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How to Claim or Merge Duplicate Google Business Profiles

 

What should you do if you have multiple Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business listing) for a single business? The simplest solution is to claim and merge those listings.

 

Duplicate listings can occur when there are multiple listings for a business. Claiming and merging duplicate listings, in this case, is important for a number of reasons. 

 

Having two or more listings with conflicting details can make it harder for people to find accurate information about your business online, since Google may not always show the listing with the most up-to-date information. Reviews could be left under multiple listings as well. The most important reason to merge duplicate Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business listing) is that having duplicate listings is a violation of Google’s guidelines and it could result in penalties and hurt your business’ ranking in local search.

 

Thankfully, claiming and merging duplicate Google Business Profiles is a fairly simple process. If a Google Business Profile that you don’t have ownership of appears in search results, follow these steps:

 

  1. Open Google Maps
  2. Enter your business name in the search bar
  3. Click on the business name (making sure to select the correct one)
  4. Click Claim This Business > Manage Now
  5. Choose a verification option, and follow the steps on screen

 

Once you have claimed all of your business’ listings on Google, you will want to get started merging those listings. 

 

To merge Google listings, start by making sure the duplicate listings match your listing’s address exactly. If the addresses match, you can contact Google and request that they merge the two listings using this form. If the addresses do not match exactly, then you should use the “Suggest an edit” feature and mark that the location does not exist.

 

Having a single, claimed Google Business Profile is the best way to help people learn about your business, and it is also good for local SEO.

 

To get expert knowledge on how to manage your Google Business Profile, reach out to SOCi.

 

Learn how SOCi can help take your
localized marketing to the next level.