Are you struggling to manage your Google Business Profiles? You’re not alone. Many businesses unknowingly create multiple profiles, leading to confusion and lost customers. I
I walked into this coffee shop last week, and the owner looked like he was about to set his laptop on fire. Three different Google listings for his one shop. Three. One said he opened at 6 AM, another said 7:30, and the third claimed he was closed on Mondays. His actual hours? None of the above. Customers were showing up at random times, calling disconnected numbers, and leaving pissed-off reviews on profiles he didn’t even know existed.
The worst part? His main profile, the real one with 200+ reviews and gorgeous photos of his latte art? Buried somewhere on page two, while his zombie profiles fought each other for visibility. Google saw this mess and basically decided, “This guy can’t even figure out his business hours, why should we rank him?”
This is what Google My Business duplicates do to real businesses. They don’t just confuse customers; they murder your local visibility. Google’s algorithm sees multiple profiles and thinks you’re either trying to game the system or you’re too incompetent to manage one simple listing. Either way, you’re screwed. And fixing it? That’s where things get really fun, because Google Support makes the DMV look efficient.
What Are Duplicate Google Business Profiles?
Duplicate profiles happen when Google thinks your one business is multiple businesses. Sometimes it’s obvious, like two profiles with identical names at the same address. Sometimes it’s sneaky, like when someone adds “LLC” to your name or uses “Street” instead of “St” in your address.
Google hates this more than they hate keyword stuffing. Their local algorithm sees duplicate listings and basically says “this business can’t even figure out its own identity, why should I send customers there?”
Picture this mess from a customer’s perspective:
- One profile says you’re open Sundays
- Another says you’re closed weekends
- A third has your old phone that now belongs to a massage parlor
- Your hard-earned reviews scattered across all of them like breadcrumbs
You just lost that customer. Probably to whoever shows up clean and simple in that local 3-pack while your profiles fight each other for visibility.
Why Duplicate Profiles Are Business Poison
I’ve watched duplicate profiles destroy good businesses. Not slowly, either. Fast and brutal.
Your local rankings tank first. Instead of one strong profile climbing the rankings, you have three weak ones dragging each other down. Google sees the confusion and pushes you down below businesses with half your reviews but clean profiles.
Those reviews you worked so hard for? Now they’re split up. Mrs. Chen’s glowing 5-star review about your emergency plumbing service sits on a profile nobody finds. Meanwhile your main profile looks like a ghost town with two reviews from 2021.
Then comes the suspension. Google’s duplicate detection isn’t gentle. When it decides you’re spam, it doesn’t send a warning. You just disappear. Poof. Gone from Maps. And getting reinstated? Good luck explaining to Google’s support bots that you’re a real business while your competitors steal your lunch.
How These Digital Doppelgangers Get Created
The Well-Meaning Disaster
Your daughter helps out over summer break. Can’t find your Google listing, so she makes a new one. Your new manager does the same thing six months later. Now you’ve got profiles breeding like cockroaches.
The Address Change Catastrophe
You move locations. Instead of updating your existing profile, someone creates a fresh one. Now Google shows your old address where you haven’t been for two years, while your new profile has zero credibility.
The Verification Loop From Hell
Google’s verification postcard doesn’t arrive. You try again. System glitches. You try from a different email. Before you know it, you’ve created four profiles in various stages of verification, and Google’s spam filters are having a seizure.
The Competitor’s Revenge
This one’s dirty. I’ve seen competitors create fake duplicate listings with wrong phone numbers just to mess with rivals. Happened to a roofer client. Fake profile had a phone number that went to a recorded message saying they were out of business.
Finding Your Evil Twins
Time to hunt down every version of your business polluting Google. Open Maps and search like a detective with OCD:
- Your business name exactly as registered
- Your name without the LLC, Inc, or Corp
- Common misspellings (Bob’s Auto vs Bob’s Automotive)
- Just your address, no business name
- Your phone number alone
- Any old business names from before you rebranded
Don’t just check Maps. Search regular Google too. Sometimes profiles hide in search results but not on Maps.
Found multiples? Screenshot everything. URLs, reviews, photos, the works. You’ll need proof for what comes next.
The Duplicate Destruction Playbook
Step 1: Pick Your Winner
Look at all your profiles like they’re in a lineup. Which one has:
- The most reviews
- Verification checkmark
- Correct current info
- The best photos
- The longest history
That’s your keeper. Everything else dies.
