Question on managing the online presence of multiple local biz's...

[imontie]

I searched for a while but decided to just post it here in the newbie section because after 30 minutes of sifting through local SEO threads... i was getting lost in too much information.

Simple question: if I am going to be managing the online presence of 2 local businesses.... in addition to my own local biz IM consulting firm.. should i be making the accounts, citations, websites, etc. on their own IP address?

I have a Hostgator reseller account (the $25 a month plan) in which I can make a separate 'account' for each website. is that enough? or should i be taking additional measures to separate the business identities from each other?

 

[Phear]

I don't see why it would matter. The only instance I see problems occurring with the instance of multiple IP's is if you're trying to run and mange a private blog network.

 

[imontie]

? anyone else?

 

[malloc]

3 sets of accounts from one IP should not be an issue. You might need to (and should) phone verify the social accounts with their owners.

Web hosting is a different matter. Unless you need SSL 1 IP is no issue. The size of the account depends on how busy your site is. Hostgator is owned by a big conglomerate which has it pros and cons (generally stable but they don't care about you). In time you will probably find a reason to move. Managing the different sites via a reseller account (WHM) is convenient i.e. don't use add-on domain in 1 cPanel account - it will be a headache at some point.

 

[Broland]

For the majority of sites you will be fine with using the same IP. Be sure to clear cache, history, temp files, etc. in your browser when switching between clients.

Below are the few sites that from my experience do often need a separate IP:
Zipleaf - keeps IP for about 1 month. 1 listing per IP
Acxiom - 1 listing per IP
Shoplocally - 1 Listing per IP. Can create listing but later deleted.
Quora - Moderated for spam accounts, IP is a factor
Facebook -Monitors a lot, can get accounts locked.
Craigslist - Local IP's are good to have.
Yelp - Moderated with many flags/filters, IP is surely one of them.