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More often than not, my posts are driven by my desire not to have to explain something a million times to people. Essentially, once I have been asked the same question 3-5 times, I deem it worthy of a post. THEN, when I get asked the 6th time, I provide a link and boy do I ever look smart and efficient. Nyagoslav does this all time – pretty sure he has a post about anything and everything Google+ Local AND IF NOT, he knows exactly where to find a post on it…

Lately I have been getting asked a lot of about moving ones Google+ Local (Google Places) listing from one account to another. People are often super concerned that they will lose their analytics, and more serious, their ranking! Not true.

Like a phone number or domain, you can port out a Google+ Local listing and re verify it into a new account.

It is actually SUPER easy and should only take you a few minutes. Here’s how:

Step One: Login to the Google+ Local (Google Places) dashboard of the listing you want to move. If you have more than one listing in this account, it will default to the dashboard on login. If you only have one listing in this account it will bring you to the analytics page (or so I call it) for your listing. If it does the latter click “Google Places” in the top left corner of your page. Now you are on the dashboard.

Step Two: On the dashboard, under your listing business title, you will see edit and delete as pictured below. Click delete.

Step Three: Your next move will be critical. Do not make the mistake of selecting “Remove this listing from Google Maps” but instead, select “Remove this listing from my Google Places account.” The former will, as it reads, delete your listing from Google Maps whereas the latter merely releases your listing into the wild. That is, your listing will now be unverified and will leave your account. So, select the Google Maps option as pictured below, and click save changes.

Step Four: Logout of your Google account, and into the one you want to port the listing into.

Step Five: Go find that listing of yours! Easiest way I have found to hunt down a listing for this purpose is to visit Maps.Google.com and search your listings associated phone number. Once found, you want to bring up the Google+ Local profile page.

Step Six: Now that we have hunted down your Google+ Local page, it is time to capture it.

Before we go any further though, I should mention that in order to grab hold of this beauty, you are going to need access to the phone number associated with this listing. That is, you or someone else you know is going to need to pick up this phone when Google asks to verify that you are who you say you are. NOTE: if you are located in a different city, but more likely state/province/country than the listing address that you are re-claiming, you may get asked to receive a post card to verify in lieu of a phone call. This is just Google trying to cover its ass. Too many sketchy people like myself abusing the system I suppose.

So, I will assume you have access to the phone, are in or near the city of the listing and have the Google+ Local listing up on your screen. I now want you to look for the “Is This Your Business” button. It looks like this:

Click “Manage This Place” and you will be brought here:

Select “Edit my business information” followed by “Continue.” Add as little information as required in this next screen and click “Submit” at the bottom of the screen.

You will be brought to a verification screen next, where you will, hopefully, have the ability to choose a variety of verification options, including phone. This is a screen you are likely familiar with, so just follow the simple steps, pick up that phone, jot down those magic 5-6 digits and enter them in Google.

Ta-da, you should have now moved your Google+ Local (Google Places) listing from one account to another.

EDIT: You may want to jump into your account and make sure Google brought over all the details from your listings edit page…just in case!

Related posts:

1. Delete or Transfer Ownership of a Google Places Page
2. Google Local in Review: A Series
3. The Google Places Null Submit Trick (or sort of a trick)
4. On-site Optimization: Google Local in Review
5. Ranking Organically and in Google Places on Page 1