consistency across all of your listings is one of the most important aspects of local SEO. During your rebrand, it’s essential that all of your NAP information is updated correctly.
- Name: Ensure that your business name is updated everywhere it’s listed. This includes major listings like Google My Business and Yelp as well as any secondary or niche directories.
- Address: If your address is changing, make sure the new address is updated consistently across all directories. Even small discrepancies in the address format (such as abbreviating “Street” as “St” in some places but not others) can cause issues for search engines and customers.
- Phone Number: If your phone number is changing, or if you have separate numbers for each location, make sure this information is updated in every directory.
By keeping your NAP consistent, you help maintain your local SEO rankings and ensure that customers can easily reach you.
Step 5: Handle Website URL Changes
If your rebrand includes a new domain or a change to your website structure, updating your business listings with the correct website URL is a critical step.
Make sure that the new URL is reflected in all of your business listings, including your Google My Business, Yelp, and other directories. Additionally, if your rebrand includes any changes to your online booking system, e-commerce platform, or contact form, update those as well.
If your old website URL is still being used on your listings, customers will get confused and may be directed to an outdated version of your site. To prevent this, set up proper 301 redirects from your old website to the new one. This will ensure that visitors to your old site are automatically redirected to the new version, preserving SEO value and customer traffic.
Step 6: Update Social Media Profiles
Your social media profiles are an important part of your business’s online presence. During your rebrand, don’t forget to update your social media accounts with your new logo, business name, and descriptions. This includes platforms like:
- TikTok
Not only will this help you maintain brand consistency across your digital presence, but it will also ensure that customers who follow you on social media will know about your rebrand.
Step 7: Communicate the Rebrand to Your Customers
Once your listings are updated, communicate your rebrand to your customers. Send out email newsletters, post on your website and social media accounts, and update your business cards, signage, and packaging. This ensures that your customers are aware of the changes and can easily recognize your new branding.
Be clear about why you’re rebranding and how it will benefit your customers. Highlight any new products, services, or improvements to the customer experience.
Step 8: Monitor the Transition and Address Any Issues
After updating your business listings, it’s important to monitor the transition and address any issues that arise. Keep an eye on customer feedback and ensure that all your listings are displaying accurate information.
Check your website’s traffic and SEO performance to ensure that the rebrand hasn’t caused any unexpected issues with ranking. Tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics can help you track changes and identify any problems early on.
A rebrand is a significant step for any business, but it’s also an opportunity to refresh your online presence. By carefully updating your business listings during a rebrand, you ensure that your customers can find accurate information about your business, improving your visibility and trustworthiness. By following these best practices, you can navigate the rebranding process smoothly, maintain your local SEO rankings, and keep your customers engaged throughout the transition.
