How to merge google business profiles; can you even do it?
YES, you can!
Here is how to merge Google business profiles, step by step:
- Identify the Listings: Ensure both profiles represent the same business at the same location. Grab each business profile link by getting them from your GBP dashboard or from Google Maps.
- Unverify or Claim the Extra Profile:
- If you control both profiles, go to Google Business Profile Manager, find the one you want to remove, and select “Permanently Closed” to unverify it.
- If you don’t control one of the profiles, click “Own this business?” on the unwanted listing and follow the steps to claim it.
- If you can’t claim it, for one reason or another, keep note of the GBP link as you will need this when you request the merge.
- Contact Google: Once the extra profile is unverified or claimed, contact Google through the Google Business Profile Help Center to request the merge. Be clear about which profile to keep.
- NOTE: Google cannot undo a merge, so make sure you provide them with the right information before contacting their support. (And make sure you’re confident with the decision – don’t worry, I’m guiding you throguh it in this article)
- Confirm the Merge: After Google processes it, double-check that reviews, photos, and other data have been merged correctly.
SUCCESS!
BUT WAIT.
If you’re looking for more knoweldge before pulling the trigger, or you’ve got a unique duplicate issue, stick around as I cover this GBP issue in depth.
Here are some quick links to the duplicate GBP solutions I cover in this article:
- Why Merging Google Business Profiles Important
- When Should You Merge GBPs
- How To Merge Two GBPs (Even if you don’t own the GBP
- How To Set a GBP to Move (if merging isn’t ideal)
- Why Google Can Refuse Your Merge Request
- Why Deleting an Old GBP can be a better choice
- What To Do If Your Listing is Flagged as a Dupe
Ready?
Let’s jump in.
Why Is Merging Google Business Profile Listings Important?
Your Google Business Profile plays a huge role in your local SEO efforts.
People depend on it to find your contact details, read reviews, and ultimately decide whether to call you—or, let’s be honest, go straight to your competitor.
Even the smallest thing can put them off your business, this is especially true if you’ve got duplicate listings with conflicting information.
Here are some reasons why duplicate GBP can be bad for SEO (Google) and your ideal customers which can seriously harm your business’s bottom line:
- It confuses potential customers. Duplicate profiles can make you look untrustworthy or even like a scam, especially if the information on each listing doesn’t match up.
- It sends mixed signals to Google. When there are multiple listings for the same business, Google doesn’t know which one to prioritise, leading to potential ranking issues.
- You risk over-optimising. Having multiple listings might look like you’re trying to game the system, which can backfire.
- The wrong profile could rank. You might end up with an outdated or inactive profile ranking instead of the one you’ve been maintaining, which could show incorrect info or negative reviews.
- It’s bad for foot traffic. If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, having the wrong address or outdated contact info on the wrong profile could drive potential customers away.
- It splits your reviews. Reviews could be spread across multiple profiles, which weakens the impact of your overall rating and social proof. One profile might have great reviews, while the other gets neglected.
- It makes managing your business harder. Trying to keep two or more profiles updated, consistent, and optimised is unnecessarily time-consuming and opens up more chances for error.
- It could lead to incorrect analytics. If you’ve got multiple listings, tracking and analysing your business performance gets messy. You won’t have a clear picture of your traffic, engagement, or conversions.
While Google will still try to rank the “best” profile, you’re essentially forcing it to flip a coin; the outdated or inactive profile could end up ranking instead of the one you’ve been updating with fresh content and reviews.
This is especially damaging if it has incorrect details, like a bad address or negative reviews—definitely not ideal if you’re a brick-and-mortar business relying on foot traffic to keep your lights turned on.
All in all, it’s bad for business, bad for prospects, and especially bad for local SEO.
Want me to handle this GBP issue AND the rest of your local SEO so your business can thrive online? Get in touch with me today.
When Should You Merge Google Business Profile Listings?
Not every situation calls for merging your Google Business Profiles.
Let’s me show you the most common scenarios where merging is necessary or not before you request your own.
Remember; you can’t reverse a merge, so pay attention!
1. Duplicate Profiles for the Same Business Location
This is the most obvious scenario.
If your business has somehow ended up with two profiles for the same location.
Maybe an old employee created one, or it was made before you knew about it.
Then merging is definitely in order.
2. Acquisitions or Mergers
If you’ve recently acquired another business, the old listing might still be floating around online, competing with your main profile.
In this case, merging the listings is the best way to ensure your customers and Google both recognise your new unified brand & any additional services you now provide.
