Are these actually duplicate listings?

Open both listings and compare the businesses they represent before requesting any change. A Business Profile is your business information listing on Google. For this guide, a duplicate means another profile representing the same business at the same location.

Google generally requires one profile per business location, with specific provisions for departments and individual practitioners. A matching name alone does not settle the question: Google’s representation guidelines.

Make a small comparison sheet

Use a spreadsheet or a plain document. Record each Maps link, displayed name, address, phone number and the account you use to manage it. Add a short note explaining every difference you cannot yet account for.

• Check whether the listings refer to different branches.
• Ask the owner whether either address is an old location.
• Look for separate business names on permanent signage.
• Record reviews and owner replies you want to check later.
• Mark ownership as unknown when nobody can confirm it.

Hypothetical example: a repair shop finds one listing under its trading name and another under an older name. Ask the owner whether this was a rename, a move or a separate business. Do not turn an uncertain history into a confident deletion request.

For branches, use the guide to local SEO for multiple locations before grouping profiles together. Your first deliverable should be a clear explanation of what each listing represents.

Which action fits your situation?

Choose the action that matches the problem you found. Google distinguishes duplicate Maps listings, accidental profiles, ownership issues and businesses incorrectly marked as duplicates: official resolution routes.

The routes above come from Google’s guidance. Write the selected route at the top of your working document. This gives your employee or agency one clear task to complete.

Do not choose by review count alone

Start with business identity and management access. Ask which listing accurately represents the current business and which account should manage it. Include your preferred retained profile in a merge request, without treating that preference as an approved outcome.

If you are simply cleaning up an accidental duplicate, confirm its exact link before removing it. Google warns that removal deletes that profile’s content and linked managers: accidental duplicate warning.

How do you prepare a useful merge request?

Give Google a clear comparison of two profiles representing the same business. Its guidance says the information should match and that merge requests undergo review: merge requirements.

1. Save both Maps links. Label them clearly in your notes.
2. Confirm the real information. Ask the business owner to approve the name, address and phone number.
3. Explain discrepancies. Identify an outdated phone number or incorrect address rather than silently overlooking it.
4. Submit a Maps suggestion. Follow the Maps reporting route linked from Google’s duplicate guidance.
5. Keep the submission. Save your wording and any response so another team member can understand the case.

A request you can adapt

These profiles represent the same business at the same location: [profile A link] and [profile B link]. The correct business details are [name], [address] and [phone]. Please review them for a merge; our preferred profile to retain is [link]. The difference between the listings is [brief factual explanation].

This is suggested wording, not an official form. Replace every placeholder and remove anything you cannot verify. If the businesses are actually different, stop using this template.

NAP is shorthand for name, address and phone number. Keep one approved set of those details in your working document. Use the NAP consistency checklist to compare your website and business records.

Do not rewrite a legitimate business’s information just to make it resemble another listing. Google requires accurate representation of the real business: accuracy requirements.

What should you save before touching either profile?

Save your listing details and important review replies. Google says reviews combine when profiles merge, but replies can be lost: review handling during a merge.

Keep screenshots of each profile and a separate copy of replies you may need to consult. Record the visible review count as a reference point. Treat this as a comparison record, not a promise that every item can be restored.

Keep merging separate from account removal

The promise about combining reviews applies to a merge. Google separately warns that removing an accidental duplicate removes its content and associated managers: the two different procedures.

Hypothetical example: a florist has customer reviews on both profiles and detailed replies on the older one. The owner should request a merge if both listings represent the same shop, while saving those replies beforehand. Deleting the older profile merely because its phone number is outdated is the wrong starting decision.

After the result, compare what is visible with your notes. If replies need attention, use the guide to responding to negative reviews to draft specific, helpful responses. Avoid posting a generic explanation under every review.

What if you lack access or the duplicate label is wrong?

Resolve access before creating another profile. For a verified listing managed by someone else, Google offers an ownership request; the current owner has three days to respond. A claim option may be offered after no response, but it is not always available: ownership request guidance.

Check with a former employee, previous agency or business partner who may know the managing account. Write down who will own the task internally. Keep the investigation focused on recovering the existing business record.

Separate businesses sharing an address

Distinct eligible businesses at one address can have their own profiles. If they were incorrectly merged, Google directs you to support and may require permanent signage showing both businesses: appealing duplicate status.

Prepare readable photographs and a short explanation of how customers distinguish the businesses. Identify each business by name. Do not rely on a statement such as “we share the building” without explaining the separate operations.

A suspicious listing needs a separate assessment

If a listing uses an unfamiliar phone number or represents an unrelated operation, record the discrepancy. Do not request a merge until you have established that both profiles represent the same business, as Google requires: same-business requirement.

For a suspected fake listing, preserve the link and ask official support which reporting route fits the evidence. Describe what you observed rather than making unsupported accusations. A duplicate cleanup template should not become a request to absorb another business’s listing.

How do you check the result and prevent another duplicate?

Finish with a customer-facing check and a management check. Open the retained listing, examine its details and confirm that the responsible person can manage it. Record unresolved discrepancies before closing the task.

• Does the business name match the real business?
• Is the location the one customers should use?
• Is the phone number correct?
• Have you checked visible reviews and replies?
• Is the team using the intended profile link?

When a business relocates, Google says to update the existing address rather than create another profile. Different services should also be listed on the existing profile rather than receiving separate business profiles: moving and service rules.

Add those two checks to your marketing handover document. Require the person taking over to search for an existing profile before proposing a new one. Give them the approved listing link alongside the website and contact details.

Once the cleanup is confirmed, review where customers are being sent to leave feedback. Continue with the Google review collection guide. For routine updates after the repair, use the Business Profile posts guide.