Duplicate Google Business Profiles: Find, Merge and Remove Them

A duplicate Google Business Profile is a second listing for the same business at the same location. It happens more often than owners expect, it splits reviews and confuses Google about which listing is real, and it is one of the quiet reasons a profile that "should" rank does not. Here is how duplicates arise, how to find them, and the correct way to deal with each kind.

How duplicates appear

• A former employee, web designer or agency created a profile years ago and left; the current owner created another.
• A listings service or aggregator pushed data to Google that did not match the existing profile closely enough, so Google created a new place.
• The business moved, and instead of updating the address someone created a fresh profile.
• A rebrand: "Smith & Sons" and "Smith and Sons Ltd" became two places.
• A practitioner profile (an individual dentist or solicitor) drifted into being a second practice profile with the practice's name.
• Google itself, merging bad map data from multiple sources, created an unclaimed listing at a slightly different address.

Why it hurts

Reviews land on both. Citations point to whichever the directory found. Google has to decide which listing to show for each search and may pick the wrong one — the unclaimed one with no photos and an old phone number — or show neither with confidence. A profile with 40 reviews and a duplicate with 30 is not an 70-review business in Google's eyes; it is two 35-review businesses of uncertain legitimacy. Duplicates are also a policy violation, and Google can suspend both when it notices.

How to find them

1. Search Google Maps for your business name. Scroll the results; look for entries at your address or nearby with your name or a variant.
2. Search Maps for your phone number.
3. Search Maps for your address alone and look at every business Google lists there.
4. Search Maps for old names, old phone numbers and old addresses.
5. In the Business Profile dashboard, Google sometimes shows "Possible duplicate" warnings — check.
6. Search your name and the word "closed"; permanently closed duplicates still exist and still matter.

What to do with each kind

Unclaimed duplicate

Open it on Maps, choose "Suggest an edit" → "Remove this place" → "Duplicate of another place", and select your real profile. Google typically processes within a few days. If it persists, claim it yourself (you will need to verify) and then merge it from the dashboard.

Duplicate you own

In the dashboard, open the duplicate and choose "Remove business profile" → "Mark as duplicate", pointing to the primary. Reviews on the duplicate are usually merged into the primary when Google processes a duplicate report; they are not always, so screenshot them first.

Duplicate someone else owns (ex-employee, ex-agency)

Request ownership from the profile: on Maps, "Own this business?" → follow the flow. The current owner has seven days to respond; if they do not, Google usually grants access. Then mark it as a duplicate. If the current owner refuses, contact Business Profile support with evidence that you are the business.

Old-address profile after a move

Do not delete it. Mark it "Permanently closed" if the business has moved, or better, if you still own it, update its address to the new premises and delete the newer profile — the older one usually carries the reviews and history. Google's "Moved" feature (marking as moved to a new location) exists in some regions and is worth checking.

Practitioner profile that duplicates the practice

If the individual still works there, rename it to the practitioner's name and give it a practitioner-appropriate category. If they have left, mark it as "no longer at this location" via the profile settings (for practitioner listings) or report it.

After merging

• Check the review count on the surviving profile a week later; report to support if reviews were lost.
• Run a citation check — directories that pointed at the duplicate may now hold data that does not match the primary.
• Set a quarterly reminder to search again. Duplicates recur.

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