A customer tells you they nearly went to your old address because Google Maps sent them there. You search your own name and find two pins: one with your current phone number and a handful of reviews, and another with an old photo, the wrong hours and more reviews than the first. Neither feels quite like yours.
Duplicate listings are a quiet problem. They split your reviews, confuse customers and leave Google unsure which version of your business to show. The fix is rarely a single button, and the order you do things in matters, mostly because of the reviews.
How a business ends up with two listings
Duplicates almost never come from someone trying to cheat. The usual causes are ordinary:
- An old agency or freelancer created one. Someone you hired years ago set up a profile under their own Google account. When you later set one up yourself, you made a second.
- Google created one automatically. Google can build a basic listing from information it finds elsewhere. If you then created a new profile instead of claiming that one, there are now two.
- You moved premises. Instead of changing the address on the existing profile, a new profile was created at the new address, and the old one was left standing.
- More than one person “owned” it. A partner, a manager, a family member or a former employee each set up a profile, often with slightly different names.
- A failed verification. Someone gave up on verifying the original and started again from scratch.
- Small differences in the details. “[Name] Dental”, “[Name] Dental Clinic” and “Dr [Name]’s Clinic” at slightly different pins can all exist at once.
Knowing which cause applies to you tells you who to talk to and which listing is likely the “real” one.
Find every copy first
Do this before you change anything. On Google Maps and in Google Search, look for:
- Your business name, plus common variations and misspellings.
- Your phone numbers, current and old.
- Your current and previous addresses.
- Your category and area, to catch listings with a name you would not think to search.
For each listing you find, note the exact name, address, phone number, number of reviews, whether it shows as claimed, and a link to it. Take screenshots. This list is what you will work from, and what you will show Google support if you need help.
Decide which listing to keep
This is the step people get wrong. The listing you created most recently, or the one in your own account, is not automatically the one to keep.
As a rule, keep the listing with the most genuine reviews and history, and bring its details up to date. Reviews are attached to a listing. If you remove or close the listing that holds most of your reviews, you should assume those reviews go with it. Google support can sometimes combine duplicate listings for the same business at the same place, but do not assume reviews will carry across. Ask, and check the result.
The exception is a listing for a location you genuinely no longer use. That one should usually be marked as closed or moved rather than kept, even if it has reviews, because it sends real customers to the wrong place.
Get access to the listings
You can only manage a listing properly if you have access to it.
If it is in an account you control
Sign in and check which Google account manages each profile. Businesses often find one profile under a personal Gmail address and another under an old work address. Add a second trusted person as an owner or manager so access never depends on a single login again.
If someone else owns it
Contact the old agency, freelancer or former partner first and ask them to add you as an owner and then remove themselves. This is the cleanest route. If you cannot reach them, Google Business Profile lets you request access to a listing that someone else has already claimed. The current owner is asked to respond, and Google may offer you other options if they do not. Follow the prompts in your account, keep the confirmation emails, and be patient.
If nobody has claimed it
An unclaimed listing can usually be claimed and verified by the real business. If you plan to keep it, claim it. If you plan to retire it, it is still often easier to deal with once you have access.
Dealing with the extra listing
Once you have decided which one stays, there are a few general routes for the one that goes. The exact wording on screen changes, so treat these as directions rather than menu paths.
- Report it as a duplicate. From the listing on Google Maps, use the option to suggest an edit, and choose the option to report that the place is a duplicate, closed or does not exist. Point it to the listing you are keeping where Google asks.
- Mark an old location as closed or moved. If the duplicate is at an address you have left, marking it closed tells customers not to go there.
- Ask Google support. If you own both listings, or the suggested edit is not accepted, contact Business Profile support with your list of listings and say which one should stay.
Be careful with removing a profile from your own account. That stops you managing it, but it does not necessarily make the listing vanish from Maps. You can end up with the same duplicate, now managed by nobody.
Why you should not delete the one with reviews
It is tempting to tidy up by getting rid of the “messy” old listing and keeping the new one you set up properly. If the old one holds your reviews, that trade is usually a bad one. Reviews from real customers take a long time to build. Fixing the name, hours, photos and category on an old listing takes an afternoon.
So update the details on the listing with the reviews, and retire the newer, emptier one. Then point every website link and “review us” link at the listing you kept, so new reviews land in one place.
A few questions people ask
Will removing a duplicate hurt my ranking?
Two half-complete listings usually help you less than one complete, consistent one. Google cannot promise a ranking outcome, and neither can we, but a single clear listing is easier for Google and for customers to trust.
Can I just leave the duplicate alone?
You can, but customers may call an old number, visit an old address, or leave reviews on a listing you never check. It tends to get worse, not better.
How do I stop it happening again?
Keep ownership in an account the business controls, with at least two owners. Change the address on the existing profile when you move, rather than creating a new one. Ask anyone who sets up a listing for you to add you as owner from day one. And keep your business name, address and phone number written the same way on your website and every listing.
Getting it sorted
If you are starting over on a clean profile, our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile covers the basics. If you are untangling several listings, old accounts and an agency you cannot reach, our Google Business Profile setup service starts by finding every listing and working out which one should stay before anything is changed. For the wider picture of how you appear in local searches, see our local SEO services.
Next in this series: Name, Address and Phone Consistency Across the Web
