Question

Topic: SEO/SEM

Abandonded Proxy Phone Numbers Cause Seo Problems?

Posted by lstevens on 4/7/2016 at 4:38 PM ET 125 Points
I work with a retailer who used a SEM company for PPC. The Campaign used proxy numbers for call recording and tracking. This retailer dropped the service and is no longer doing any SEM (I know he should be doing it, but that is not the issue). Some calls to this number still go through to his store.
He was told that this will cause a problem with Google. Is that true? Has anyone experienced this? All I can think is that the proxy number was picked up by a directory. If he did a search for that number he might be able to track down the wrong listing and update it. Any other ideas?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 4/7/2016 at 5:44 PM Accepted
    If someone was to search for the proxy number using Google, what do they find?
    Is the main number correct when searching using Google currently?
    Odds are, there's no SEO issue - if someone can find them using keywords, name, and phone number they are okay.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 4/7/2016 at 5:55 PM Accepted
    Just today I had a client ask about this, and I don't know the answer. Does Google pick up the proxy number and apply it to your natural search listing? If you stop using the proxy number, how long does the proxy number continue to display? If someone calls the proxy number after, say, 90 days, will it be directed to someone else's business?

    I do know that CallRail is supposed to be more buttoned-up than Google when it comes to dynamic call insertion. Anyone have direct experience with CallRail?
  • Posted by mgoodman on 4/8/2016 at 10:46 AM Accepted
    Google has a proxy phone number system you can use to track which phone calls come from Google Adwords and which don't. Some reports suggest that the proxy numbers don't behave the way you expect them to, and that they hang around long after you've dropped the campaign ... or get picked up in places you don't want them to appear (e.g., directories, business listings, etc.).

    The issue is possible customer confusion as to what your phone number is. If a person writes down the number they see in your ad and then calls that number after you stop running the ad, what happens?
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