How to Nest Department Listings on Google My Business

Managing a single Google My Business page might seem like enough work, but Google offers some businesses the option to add additional pages. In this article, we will discuss which nesting options your business qualifies for, how to create additional pages and the benefits of doing so.

According to Google, “departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government institutions may have their own listings on Google.” However, car dealers have their own, unique guidelines. Let’s break this down.

The Basics

Costco Wholesale is the main GMB page for this location. Costco Bakery is a department within the physical store, but it also has its own GMB listing. Other listings for this location include Costco Food Court, Costco Hearing Center, Costco Pharmacy, Costco Photo Center, Costco Tire Center, and Costco Vision Center. Again, all of these departments are located within the same building as Costco Wholesale, but they benefit from being able to list their own hours and phone numbers on their page.

Not just any store department can have its own page. Here are the features a department must have to qualify for its own GMB listing:

1. A specific location at the business 
2. Its own entrance
3. Distinct signage
4. A distinct name and phone number
5. A different category from the primary business

Auto Dealerships 

Auto dealerships are different in that they have two nesting options. These rules do not apply to used car dealerships, which can only have one listing.

First, they can have an additional listing for each brand they sell under one roof. For example, Ford Lincoln of Queens Boulevard has a separate page for Lincoln of Queens, although they have the same address. They could also make one for Ford of Queens. 

Second, auto dealerships can have additional listings for different departments such as Sales, Service, and Parts departments. 

Departments can only be nested under the general dealership page, not a specific brand’s page. 

Why You Should Spend the Time to Set This Up

You may be perfectly happy with how your current, single GMB page is fairing. Your business is getting a lot of traffic, and you’ve amassed a large number of reviews. We recommend exploring whether expanding your GMB to include additional listings is right for your business. Here are the potential benefits. 

If a customer wants to reach your Service Department, wouldn’t it be easier for them to have the direct number? The average internet user might not take the additional steps of visiting your dealership’s website and tracking down the “Contact Us’ page to find the right information. Most will search your dealership on Google and choose the first number they see: the one listed on your GMB.

However, if they have the option to choose from the list of departments on your GMB, they can easily click to the one they want and find the exact phone number they need. This applies to department hours, as well. With easily accessible information, fewer customers will show up expecting a certain service only to be disappointed that the department isn’t open. Ultimately, having multiple GMB listings can lead to better customer service. 

Individual listings mean individual reviews. This is great news for customers hoping to visit your business for a specific purpose. For example, let’s say a customer wants to purchase a cake from Costco in Colchester. Instead of wading through hundreds of reviews on the general page, they can look at the reviews specifically posted by bakery customers. As we know, the average consumer needs 10 reviews to trust a business. A dedicated listing gets them there faster, increasing the likelihood that they will visit your business. 

This is especially true for businesses that are hidden within another business, such as a restaurant in a hotel. That restaurant may not benefit from foot traffic passing by on the sidewalk. They can make up for this lack of physical visibility by having a strong digital presence and with clear directions about where they are located. For example, if I ran a search for restaurants in Manhattan and decided to eat at Clement, I wouldn’t end up confused when I visited the address and saw The Peninsula New York. 

If nesting could be for you, here’s how you do it

Here are the steps for creating a listing for a department, assuming your main GMB page is up and running.

1. Create an entirely new Google My Business listing, making sure to use a different phone number and category from the main business.
2. Once it’s created, search for the page on Google and click “Suggest an edit.”
3. Next, choose “Change name or other details”
4. This will bring you to a new page. Go to the section “Located within” and type the name of the primary business.
5. You should now see the “Located In” feature on the nested page.

Note that once you submit your nested page it will no be live immediately. Google will review the submission and set it live in a few days. So hang tight.

For further tips on optimizing your Google My Business listing, check out Widewail Academy's free GMB 101 and GMB 201 courses.