How to Delete Duplicate Google My Business Listings

Finding a duplicate Google My Business listing for your company can feel like discovering an evil twin you never knew you had - and it's probably hurting your reputation. Duplicate profiles confuse customers, split your hard-earned reviews, and can seriously damage your local search ranking. This guide walks you through why these duplicates are so harmful, how to find them, and the step-by-step process for removing or merging them for good.

Why Duplicate Google Business Profiles Are a Major Problem

You might think, "What's the big deal? More visibility, right?" Unfortunately, it's the exact opposite. Duplicate listings don't double your exposure, they dilute it. Here's how they can actively harm your business:

• They Split Your Social Proof: Imagine a customer leaves a glowing 5-star review. On which profile did they leave it? If it's on the duplicate, visitors to your primary, correct listing will never see it. Over time, your reviews, photos, and Questions &, Answers get scattered, weakening the authority of your main profile and making both listings look less trustworthy.
• They Confuse Google's Algorithm: Google aims to provide the most accurate and reliable information to users. When it sees two or more profiles for the same business, it gets confused. Which one is the real one? This indecision can cause Google to rank both listings lower in search results, making you less visible than a competitor with one clean profile.
• They Confuse Potential Customers: This is the most damaging consequence. A customer might find a duplicate with an old address, a wrong phone number, or outdated business hours. This leads to frustrated customers who show up at a closed location, call a disconnected number, or simply give up and go to a competitor. It creates a poor user experience that directly reflects on your brand.
• It Violates Google's Guidelines: Simply put, having duplicate listings is against Google's rules. Google states that you should only create one profile per location. While they won't usually ban you without warning, unresolved duplicates can lead to penalties, including a suspension of your primary profile.

How to Find Hidden Duplicate Listings

Duplicates often aren't obvious. They can be created by a former employee, an automated data aggregator, or even a well-meaning customer trying to add your business to Maps. You need to actively hunt for them. Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Manual Search on Google and Google Maps

This is the most straightforward method. Go to Google Maps and start searching. Don't just search for your official business name.

Try different variations, including:

• Name Variations: Search for common misspellings, abbreviations, or old company names. For example, if you're "Sarah's Classic Cars &, Bodyshop," search for "Sarah's Cars," "Sarahs Classic Autos," etc.
• Address Variations: Search for your physical address without the business name. Sometimes a location pin exists that isn't properly associated with your business. Check for old addresses if you've recently moved.
• Phone Number Variations: Search for your current and any old business phone numbers. This can uncover listings that were created years ago and forgotten.

Zoom in on your location on Google Maps and slowly pan the area. Look for any business pins that match your location but have a slightly different name or no name at all.

2. Check for "Ownership Conflicts"

Sometimes you might already have a hint a duplicate exists. If you try to create a new profile or log in and Google says the location is already claimed by another user, that’s your red flag. It might be an old email address you used or, in a worst case, a former employee or agency. In this case, you will have to request ownership access from the current owner.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Duplicate Profiles

Once you've found a duplicate, the process for removing it depends on one key factor: whether or not you have access to it. We'll cover both scenarios.

Situation 1: You Have Access to Both Listings

This is the best-case scenario. It often happens if you or someone on your team accidentally created a second profile. In this case, Google recommends reaching out to their support team to merge the listings instead of simply deleting one. Merging preserves the valuable reviews from the duplicate and transfers them to your primary profile. Deleting a profile will get rid of any reviews it collected for good.

However, if the duplicate has no valuable information (no reviews, wrong info), you can remove it yourself.

How to Request a Merge (Recommended):

1. Choose Your Primary Listing: Decide which profile you want to keep. This should be the most complete, accurate one with the most reviews - your "canonical" profile.
2. Gather Information: Collect the URLs for both the primary profile you want to keep and the duplicate profile you want to merge. You can get the URL by searching for the business on Google Maps, clicking on it, and copying the URL from your browser's address bar. Also, gather the business name, address, and phone number for both.
3. Contact Google Business Profile Support: Go to the Google Business Profile Help Center. Work your way through the prompts. A good starting point is typing "merge duplicate listing." It will likely prompt you with a few articles first, but if you continue, you should get an option to contact support.
4. Provide the Details: Clearly explain that you own both listings and want to merge the duplicate into the primary one. Provide the URLs and any other information they ask for. Mention that you want to transfer the reviews specifically.

