To fix wrong information or a duplicate listing on Google Maps, edit your Google Business Profile and merge duplicates, since deleting one loses its reviews. Both routes apply to UK businesses fixing their own listing, as of October 2026. When a takeover turned two UK law firms into one in 2024, IvI SEO got the closed office's profile merged, and every review carried over.

The merge took proof, several follow-ups to Google Business Profile support and about 90 days, far longer than a normal edit.

How do you fix wrong information on your Google Business Profile?

To fix wrong information on your Google Business Profile, sign in as its owner or manager and select Edit profile on Google Search or Maps. Every change to a Google Business Profile is reviewed before it goes live, so the old details can stay visible for a while. A business that doesn't manage its listing yet has to claim it or request ownership first, and in the meantime can suggest an edit on Google Maps. If the wrong details are on a second listing of the same business, check that listing for reviews before getting rid of it, because removing a profile deletes everything on it, while an approved merge combines the reviews.

The edit itself is dead simple:

  1. Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile.
  2. Search your business name on Google, or find the listing on Google Maps.
  3. Select Edit profile.
  4. Change the detail that's wrong.
  5. Select Save.

Here's what you can change from there:

  • Business name and category: the business name and categories on a Google Business Profile can both be edited by its owner or manager.
  • Address and service area: the address and the areas served on a Google Business Profile can be updated, which is the route to take when a business moves.
  • Phone number and website: the phone number and website link on a Google Business Profile can be changed from the same edit screen.
  • Opening hours, including special hours: a Google Business Profile has standard opening hours plus special hours for bank holidays and other one-off days.
  • Photos, videos and business description: photos, videos and the business description on a Google Business Profile can all be added or replaced by the owner or manager.

Not yours yet? If nobody at the business manages the listing, you can still flag the wrong detail while you sort out access:

  1. Open Google Maps and find the listing.
  2. Select Suggest an edit.
  3. Pick the detail that's wrong and correct it.
  4. Select Submit.

Treat that as a stopgap, not the fix. A suggestion is you asking politely from outside. Claiming the listing means you can change it yourself, properly, whenever you need to.

Most edits go through. When one doesn't, or the old details are still showing, there's usually a reason.

Why won't Google accept your edit, or why does the old information come back?

Google can reject a Google Business Profile edit, leaving the old information showing, when the edit would significantly change the business. A Google Business Profile edit is checked before it goes live and can show as pending while it waits, so the old information stays up until the edit is approved. An edit that isn't applied leaves the old details in place, which is why wrong information can seem to come back. When an edit is rejected, make sure the new details are right everywhere the business appears, including its website and other listings, then submit the edit again. If the edit keeps failing, contact Google Business Profile support with proof of the change. Fix the cause, then resubmit.

The usual suspects when an edit won't stick:

  • A keyword added to the business name: a Google Business Profile name has to be the business's real-world name, so an edit that adds keywords to it works against the name rules. Here's what you can and can't put in a Google Business Profile name.
  • A big change in one go: edits that significantly change a business on Google Maps may be rejected, so a big change needs proof behind it.
  • Details that don't match the website: before resubmitting a Google Business Profile edit, check that the website and other listings show the same name, address and phone number. More on why matching details matter.
  • A second listing of the same business: one business should have one Google Business Profile, and a duplicate needs its own fix, which comes next.

If an edit keeps bouncing, don't just mash resubmit and hope. Gather official documents that show the change is real, then take it to Google Business Profile support. Expect to follow up more than once. That's normal, not a sign you've done something wrong.

Sometimes the problem isn't the edit at all. It's a second listing.

How do you get rid of a duplicate listing of your business?

To get rid of a duplicate listing of your business, usually request a merge, because removing the duplicate deletes everything on it, reviews included. A business can only have one Google Business Profile, and removing a duplicate you manage deletes all its content and managers. An approved merge combines the reviews, though replies to reviews may be lost. The right route depends on who created the duplicate, who manages it and why it exists.

IvI SEO's advice is to check every duplicate for two things before removing anything: whether it has reviews, and who manages it. Remove last, not first.

There are five situations, and each has its own route:

  • A duplicate you created and manage: you can remove a duplicate Google Business Profile you made, but removing it deletes all its content and managers, so only do it when there's nothing on it worth keeping.
  • A duplicate you don't manage: you can request a merge by suggesting an edit to the duplicate on Google Maps and marking it as a duplicate of your Google Business Profile, and every merge request is reviewed.
  • Someone else controls your listing: you can request ownership of the Google Business Profile, and the current owner has three days to respond.
  • Your profile was wrongly marked as a duplicate: you can appeal a Google Business Profile's duplicate status, with signage as proof if you share an address with another business.
  • You've moved: edit the address on your existing Google Business Profile instead of creating a new one, which would be a duplicate. Here's how addresses and service areas work on a profile.

