Your Google Business Profile might look accurate today, but that does not necessarily mean it will stay that way.
Google has confirmed that it uses information from several sources to keep Business Profiles up to date, including business websites, user contributions, licensed third-party data and other publicly available information. Google may then use this information to update what customers see across Search and Maps.
There is another important detail for businesses to be aware of. For certain suggested edits, Google may give the profile owner four days to accept or reject the change. If there is no response, Google may publish the suggested update when it believes other publicly available information supports it.
For businesses relying on Google Maps and local search to generate enquiries, this makes regular Business Profile management increasingly important.
What We Recommend
We recommend treating your Google Business Profile as something that needs ongoing attention rather than a listing that can be completed once and forgotten.
Regularly check suggested changes, opening hours, contact details, categories, services and service areas, while also making sure the information agrees with your website and other important business listings.
For companies with several locations, each profile should be reviewed separately. A regular Google Business Profile health check can help catch small inconsistencies before they begin affecting customer enquiries or local search visibility.
Why can Google change information on your Business Profile?
Google wants the information shown in local search results to be as useful and accurate as possible. It therefore does not rely entirely on the information originally entered by the business owner.
If Google receives information suggesting that something has changed, it may update the profile. This could come from a Google user suggesting an edit, information found on the company’s website or another source that Google considers reliable.
Google says that some suggested changes requiring review will trigger an email or notification. Businesses then have four days to accept or reject them. However, Google also makes clear that some user edits can be applied without prior review in certain circumstances.
This means claiming and verifying a Business Profile should be seen as the beginning of managing it, rather than the end of the job.
What happens when your business information becomes inaccurate?
Small inaccuracies can create surprisingly practical problems.
Imagine a customer searching for a local business at 4.30pm. Google says it closes at 5pm, so they make the journey, only to discover the business actually closes at 4pm. Alternatively, an old telephone number could result in a valuable enquiry going unanswered.
Services matter too. If a company has stopped offering one service but it remains prominent on its Business Profile, people can continue contacting the business about work it no longer provides. If a new priority service has never been added, potential customers may overlook the company altogether.
Google Business Profiles can contain addresses, opening hours, telephone numbers, websites and other information customers use when deciding whether to contact or visit a business.
Accuracy therefore affects more than SEO. It affects the experience customers have before they ever reach the website.
Why should your website and Google Business Profile agree?
One area we regularly recommend checking is consistency between the website and Business Profile.
Google explicitly states that publicly available web content, including information crawled from a company’s official website, can contribute to the information it uses for Business Profiles and local search. This makes conflicting information worth addressing.
If the website lists one set of opening hours while the Business Profile lists another, which should a customer trust? Similar problems can occur with telephone numbers, addresses, service areas and the services being promoted.
Businesses should periodically compare their website and Business Profile side by side to identify and address any content gaps or contradictions. The core information should tell the same story in both places.
Are your categories, services and service areas still correct?
Businesses evolve, but profiles do not always evolve with them. A company may have launched new services, stopped offering older ones or expanded into additional locations. Unless someone actively reviews the Business Profile, it can gradually become a snapshot of the business from several years ago.
Categories are particularly important because they help Google understand what type of business the profile represents. Service information also gives customers additional context about what the company actually offers.
Service area businesses should pay similar attention to the locations represented by their profile. A growing business may now cover areas that were never considered when the profile was originally created.
A periodic review therefore needs to go beyond checking the phone number. It should ask whether the entire profile still represents the business customers would encounter today.
How should businesses monitor suggested changes?
Google provides notifications for Business Profile activity, including business information alerts. Profile managers can also find notifications through Search and the Google Maps app.
These notifications should not simply be accepted automatically. A suggested change may be correct. A customer might have spotted outdated opening hours before the business did. Equally, a suggestion could be based on incomplete or incorrect information.
When Google flags a change, someone familiar with the business should check it against the website and the company’s current operating information before deciding whether to accept or reject it.
That is particularly important given Google’s four day review window for certain suggested edits.
What should businesses with several locations check?
The challenge becomes greater when a business operates from multiple locations. One branch may have different opening hours from another. Services might vary between locations. Telephone numbers, addresses and local landing pages may also differ.
Google allows businesses managing multiple profiles to download performance information for several locations, which can help compare how customers find and interact with individual branches.
From a management perspective, each location should also be checked individually. A change affecting one branch should not automatically be assumed to apply everywhere else.
For multi location businesses, a regular review process can help identify discrepancies before they become embedded across Search, Maps and the wider web.
How often should you review your Google Business Profile?
There is no single schedule that suits every organisation, but treating the profile as a live marketing asset is a sensible starting point.
Opening hours should be checked whenever trading patterns change. Services and categories should be reviewed when the business changes what it offers. Suggested edits and Google notifications should be checked regularly rather than left for months.
It is also worth viewing the profile as a customer would.
Search for the business and look at what appears in Search and Maps. Check the telephone number, opening hours, website link, services, photographs and other prominent information. Google itself recommends viewing your profile to understand how it appears to other people.
A five-minute check can sometimes uncover information that has been sitting in front of potential customers for weeks.
FAQs
Can Google change my Business Profile without my permission?
In some circumstances, yes. Google uses information from sources including users, websites and licensed data to keep profiles accurate, and some updates may be applied automatically.
How long do I have to respond to a suggested Google Business Profile edit?
For certain suggested edits that require your review, Google says you have four days to accept or reject the change after being notified. If you do not respond, Google may publish it when other public information supports the suggestion.
Should my website and Google Business Profile contain the same information?
Core details such as your address, contact information, opening hours and services should be kept consistent. Google can use publicly available website information when building and updating local business information.
How can I tell if Google has changed my Business Profile?
Google may display a notification at the top of your Business Profile when updates have been made. Google says changed information can also be identified within the profile editor.
Why does Google Business Profile management matter for local SEO?
Your profile is one of the main ways people encounter a local business through Google Search and Maps. Keeping the information accurate helps customers understand what you offer, where you operate and how to contact or visit you.