When Merging isn't The Right Choice
1. Distinct services or multiple locations
If your business operates in multiple locations, it actually makes sense to keep separate Google Business Profiles for each.
Local SEO thrives on location-based data, so each branch or franchise should have its own profile that reflects the specific details, like address, phone number, and reviews for that location.
The same goes for businesses that offer significantly different services under the same umbrella.
2. Practitioner listings
This applies to businesses like medical offices or law firms where individual practitioners may have their own Google Business Profile separate from the main office.
If you’ve got a listing for a dentist, doctor, or lawyer who works at your location, their profile should usually stay separate unless they’re the only person at that office.
Merging practitioner listings with the main business can mess up the structure of how Google organises those reviews and rankings.
So in most cases, you’ll want to leave them as is
99% of the times, Google will deny your merge request if this is the case anyway.
How to Merge Google Business Profiles
So, you’ve figured out you need to merge your duplicate listings—great!
Now, let’s walk through the actual process of how to merge 2 Google business profiles.
Step 1: Grab The GBP URLs
The first step is to grab the URLs of your GBPs, so Google support knows the business you’d like to merge.
If you have access to the GBP already
Go to your Google Business Profile Manager.
You will then be brought to a regular search results page, where you will be able to see your GBP listing.
Do this again for the other GBP you’re merging.
Find and select the business GBP of the one you want to merge. Now click on the ‘Share’ button to get the link.
DONE!!
Keep these links safe as they will be useful later.
Step 2: Unverify or Claim the Extra Profile
Before you can merge anything, you’ve got to make sure that the duplicate profile is either unverified or under your control (and unverified).
Here’s what to do based on your situation:
If You Own Both Profiles
Log in to your Google Business Profile Manager
Find the profile you want to be merged with the primary one, click the tick box, then click the ‘Actions’ button.
And then click “Permanently Closed” from the new drop down.
This will unverify the profile and get it ready for merging.
Why you need to do this: Google doesn’t allow you to merge two verified profiles, so one has to be unverified before you proceed.
If You Don’t Have Access to The Duplicate Profile
If the extra profile was set up by a previous employee or someone else, you’ll need to claim it first.
Head to Google Maps and search for the unwanted business listing and click on “Own This Business?” button.
Once it’s successfully been claimed (this could take some time) and its in your dashboard, you need to change it to permantly closed;
Go to your GBP Dashboard by following this link.
Find the now claimed business in your dashboard.
And then select “Permanently Closed” from the drop down to un-verify this business.
If You Don’t Own or Can’t Claim a Business You Wish To Merge
Merging a business you don’t own or can’t claim is going to be tricky, but its still possible.
You’ll want to get a direct link to the business profile so you can use it when you contact support.
Do this by searching for your business/company on Google Maps and finding the business you want to merge with.
Step 3: Contact Google Support
- Go to the Google Business Profile Help Center and submit a request.
- Be specific. You’ll need to provide the exact map URLs for both the verified profile and the one you want to merge. It’s also helpful to include the CID number (Customer ID) for each listing—this is how Google will make sure they’re merging the correct profiles.
Step 4: Confirm The Merge
- Reviews: Make sure all the reviews from the old profile are showing up on the new one.
- Photos and Posts: Double-check that any images or posts tied to the old listing have made their way over.
- Business Details: Ensure the name, address, phone number, and hours of operation are accurate and consistent.
What If Merging Isn’t Possible?
Sometimes merging isn’t the right move, or Google won’t let it happen for various reasons.
In cases like these, you’ll need to consider alternative options to clean up your Google Business Profile (GBP) listings without merging.
Let’s dive into those scenarios and how to handle them.
Moving a Listing vs. Merging a Listing
Merging might seem like the best solution, but in some cases, moving a listing is actually more effective.
- Merging: Google takes 2 GBP listings and combines them together.
- Moving: A move is when Google takes a listing and points it to another listing. The other listing vanishes from the search results, and your new one shows up instead.
One of the drawbacks with moving is that your old data (reviews, pictures, posts) will not be salvaged and lost forever.
This is annoying, but sometimes moving is the only way you can get rid of an old listing, especially if the business is now in a different location; Google can be quite funny with merging in these scenarios.
How To Set a Business as Moved
If your business has relocated but an old Google Business Profile is still showing up in search results, you can mark it as “moved” to direct customers to your new location.
Here’s how to do it:
If You Have Access To The GBP
Go to Your Google Business Profile here.
Find the GBP listing you would like to change and then click on the edit button, which will look like pencil.
In the new Business information tab that will pop-up, click on the ‘Location’ section using the provided tab menu.
