What to do when Google changes your GBP information

Google updates Google Business Profiles (GBP) listings to deter abuse and enhance the accuracy of information. These updates aim to improve the reliability of GBP listings and their appearance on Maps. Understanding the reasons behind these updates can help businesses prepare and defend against incorrect information that could negatively impact them.

According to data from Mirador Local, GBP listings experience more frequent updates during certain times of the year, specifically in November, December, and before Easter. These periods see higher frequencies of updates, particularly in data fields such as opening hours.

Google uses several data sources to verify changes to GBP listings to prevent abuse, including:

• Information from the business's owned website, such as contact page information and schema declarations.
• Information on external websites, like BBB, Companies House, and authoritative directories.
• Public user contributions, such as the Local Guides program, reviews, photos, and manual edits.
• User engagement data with the location.

These sources help Google ensure the accuracy and consistency of the information in GBP listings.

To optimize for Google's GBP validation systems, businesses should:

• Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) and brand consistency across the web, including online directories, chambers of commerce, government databases, and local business associations.
• Monitor and leverage user feedback from searchers and the Local Guides community to identify inaccuracies or outdated information.
• Encourage customers to validate business claims such as opening hours in their reviews.

By maintaining consistency and leveraging user feedback, businesses can reinforce their information and contribute to their E-E-A-T strategy.

To solidify your entity in Google's Knowledge Graph, it is important to ensure that your business is singular, defined, and distinguishable. This involves characterizing your business with attributes such as name and type and establishing relationships to other entities. Avoiding confusion with similar businesses in the same service category is crucial to prevent their information from being misplaced on your profile.