The process can take a few days, but it's the safest way to consolidate your online presence without losing social proof.

How to Remove the Duplicate Directly (If it has no value):

If the duplicate is brand new, has incorrect information, and has no reviews, you may choose to simply remove it instead of merging.

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages the duplicate profile.
2. Go to your Business Profile Manager dashboard.
3. Select the duplicate listing you want to remove.
4. On the left-hand menu, click "Edit Profile."
5. Navigate to the "Business Information" section and find the three vertical dots next to "Remove Business Profile." Click on it.
6. Select "Remove business profile" a second time, then click remove. This removes your management permissions and profile content from search. Note: This action is permanent and only removes you as a manager. Profile content may still exist on Maps.

Situation 2: You Do Not Have Access to the Duplicate Listing

This is more common and requires a different approach. This usually happens when the duplicate is an unverified listing created automatically by Google or a user.

Step 1: Try to Claim the Listing First

Before reporting it, see if you can claim it as your own. Search for your business on Google Maps and click on the duplicate profile. If you see a link that says "Own this business?" or "Claim this business," click it. Follow the steps Google provides to verify that you are the owner (usually by mail, phone call, or email). Once you control the listing, you can follow the instructions in Situation 1 to merge it.

Step 2: If You Can't Claim It, Suggest an Edit

If the "Claim this business" option isn't there or you can’t get it verified, your best bet is to report it as a duplicate through Google Maps.

1. Find the duplicate listing on Google Maps.
2. Click on "Suggest an edit." A new menu will appear.
3. Select "Close or remove."
4. For the reason, choose "Duplicate of another place."
5. Google Maps will then ask you to select the correct location on the map. Find your official, primary business profile and select it.
6. Click "Submit."

Google's team will review your suggestion. It might take a few days or even a couple of weeks to see a result. You should receive an email updating you on the status of your edit. You can rally support by having others on your team also suggest the same edit, which can sometimes speed up the process.

Best Practices to Prevent Future Duplicates

Once you’ve cleaned up the mess, the last thing you want is for it to happen again. Here are a few simple habits to maintain a clean digital presence:

• Establish Consistent NAP: Your business Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) should be exactly the same everywhere online, from your website to Yelp to your social media profiles. Inconsistencies are a major cause of automatically generated duplicate listings.
• Educate Your Team: Make sure everyone on your team, especially those in marketing or administrative roles, knows that there is ONE official Google Business Profile. Instruct them never to create a new one. All access should be managed through user permissions within the primary profile.
• Conduct Regular Audits: Once every quarter, take five minutes to perform the manual searches described earlier. Catching a new duplicate early is much easier than dealing with one that has been collecting reviews for a year.
• Centralize Management: Keep a single master spreadsheet or document with the login email and password for your Google Business Profile, along with links to all other major directory listings. This prevents confusion when employees or roles change.

Final Thoughts

Tackling duplicate listings is a critical task for any local business. It's not just about cleaning up data, it's about presenting a clear, trustworthy, and professional brand to both Google and your potential customers. Following these steps helps you regain control over your online identity and protects your local SEO.

Maintaining a consolidated digital footprint, from your Google profiles to your brand's presence across social media, often feels like a constant battle. We struggled endlessly with juggling multiple platforms, trying to keep messaging consistent, and not missing comments buried in different inboxes. This fragmentation is precisely why we created Postbase. By bringing our planning, scheduling, analytics, and community engagement into one centralized hub, we finally turned that daily chaos into a streamlined workflow, giving us more time to focus on creating great content instead of just managing it.

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