Click on the “Business location” to begin editing.
Enter or edit your new address information. Then, select Save.
Also, make sure the new pin location is accurate.
Select Adjust.
Move the map so the pin points to your business location. Then hit save.
Done!
Your changes should take around 10 minutes to be approved and set to live.
If You Don’t Have Access To The GBP
Go to Google Maps in your web browser.
In the search bar, type the name or address of the old business listing you want to set as “moved.”
From the search results, find and select the correct listing for the old business address.
Click on the “Suggest an edit” button.
A pop-up will appear with a few options. Select “Change name or other details”.
Scroll down until you find the “Address” section. Eneter in the new business adderss here.
After entering the new location, click “Submit” to send the request to Google.
They will review the information, and if everything checks out, the business location will be changed.
Google will, during this process, will merge the two business listings; if the details are the same.
Deleting a Profile Might Be Best Soultion
Sometimes, merging or moving a Google Business Profile just isn’t the right fit.
I would say, in most cases, if you don’t have a lot of good reviews that will be useful when added to your new Google Business Profile, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.
That’s why I’d just recommend outright deleting it if you’re in this boat.
On top of that, sometimes Google just won’t merge your GBPs, so your only choice is to delete the one you don’t want.
This isn’t ideal, but at least you will no longer have conflicting information being shown to long-time customers and prospects of your business.
6 Reasons Why Google Can Refuse a Merge
As mentioned, Google can sometimes ooutright refuse to merge your GBPs, even if you’ve got ownership of them both.
Now, Google aren’t just pieces of work doing this for no reason, they have some legit reasons as to why this may happen to your GBPs merging claims.
Below are the most common ones:
1. Different addresses or service areas
If the two profiles have different physical addresses, Google will typically refuse a merge.
Merging is only allowed for listings that represent the same business at the same location.
You will have to change the business address to match the new GBP if you wish to merge them.
2. Service area businesses (SABs)
If one of the profiles is tied to a home address (often used for service area businesses), Google may refuse to merge it.
Home addresses aren’t supposed to appear publicly unless verified as part of an SAB, and merging can be tricky in these cases.
3. Professional/Practitioner Listings
Public-facing professionals (like doctors or lawyers) often have individual profiles separate from the business they work for.
Google typically won’t merge these into the main business profile since the practitioner listing belongs to the individual.
4. Verified Listings
Google won’t merge two verified profiles.
One of the profiles must be unverified before a merge can be requested.
5. Different Business Names
If the two profiles have different business names, even if they represent the same business or brand, Google may reject the merge.
The names need to be consistent across both profiles.
6. Conflicting Ownership
If one of the listings is owned by a different account and you haven’t claimed it or verified your ownership, Google won’t proceed with a merge until ownership issues are resolved.
My Listing Was Flagged as a Duplicate. What Should I Do Now?
Seeing that dreaded “duplicate” label on your Google Business Profile can be a bit of a curveball, but don’t panic just yet.
When Google flags a listing as a duplicate, it’s usually because they’ve detected two profiles for the same business at the same location.
This is part of Google’s way of cleaning up the clutter, merging genuine duplicates to keep things streamlined for users and avoid confusion.
Here’s the deal: if your listing was flagged, it means that Google has likely already merged it with another profile.
The tricky part?
Once Google merges two listings, it cannot be undone.
The “duplicate” listing no longer exists on its own, and all its info has been mashed together with another profile.
If the profile you still have access to is marked as a duplicate, you’ll need to take action.
You won’t be able to edit this flagged listing directly, but you can request access to the profile that your listing was merged into.
Head to your Google Business Profile dashboard, look up the merged listing, and follow the process to request ownership.
Once you’ve got control of the active profile, you can make sure all the correct business info is in place.
However, if you spot any errors—like missing reviews, incorrect business details, or the wrong profile being prioritised—you should reach out to Google support.
They can help resolve issues, ensure the right information is being displayed, and provide further guidance if something went wrong during the merge.
In some cases, Google’s automatic merge might not be perfect, and details (or reviews) can get lost in the shuffle.
So, it’s always a good idea to double-check everything after you gain access and make sure the most accurate profile is the one showing to your customers.
Merging Is The Way To Go, Until It Isn't
Knowing how to merge two Google business profiles can help clean up your online presence and improve your local SEO.
The process involves identifying the listings, unverifying or claiming the duplicate, and then contacting Google to request the merge.
All this talk of GBP got you confused?
Just let me sort it all for you, and the rest of your local SEO. Get in touch today.