You set up your Google Business Profile with the correct business name, address, phone number and hours. Everything looks good, so you assume it will stay that way unless you make a change.
Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.
Google can update information on your Business Profile even when you haven't requested the change. According to Google, it gathers business information from multiple sources and may update a profile when its systems receive information suggesting that existing details are incorrect or outdated.
For a local business that relies on Google Search and Google Maps to generate calls, website visits and customers, these changes are worth monitoring.
Where Does Google Get Your Business Information?
The information displayed on a Google Business Profile doesn't come exclusively from the business owner.
Google says it compiles Business Profile information from several sources, including:
- Information provided by the business owner
- Public information found online, including content from your website
- Licensed third-party data
- Information contributed by Google users
- Google's own interactions with businesses and locations
This is one reason consistency across your online presence is so important.
If your website shows one phone number, an online directory shows another and your Google Business Profile contains something different, Google has conflicting information to process.
What Information Can Google Change?
Google may update information when it receives reports or other information indicating that your existing details may be inaccurate.
Changes can potentially affect important information customers use to find and contact your business, including:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Business hours
- Categories
- Other profile information
Google also allows users to suggest edits to businesses they don't own.
This doesn't mean every suggested edit will automatically become part of your profile. But it does mean the information displayed on your listing isn't entirely under your direct control.
Google May Use Information From Your Own Website
One particularly important source is your website.
Google can use publicly available information from a business's official website when determining Business Profile information.
For this reason, make sure your website clearly displays accurate and consistent information about your business.
If you move, change your phone number or update your hours, don't update only your Google Business Profile. Review your website and other important online listings as well.
Consistency helps Google understand which information is current.
Even a Verified Business Profile Can Be Updated
Verification gives you the ability to manage your Google Business Profile, but it doesn't mean Google will never modify the information.
This is an important distinction.
Owning and verifying your Google Business Profile doesn't mean you should set it up once and never look at it again.
Google continues to receive information about your business from different sources, and changes can occur after your listing has been verified.
How Do You Know if Google Changed Something?
When Google receives a suggested change to your Business Profile, you may receive an email or an in-product notification asking you to review it. Changes made by Google may also be highlighted in the Business Profile editor.
Don't assume every notification requires action, but don't ignore them either. Some suggested edits require a response within four days.
The important thing is to review what changed and determine whether the new information is accurate.
You May Have Only Four Days to Reject a Suggested Edit
Google Business Profile Help now provides specific guidance about how long businesses have to respond to certain user-suggested edits.
According to Google:
Once notified, you have 4 days to accept or reject the suggestion.
Google also explains that if you don't respond within four days, it may automatically publish the suggested change when it is supported by other publicly available information, such as information found on your business website.
This makes the accuracy of your website even more important. Google may use the information it finds there to help determine whether a suggested change should be published.
There is another important point business owners should be aware of. Google also states:
Google may apply suggested user edits to your business information without prior review.
In other words, not every suggested edit will necessarily give you four days to respond. Some changes may be applied without prior review.
For business owners, this makes regular monitoring of your Google Business Profile more important. A suggested change could potentially affect important business information within a matter of days.
Why Incorrect Changes Can Be a Serious Problem
Consider something as simple as a wrong phone number.
A potential customer searches for your business, finds your Google Business Profile and calls the number displayed. If that number is incorrect, you may never know that you lost the enquiry.
The same applies to your address. An incorrect location could send customers to the wrong place. Incorrect hours could tell potential customers that you're closed when you're actually open.
Even a change to your website address could send potential customers to the wrong page.
For businesses that receive a significant number of calls, directions and website visits directly from Google Search and Maps, small inaccuracies can have a real impact.
Don't Forget Your Business Categories
Your primary and secondary business categories are also important parts of your profile.
Categories help Google understand what your business does and can influence the types of local searches for which your business may be relevant.
An incorrect category could therefore affect more than how your profile looks. It could affect the searches where Google considers your business relevant.
Review your categories periodically and make sure they continue to accurately represent your primary business and services.
What Should Business Owners Do?
The key is not to assume that your Google Business Profile will remain unchanged once it has been set up and verified.
We recommend:
- Monitoring the email account associated with your Google Business Profile
- Reviewing Google Business Profile notifications promptly
- Checking your business name, address, phone number and hours regularly
- Reviewing your website URL and business categories
- Keeping the information on your website accurate and consistent
- Checking important online directories for outdated business information
- Responding promptly when Google asks you to review a suggested edit
With Google's four-day window for certain suggested edits, checking your profile regularly is more important than ever.
Google Business Profile Monitoring Should Be Part of Local SEO
A Google Business Profile isn't something you optimize once and forget.
It is an active part of your local search presence and should be monitored along with your website, reviews, rankings and other online listings.
At The Three Marketers, we monitor our clients' Google Business Profiles as part of our local SEO services. This helps us identify unexpected changes, maintain accurate business information and take action when necessary.
The goal isn't simply to have a Google Business Profile. It's to make sure the information potential customers see when they find your business on Google is accurate.
Source: Google Business Profile Help, Understand what happens to your Business Profile edits.
