The basics of Duplicate Business Profiles on Google
Duplicate profiles may arise in various ways and before acting, you need to figure out why the profile has been marked as a duplicate.
Common cases
There are multiple Google Business Profiles for the same business
To identify duplicate Business Profiles, focus on three primary identifiers: Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP information). Continue to workflow 1 & 2.
You have a copy of a Business Profile within your own account
Continue to workflow 3.
Not as common cases
Someone else claimed and verified the Business Profile
For example: an access request was sent, but since someone did not respond to it within the time limit, a duplicate profile was created which the user could then verify and as a result, took over the Business Profile. Continue to workflow 4.Google already merged two existing Business Profiles
Google thought one of your listings was a duplicate of one that already exists and has already merged them. The main rule is that listings cannot be unmerged. Continue to workflow 5.
Your Business Profile is flagged as a duplicate due to multiple profiles for the same location
Duplicate profiles may arise in various ways, such as being added by a Google user, created by someone within the business who lost access to the old profile and initiated a new one or if someone is trying to claim and verify the existing profile (owner conflict). Moreover, Google's AI can unintentionally generate duplicate profiles.
If there are multiple profiles on Google, it’s important to remove the duplicate Business Profiles to avoid splitting rankings and reviews, potentially overshadowing or concealing the main profile, and causing confusion for customers.
You have the option to either try to remove the duplicate Business Profile or merge the existing profiles into a single entity.
Before proceeding, evaluate the worthiness of attempting to merge two profiles. Merging listings is done on a case by case basis and the process can be time-consuming. Assess whether merging the duplicate profile will contribute value to your primary profile, considering factors such as positive reviews, a longer history and higher rankings. As a rule of thumb, consider merging the additional profile with the one that has more reviews.
If merging provides no value, start the process by requesting the removal of the duplicate profile and proceed to Workflow 1.
If merging is desired, proceed to Workflow 2.
Important information about merging two profiles
If Google incorrectly merges two Business Profiles, there is no way to undo a merge. It is crucial to clearly communicate with Google Support when requesting a merge. Be very specific when you provide the map URLs for each Business Profile and tell them which is the correct profile that you wish to remain once the merge is complete!
Business information, including contact details, phone number, hours, and address, will be merged. Reviews may also be combined between the two profiles. However, elements such as review responses, photos, posts, videos, and products are less likely to be merged.
Workflow 1 - Request a Duplicate Business Profile to be Removed
Search for the Additional Business Profile on Google
Ensure that the NAP information (Name, Address, Phone Number) is identical in both Business Profiles
If not - select “Suggest an edit”
3. Select “Change name or other details” and add the correct NAP information
4. Once the edit is approved, select “Suggest an edit” again
5. Select “Close or remove”
6. Select “Duplicate of another listing” as the reason
7. If Google prompts you to specify the correct location, select the primary profile if it's explicitly mentioned - if not, opt for "None of the above”
8. Wait for two weeks and observe if the profile is removed, if the previous steps proves unsuccessful, proceed to Workflow 2
Workflow 2 (short version) - Ask Google to merge two Google Business Profiles
Figure out who has the access to the additional Business Profile
If you have already claimed and verified the additional profile, you’ll find it from
Google Business Profile ManagerIf you don’t have access to the additional profile and the option to “Claim this business” is present - then it should be unverified
If the option to “Claim this business” is NOT present in the additional profile, you first need to request ownership access from the current owner who already verified it **
2. Ensure that the NAP information (Name, Address, Phone Number) is identical in both Business Profiles
a. If you have claimed and verified the additional profile, you can update the information from Google Business Profile Manager
b. If you don’t have access to the additional profile and it’s unverified, “Suggest an edit” according to the steps in Workflow 1
3. Once the edits are updated or approved, get in touch with Google via the Help Center and explain you’d like to merge the additional profile with the verified Business Profile you select in the contact form’s drop-down menu
a. Include the map URLs for both profiles
b. Explain you’d like to merge the additional profile with the verified profile that you already have access to
4. Google will provide you with information on how to proceed!
You cannot merge two profiles that have different owners, first you need to become the owner of both profiles.
You need to send an access request, to become the owner of the Additional Business Profile
You will get notified on the decision by email:
If your request is approved: You'll be able to manage the Business Profile via Google Business Profile Manager
If your request is denied: You can still suggest an edit to the profile. Also, you might be able to appeal the denied request.
If you don’t hear back within 3 days: If you don’t get a response after three days, you might have the option to claim the profile yourself. To claim a Business Profile.
Your business profile has been identified as a duplicate for another reason
Workflow 3 - Remove a copy of a Business Profile in your account
If you add a location that’s already been verified in your Business Profile, Google marks it as a "Duplicate location" in your account
In practice, it means that you already have a verified version of the profile within your account
The duplicate (copy) profile is not shown in Google, it’s only a copy within your account
2. If the following message shows when you press the name of the Business Profile, you can delete the concerned profile
3. Remove the one Business Profile from your account:
a. Log in to Google Business Profile Manager
b. Select the Business Profile you want to remove
c. Select the “Actions” drop-down menu
d. Select “Remove Business”
Workflow 4 - Ownership conflict
Someone else claimed and verified the Business Profile and took it over.
Log in to Google Business Profile Manager
Press the name of the Business Profile that are marked as a duplicate
Press “Request access”
4. Google will show the first letters of the current owner’s email and if you recognize it, notify the person about the incoming request
5. Fill in the asked information and choose ownership as the access level
6. Send an ownership request to the current profile owner
7. You will get notified on the decision by email:
a. If your request is approved: You'll be able to manage the Business Profile via Google Business Profile Manager
b. If your request is denied: You can still suggest an edit to the profile. Also, you might be able to appeal the denied request.
If you don’t hear back within 3 days:If you don’t get a response after three days, you might have the option to claim the profile yourself. To claim a Business Profile.