Don’t Create Separate Google Business Profile For Department Listings

01/08/26
Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Why Automotive Dealers Should Avoid Separate Department Listings on Google Business Profile

Automotive dealerships should avoid creating separate Google Business Profile (GBP) department listings for individual services like oil changes or tires. This practice can lead to profile suspensions and loss of visibility on Google Search and Maps. Only specific department listings (service, parts, body shop) are allowed, and violating rules risks losing reviews and search presence. Vendors promoting this strategy may also cause dealerships to face penalties.

Optimixed’s Overview: Protecting Your Dealership’s Google Business Profile from Risky Department Listings

Greg Gifford’s Warning on Google Business Profile Department Listings

Greg Gifford, an expert in automotive and local SEO, has issued a strong caution to automotive vendors and dealerships regarding how they manage their Google Business Profiles. Recently, Google removed the “departments” feature from dealership listings, leading to confusion and risky attempts to create multiple department listings for services.

Key Risks of Separate Department Listings

  • Suspension and Removal: Creating multiple GBP listings for individual services beyond the allowed categories can cause Google to suspend your profiles.
  • Visibility Loss: Suspension impacts your dealership’s visibility in both Google Search and Google Maps.
  • Review Impact: When profiles are reinstated, dealerships often lose a portion of their valuable customer reviews.
  • Vendor Liability: Vendors encouraging this practice risk causing penalties for the dealerships they serve.

Allowed Department Listings and Best Practices

According to Google’s guidelines and Greg’s advice:

  • Dealerships may only create separate GBP listings for the service department, parts department, and body shop.
  • Some manufacturers (e.g., Stellantis or GM) allow individual brand profiles, but this should be approached with caution.
  • For other services, dealerships should set them up as service listings rather than departments.
  • Proper setup includes naming the listing starting with “[brand] service,” using the service phone number, linking the website to the specific service page, and selecting the appropriate service category.

Final Thoughts

Dealerships must adhere strictly to Google’s GBP guidelines to avoid risking their online presence. The temptation to create multiple department listings to boost local SEO can backfire, leading to significant penalties and loss of customer trust. Instead, focusing on accurate, compliant service listings will safeguard your dealership’s reputation and visibility.