How to fix wrong business information on Google
Wrong hours, an old address, a second listing nobody made on purpose. Which fix applies depends on who controls the profile.
Short answer: if you own the profile, sign in to the Google account linked to it, open Edit profile at business.google.com, change the detail and save. If nobody has claimed it, claim it first. If someone else controls it, request ownership. Google reviews changes before they go live.
The first question is not what is wrong. It is who controls the listing. An owner edits, a stranger can only suggest, and a business that has never claimed its listing is stuck suggesting edits to its own address.
A second listing for the same business is a different problem with a different fix. It usually comes from someone creating a profile after a move, or from two staff members each trying to claim one.
At a glance
You own the profile: edit it
Sign in to the Google account linked to the profile, go to business.google.com, select Edit profile and save. Hours, special hours for holidays and your phone number are all there. Google reviews edits before they publish and does not state how long that takes.
Nobody owns it: claim it
Find the listing in Maps, select Claim this business, then Manage now, and verify. Until you do, the only route to a correction is suggesting an edit, which Google reviews like any member of the public's.
Someone else owns it: request access
Go to business.google.com/add, enter the name and address, and choose Request Access when Google says someone else may manage the profile. The current owner has three days. If an agency or former employee set it up, it may still be tied to their account.
Two listings for one business: do not create a third
A business can only have one profile, and duplicates do not show in Search or Maps. If you made the extra one by mistake you can remove it from your account, and if the two should be one, you report it on Google Maps as a merge request.
If you moved, edit the profile you have
Google's advice is to change the address on the existing profile, not to create a new one. A new profile for the new address is how duplicates appear. After you move, Google says you must verify again, so expect that step.
Name changes can also trigger fresh verification. Change the name only to match your real sign, never to add a keyword or a service.
What a merge does and does not carry over
Google reviews every merge request. Reviews from the two profiles are combined, but replies you wrote to reviews may be lost. The two profiles need to represent the same business with matching details, so fix the address and name on one before you ask.
Google is only one of the places that is wrong
A corrected profile does not change what other directories, old articles and your own website say. If the old address or phone keeps coming back, the source is probably elsewhere. Make the name, address and phone identical across your website, your profile and the directories that matter in your trade.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Edit your Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help, Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues
- Google Business Profile Help, Request ownership of a Business Profile
How to fix wrong business information on Google: common questions
How long does it take for a change to show on Google?
Google does not publish a timeframe. Its help page says changes are reviewed before they go live and points owners to an edit-status page, so check there rather than editing the same field again.
I do not own the listing. Can I still correct the hours?
You can suggest an edit, which Google reviews. It is slower and less certain than editing as the owner, so claim the profile if it is yours to claim.
What happens if I remove a profile from my account?
Google says removing a profile deletes all its content and its linked managers, so make sure you are removing the right one. Removing a profile from Search and Maps is a separate request with its own help page.
Will changing my business name hurt me?
Not if the new name is the real one on your sign. Google may ask you to verify again, and a name with extra keywords can get the profile suspended, which is a bigger problem than the old name.
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