Don’t know about you but changing address is not one of my favourite tasks. Eventually we all face it and for some more than once. When it’s a business that’s moving, the consequences of any missteps can be serious.

The physical objects and the services we consume are easy enough to plan for and execute - desks and files, phone and electricity, stationery and signage. The virtual world is harder to see and its objects are harder to incorporate into the plan.

Here are some suggestions for your “to do” list for when your turn comes

• Update the address and phone number shown on your website (including any co-ordinates for Google Maps
• Update the address and phone number on your Google Places page (now often referred to as Google+ Local) and replace any photos of the premises with new ones as soon as possible
• Update your details on any of the other directories (Yelp, Start Local, True Local, etc). If you haven’t previously claimed these directories, a change of address is the perfect time.
• Use your email newsletter to send out advance warning of the changes and then confirm the details once the move has taken place.
• Update the address shown in any AdWords Campaign (or tie the address to the Places address, which decreases the number of steps to be taken at any future change)

I was prompted to write this post when I was researching a proposal for a new client. I noticed one of their Google Ads shows their address. This has been added using the “Manually Entered Addresses” extension within AdWords.

Do you have any suggestions for things to remember when changing premises? Please ad your thoughts to the comments below.