For local businesses, claiming your Google Business Profile is essential for improving your visibility on Google. By regularly updating your profile with posts, new products or services, holiday hours, photos, and other relevant information, you ensure that your listing remains current and appealing to potential customers.
However, it’s important to be aware that the information on your Google Business Profile could be altered at any time, sometimes without your knowledge. Such changes can significantly impact your business.
You should typically receive an email notification about any changes or suggestions to your profile, but this isn’t always the case. Therefore, it’s important to regularly check your business profile to ensure all information is accurate.
This article explores why Google updates Business Profiles, where the updated information comes from, and how you can ensure people searching for local products and services have access to timely and correct information.
### Why Does Google Change Business Profile Information?
Some changes to your profile might actually be beneficial. For instance, if you’re unknowingly violating a Google guideline, an edit suggested by someone else could save you from a Business Profile suspension by bringing your listing into compliance.
If a customer finds your business hours incorrect and corrects them, it can prevent others from visiting when you’re closed. However, unauthorized and harmful changes, such as a competitor altering your URL, can be detrimental to your business.
When Google updates your profile, you may see a blue notification in your Google search results, indicating a change. Always review these updates for accuracy.
### How Google Gathers Business Information
Google’s goal is to provide the most accurate business information to searchers. It gathers information from various sources, including:
– Publicly available information like websites, online business directories, and government sources.
– Data licensed from third parties.
– User-supplied content like reviews and suggested edits.
– Information derived from user interactions with businesses.
– Google’s AI technology.
This gathered information might prompt Google to make changes to a business profile it deems necessary.
Many business owners might be upset by these third-party changes. However, it’s important to remember that the Google Business Profile is owned by Google, and changes often reflect a broader effort at capturing community-generated content.
### Methods of Profile Updates
#### 1. User Suggestions
Users can suggest edits to inaccurate business profiles or flag them for removal. In certain situations, user edits, like incorrect business hours or missing links, are beneficial. Conversely, competitors might exploit this feature to identify guideline violations or create disadvantageous changes.
#### 2. Google Sources
Based on data gathered online, Google might update your profile without prior notification. Inaccurate descriptions, hours of operation, or other details might result from the information found online by Google’s algorithms.
#### 3. Third-Party Tools
Occasionally, third-party tools connected to your profile may unintentionally alter your information. Before connecting any tool to your business profile, it’s advisable to assess the necessity and potential impact carefully.
#### 4. Google AI
Google’s AI might utilize various data sources to update business hours or other profile details, a process that’s still evolving.
### Managing Changes to Your Google Business Profile
If changes are made to your profile, you’ll often receive an email notification. To manage changes effectively:
1. Sign in to the Google account associated with your business profile.
2. Search for your business name and manage your profile directly in Google Search.
3. Examine areas where updates were made and choose to accept or reject these changes.
Regularly monitoring your business profile ensures that potential customers receive accurate information, helping to maintain your business’s reputation and visibility.
