As a local business owner, your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of your most valuable marketing assets. It’s often the first impression potential customers have of your business. But can anyone just go in and change your information? The short answer is yes, anyone can suggest an edit to your profile. This feature is designed to keep information on Google Maps accurate and up-to-date, but it can also be a source of frustration and misinformation for business owners. This guide will walk you through how Google Business Profile edits work, how to protect your listing, and what to do if you find incorrect information on your profile.
Understanding how to manage and protect your Google Business Profile is essential for maintaining a professional online presence. Inaccurate information can lead to lost customers, negative reviews, and a damaged reputation. By taking a proactive approach to managing your GBP, you can ensure that your business is always represented accurately and professionally.
How Google Business Profile Edits Work
Google’s goal is to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information to its users. To achieve this, they use a combination of data sources, including information provided by the business owner, data from other online sources, and suggestions from the public. This is why you might see changes to your GBP that you didn’t make yourself.
The "Suggest an Edit" Feature
Anyone with a Google account can suggest an edit to a business profile. This feature is available on both Google Search and Google Maps. When a user suggests an edit, it is reviewed by Google before being published. The review process is largely automated, but some edits may be reviewed by a human. If Google determines that the suggested edit is likely to be accurate, it will be published to the business profile.
Google's Automated Edits
In addition to user-suggested edits, Google also uses its own automated systems to update business profiles. These systems crawl the web and gather information from a variety of sources, including your business website, online directories, and social media profiles. If Google finds information that is inconsistent with what is on your GBP, it may automatically update your profile to reflect the new information. For example, if you update your business hours on your website but forget to update them on your GBP, Google may eventually make the change for you.
Types of Edits Anyone Can Suggest
Users can suggest edits to a wide range of information on your Google Business Profile. Here are some of the most common types of edits:
- Business Name: A user can suggest a change to your business name. This can be a minor correction or a completely different name.
- Category: Users can suggest changes to your business category. This can impact the types of searches your business appears in.
- Address and Pin Location: If your business has moved or the pin on the map is in the wrong location, users can suggest a correction.
- Hours of Operation: Users can suggest changes to your regular business hours, as well as special hours for holidays.
- Phone Number: An incorrect phone number can be a major problem for your business. Users can suggest corrections to your phone number.
- Website: Users can suggest changes to your website address.
- Photos and Videos: Users can upload their own photos and videos of your business. They can also suggest that your photos be removed.
How to Protect Your Google Business Profile
While you can’t completely prevent people from suggesting edits to your GBP, there are several steps you can take to protect your listing and minimize the risk of incorrect information being published.
1. Claim and Verify Your Business Profile
The most important step you can take is to claim and verify your Google Business Profile. This gives you ownership of the profile and allows you to manage the information that is displayed. If you haven’t already, you can learn more about how to do this on the official Google Business Profile website.
2. Keep Your Information Up-to-Date
Regularly review your GBP to ensure that all of the information is accurate and up-to-date. This includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website. The more accurate and complete your profile is, the less likely it is that Google will accept a suggested edit from a user.
3. Build Citations
Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites. The more consistent your NAP information is across the web, the more confident Google will be in the accuracy of your information. This can help to prevent incorrect edits from being published. For more information on this, see our article on local SEO services.
4. Encourage Customer Reviews and Photos
Encourage your customers to leave reviews and upload photos of your business. This not only helps to build social proof, but it also provides Google with more information about your business. The more positive reviews and photos you have, the more trustworthy your profile will appear to Google.
How to Monitor Your Google Business Profile for Edits
It’s important to regularly monitor your GBP for any unauthorized changes. Here are a few ways to do this:
1. Enable Email Notifications
Google will send you an email notification when certain changes are made to your profile. Make sure that you have email notifications enabled in your GBP settings. This is the easiest way to stay on top of any changes that are made to your profile.
2. Use the Google Maps App
You can also monitor your GBP from the Google Maps app on your smartphone. Simply search for your business and you will see an option to manage your profile. From here, you can review any pending edits and make changes to your profile.
3. Use a Third-Party Tool
There are a number of third-party tools that can help you to monitor your GBP. These tools can provide you with more detailed information about the changes that are being made to your profile and can also help you to track your local search rankings. This is particularly helpful if you manage multiple business locations.
What to Do If You Find an Incorrect Edit
If you find an incorrect edit on your GBP, it’s important to take action as quickly as possible. Here’s what you should do:
- Log in to your Google Business Profile account.
- Find the incorrect information and click on it to edit it.
- Correct the information and click “Apply.”
In most cases, your edit will be reviewed and published within a few minutes. However, in some cases, it may take longer for the change to be approved. If your edit is not approved, you can contact Google Business Profile support for assistance. For more on how to improve your local rankings, check out our guide on how to rank in the Google Local Pack.
Key Takeaways
- Anyone with a Google account can suggest an edit to your Google Business Profile.
- Google uses a combination of user suggestions and automated systems to keep business information up-to-date.
- You can protect your GBP by claiming and verifying your profile, keeping your information up-to-date, and building citations.
- It’s important to regularly monitor your GBP for any unauthorized changes.
- If you find an incorrect edit, you can correct it through your GBP dashboard.
By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your Google Business Profile is always accurate and up-to-date. This will help you to attract new customers and grow your business. For more information on how local search works, read our article on how does local SEO work?.
About the Author
Written by Blake Boykin, Founder of Boykin Web Management. Blake has 10+ years of experience helping local services businesses build polished websites and rank via Google. He specializes in converting website visitors into customers.
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