Step 2: Capture the Rogue Profiles
Can’t access a duplicate? Here’s how you hijack it:
- Go to business.google.com/add
- Search for the duplicate listing
- Click “Claim this business”
- Fill out ownership forms with your business docs
- Wait three days for current owner to respond
No response means it’s yours to destroy.
Step 3: Murder the Duplicates
The Merge Method
Works best when profiles are obviously the same business:
- Find one profile on Google Maps
- Click “Suggest an edit”
- Pick “Merge with another place”
- Select your duplicate from the list
- Submit and wait 72 hours
Google’s decent at merging when it’s obvious. Your reviews and photos move to the main profile.
The Delete Method
For profiles you control through Google Business:
- Log into the Business dashboard
- Find the duplicate listing
- Click “Remove” or “Delete This Listing”
- Make absolutely sure it’s the right one
- Delete and never look back
Check three times before deleting. Those reviews disappear forever. No take-backs.
The Report Method
For profiles you can’t control:
- Find duplicate on Maps
- Click “Suggest an edit”
- Choose “Close or remove”
- Pick “Duplicate of another place”
- Point to your real profile
- Explain clearly why it’s a duplicate
The Nuclear Method
Someone created a malicious fake? Pull out the big guns with Google’s Business Redressal Form:
- Screenshot the fake profile
- Include your business license
- Explain the damage it’s causing
- Document any fraud attempts
Google actually cares about obvious fakes. I’ve seen them nuked in 48 hours with proper documentation.
When Google Fights Back
Sometimes Google’s algorithms get stupid. They might:
- Merge two completely different businesses
- Refuse to merge obvious duplicates
- Suspend you for “suspicious activity” while you’re fixing their mess
Got suspended? Here’s your game plan:
- Document everything before you touch anything
- Submit reinstatement request immediately
- Explain the situation like you’re talking to a confused child
- Include every shred of proof you own
- Follow up every single day until someone responds
I had a dentist get suspended three times during cleanup. Each appeal needed more proof than the last. But persistence works. They’re back and ranking.
Preventing Future Multiplication
One Business, One Profile
No exceptions. Don’t care if you offer plumbing and HVAC. Don’t care if you have two phone lines. One physical location equals one profile.
Match Everything Exactly
Your business info should be identical everywhere:
- Website
- Business cards
- Actual storefront sign
- Every directory listing
- Your mom’s Facebook posts
Even tiny differences spawn duplicates.
Never Create, Only Update
Moving? Update the existing profile. Changing names? Update the existing profile. Want a fresh start? Update. The. Existing. Profile.
Creating new profiles is like burning money while Google watches.
Train Your People
Every employee needs this drilled in: We have ONE Google profile. Here’s the login. Don’t create new ones. Don’t “help” by making more. One profile.
Write it down. Post it on the wall. Tattoo it on the new guy.
Monthly Duplicate Patrol
Set a calendar reminder. First Monday of every month, search for your business in every possible way. Duplicates pop up from old Yellow Pages imports, customer suggestions, or Google being Google.
Getting Google Support to Help
Google Support is like dealing with a government office staffed by robots. But you can get results:
- Start at the Google Business Profile Help dashboard
- Write a novel in your support ticket explaining everything
- When the bot responds, reply with:
- Exact URLs of problem profiles
- Screenshots of everything
- What you need them to do
- Your business license if they ask
- Follow up every 24 hours asking for updates
Be annoying but polite. The persistent business owner gets the duplicate removed.
What’s Next for You?
Those duplicate profiles aren’t just cluttering up Google. They’re actively destroying your local visibility while you read this. Every day you wait, customers call wrong numbers, read outdated hours, and go to your competitors instead.
At Localseo.net, we’ve fixed hundreds of duplicate disasters. We know which forms work, which support reps actually help, and how to merge profiles without losing reviews.
But if you’re doing this yourself, start right now. Search your business name twenty different ways. Find every duplicate. Pick your champion. Then systematically execute every pretender.
Your local rankings need this fixed. Your customers need to find you. And your business needs to stop hemorrhaging leads to competitors with cleaner profiles.
Need someone else to deal with this mess? Contact Localseo.net for a free profile audit. We’ll find every duplicate, map out the cleanup, and handle Google’s bureaucracy while you run your actual business.
One business. One profile. No excuses.