New Google Local Listing Guidelines

Google has published a new set of guidelines for local businesses using the Local Business Center — guidelines that continue to get more specific to counter the very specific ways small businesses spammers try to bend or completely get around the rules.

In a nutshell, there are three completely new guidelines that deal with spam/attempts to take advantage of the LBC system:

1. The business name on Google Maps must be your full legal business name.
2. PO Boxes do not count as physical locations.
3. A property for rent is not considered a place of business. Please create one listing for the central office that processes the rentals.

I went into more detail on the changes in this Search Engine Land post. There’s also some great discussion in the comments on Mike Blumenthal’s post about the new guidelines.