    • If you don't manage one of the duplicates, you'll need to prove both listings are your business. Put your details together first: the business name, address, phone number and website as each listing shows them, plus anything that ties the business to that address, such as legal documents or a photo of your signage. Then take your findings to Google Business Profile support and ask for the duplicate to be merged into the profile you manage. You're showing Google that both listings are the same business, and that the business is yours. Expect a few follow-ups before it's done.

Here's the thing about "just delete it". Delete is the one button you can't take back. If that duplicate has reviews on it, they go with it, and those reviews were earned one happy customer at a time. Check first. Then decide.

The hardest case is two genuine profiles that now belong to one business.

Can you merge two Google Business Profiles and keep the reviews?

Yes, you can merge two Google Business Profiles and keep the reviews if both represent the same business, because an approved merge combines their reviews. Every merge request is reviewed, so approval isn't guaranteed. In 2024, after a takeover, two UK law firms became one and one office closed. The closed office's profile was marked as closed and the new website added to the profile that stayed, then proof (the website, the location, legal documents) went to Google Business Profile support. All the reviews carried over when IvI SEO's merge request went through, about 90 days and several follow-ups later.

IvI SEO's view is that marking the old profile as closed and adding the website to the kept profile probably helped, because the request looked legitimately owned.

This is the order IvI SEO followed in 2024. It's what I did, not Google's official process:

  1. Mark the closed office's profile as closed.
  2. Add the new website to the profile that stays.
  3. Gather proof that it's now one business: the website, the location and legal documents.
  4. Send the request to Google Business Profile support with that proof, saying which profile stays and which merges into it.
  5. Chase it, and expect to follow up more than once.

Why go to all that bother for some reviews? Where IvI SEO stands: the extra reviews do affect rankings in some way. I can't show you that from this case, though. There's no before-and-after ranking data, so I'm not claiming a result. What Google does say, on its page about local ranking, is that more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking. There's more on whether Google reviews help local SEO if you want the longer version.

And forget rankings for a second. Reviews are what a nervous customer reads before they pick up the phone. Throwing away a pile of them because two profiles became awkward is a strange trade.

One thing to know before you start: replies to reviews may not survive a merge.

The honest limits: I've no review counts, no screenshots and no exact dates to show you. What I can tell you is what happened. It took proof, it took patience, and every review came across.

Ninety days sounds slow. Here's how it compares with the other kinds of change.

How long do Google Maps changes take?

Google Maps changes take different times: owner edits are usually quick, public suggestions have no stated timescale, and support merges can take months. Owner edits to a Google Business Profile usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes up to 30 days. Suggested edits from the public show as pending until they're approved or not applied, with no published timescale. Google's AI Overview for how long Google Maps edits take gives "14 to 21 days", as of October 2026, but that figure comes from forum threads and mixes all three together. The support merge IvI SEO handled for two UK law firms in 2024 took about 90 days and several follow-ups.

Know which clock you're on.

The three clocks, side by side:

  • Owner edits to a Google Business Profile: usually up to 10 minutes to review, sometimes up to 30 days.
  • Suggested edits from the public on Google Maps: shown as pending, with no published timescale.
  • Merges through Google Business Profile support: about 90 days in IvI SEO's 2024 case, with several follow-ups. That's one case, not a Google figure.

And what the statuses on a suggested edit mean:

  • Approved: a Google Maps edit marked approved has been accepted.
  • Pending: a Google Maps edit marked pending is still waiting to be reviewed.
  • Not applied: a Google Maps edit marked not applied didn't go through, so the listing keeps its old details.

Here's why one blended number is a problem. Change your opening hours, get told "14 to 21 days", and you'll worry about an edit that probably went through in minutes. Ask for a merge, get told the same, and you'll be chasing on day 22 wondering what you did wrong. Neither helps.

If you're on the merge clock, keep all your proof in one place, keep every message polite and keep following up. Slow and persistent gets there.

So, do it yourself or get help?

Should you fix your Google Maps listing yourself or get help?

You can fix most Google Maps listing problems yourself, but a duplicate with reviews or a support merge can be worth getting help with. The steps for fixing a Google Maps listing are the same whoever follows them. Nobody can promise a timescale, because Google Business Profile support sets the pace. If you have the time and the proof, doing it yourself works. Fixing listings, clearing duplicates and chasing merges with Google Business Profile support are all part of IvI SEO's local SEO service.

The free route: edit what you can from your profile, check any duplicate for reviews before you touch it, and if it comes to a merge, follow the five steps from the takeover case and be ready to chase. (Yes, I've just handed over the whole method on the page that's meant to sell it. Not my sharpest business move.)

The help route: I deal with the edits, the duplicates and the back-and-forth with support while you get on with running the business. I can't make support move any faster, and I won't pretend otherwise, but I can keep the request moving and the proof in order.

If that sounds useful, see how IvI SEO's local SEO service works.

Either way, get the reviews merged, not binned.