Where does Google get business information?
Google compiles Business Profile and local-result information from crawled public websites, licensed third-party data, user contributions (including claimed profiles), and Google’s own interactions with the place.
That mix is why a fact you never typed into the editor can still appear, and why a fact you did type can be challenged by another source. Google’s help article on sourcing says the combination of owner-added information and other sources is what customers see. Source: How Google sources and uses info in Business Profiles.
You can control the official website, the claimed profile, and the listings you actually manage. You cannot fully control user-suggested edits, every licensed dataset, or how quickly Google reconciles conflicts. Suggest an edit and keep the owner profile accurate; do not assume one save overwrites the web.
Why is my old address still appearing?
An old address still appears when some source Google or a directory still trusts still publishes it: an unupdated website page, a second profile, a data provider, a user contribution, or a citation you never changed after a move.
Moves are a change-control problem. Update the source of truth first (website contact page and the claimed profile), then the high-impact listings customers actually use. Redirect the old location page if that URL still ranks. Mark the previous premises closed rather than leaving it as an open pin. If you operate as a service-area business from a new base, hide the unvisitable address instead of leaving the old shopfront live.
Google may take time to stop showing the former address in some surfaces. Repeatedly creating new profiles to “force” the new pin usually creates duplicates. Keep one current address story for one real location.
Why does Google show the wrong phone number?
Google may show the wrong phone number because the profile, the website, call-tracking numbers, user edits or a directory still publish different numbers for the same business.
Call-tracking is a frequent cause. A unique number on Google, another on Facebook, and the real number on the website looks like three businesses. Google’s representation guidelines say the phone number must be under the direct control of the business and should connect to that location rather than a redirect to a different company. Premium-rate numbers are not acceptable.
If a former partner’s number, a closed branch number, or a spam listing’s number is winning, treat it as a duplicate or citation cleanup, not as a ranking trick. Keep one public number per location unless you have a documented reason for a second line (for example a separate department profile that Google allows).
Why are business hours inconsistent?
Hours become inconsistent when special hours, seasonal hours, department hours, or leftover “open 24 hours” claims disagree across the profile, the website and third-party sites — or when users submit edits.
Google asks for regular customer-facing hours, with special hours for holidays, and notes that some business types should not publish simple hours at all. A restaurant that lists dine-in hours on the site and kitchen hours on Maps will generate closed-door visits. Appointment-only operators should not advertise walk-in hours they do not honour.
When hours keep reverting, look for a second profile, a website widget that still shows last year’s times, or user suggestions. Fix the owner profile and the website on the same day.
Why are old business names still appearing?
Old names persist when the legal name, trading name, former franchise name and keyword-stuffed SEO name are still in use across signage, the website, the profile and directories.
Google wants the name that is consistently recognised in the real world. Extra services and slogans in the name field are not allowed. If you rebranded, the website, profile, signage and high-impact listings need the same primary public name. A Knowledge Panel or Maps subtitle can lag. Do not solve a rebrand by creating a second profile for the new name while the old one stays open.
Do small formatting differences matter?
Small formatting differences such as Street versus St, or a comma in a suite number, are not the same problem as a completely different phone number, a former address, or a different trading name.
Local SEO folklore treated exact NAP punctuation as a ranking ritual. Google’s local ranking help talks about complete and accurate information, not about matching abbreviations across every directory. Customers and systems need to recognise the same organisation. “12 High Street” and “12 High St” are usually the same fact. “12 High Street” and “Unit 4, Industrial Estate, another suburb” are not.
Standardise your source of truth (including how you write unit numbers) so staff stop inventing variants. Then spend cleanup time on conflicting facts, not on hunting every “Ltd” versus “Limited”.
What inconsistencies matter most?
The inconsistencies that matter most are those that send a customer to the wrong place, the wrong number, or the wrong business — or that split one location across two public profiles.
- Different addresses or a closed location still marked open.
- Different phone numbers, especially tracking numbers that customers cannot reconcile.
- Different names that look like separate companies.
- Storefront versus service-area mismatch (a public pin for a home office, or a hidden address for a shop customers visit).
- Hours that cause wasted visits.
- Website URLs that 404 or belong to a previous owner.
Abbreviation style, missing suite punctuation, and “and” versus “&” in a trading name are secondary unless they create a genuinely different identity.
How should business information be corrected?
Correct business information by locking a source of truth, updating the website and the claimed Google Business Profile together, then repairing high-impact listings and duplicates — not by submitting the business to hundreds of extra directories.
- Write the canonical name, address or service-area rule, phone, hours and website on one internal record.
- Update the website contact and location pages so crawlers and customers see the same facts.
- Update the verified Google Business Profile. Follow representation guidelines for name, address and phone.
- Search Maps for duplicates. Request merges or closures rather than creating a third listing.
- Fix prominent platforms customers actually use in your market. Ignore junk directories that nobody visits.
- Watch for user suggestions and Google updates after the change. Revert inaccurate edits.
If a Google-sourced field keeps reverting, use the profile’s process for Google updates and suggested edits rather than fighting it with a new account. Entity alignment across pages and profiles is the subject of entity SEO for local businesses.
Should all directories be updated?
No. Not every directory should be updated. Prioritise accuracy on sources customers and major platforms actually use, and avoid bulk-submitting the business to low-quality sites that create new junk listings.
Citation volume is not a documented local ranking factor on Google’s three-factor help page. Inconsistent public facts still confuse people and make the organisation harder to recognise. A practical scan of relevant listings is enough for most small businesses. That is the scope of local citation management: accuracy, consistency and relevance, not a submission quota.
What are duplicate listings?
Duplicate listings are more than one Google Business Profile (or more than one directory record) for the same real location or the same service-area business, which splits edits, reviews and customer paths.
Google’s guidelines say there should be only one profile per business location. Duplicates appear after moves, rebrands, former vendors, franchise confusion, or someone creating a new profile because they could not access the old one. They are a common reason information “won’t stick”. Do not create another duplicate to replace a suspended profile while an appeal is open.
Departments and individual practitioners can have separate profiles when they meet Google’s specific rules. That is not a licence for a second pin in the next suburb.
Business information consistency checklist
- One internal record for legal name, public trading name, address or service area, phone, hours and website.
- Website contact facts match the claimed Google Business Profile on the same day you change them.
- No leftover location pages or schema for closed addresses.
- One public phone number per location unless a genuine department listing exists.
- Call-tracking numbers are documented and not allowed to become a second identity.
- Hours include special hours for holidays; appointment-only operations are not advertised as walk-in.
- Maps search for the name and address shows one listing, not two open pins.
- High-impact directories match the source of truth; junk directories are not bulk-updated.
- Street vs St is standardised internally; conflicting addresses are treated as a real error.
- After a move or rebrand, the old listing is closed or redirected rather than left competing.
Sources and further reading
- Google Business Profile Help: How Google sources business information
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
Seeing conflicting information about your business online?
Otepsphere can audit your key business listings and website to identify factual inconsistencies that may confuse customers and search platforms.
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