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How do you find and remove duplicate business listings?
Search your business name, your phone number and your old addresses in Google Maps, then check the major directories. Report duplicates through Google's redressal process and ask to have the weaker listing merged or marked as a duplicate rather than deleted, so the reviews survive.
Where duplicates come from
A move that left the old address live. A franchise or head office creating a listing you did not know about. A staff member setting one up years ago. Data aggregators generating one automatically.
Why they hurt
Reviews split across two records, so neither looks strong. Rankings split too. And a model comparing sources finds two versions of the same business with different details, which is the exact condition that produces hedging.
Finding them
Search your business name in Maps, then your phone number as a query, then every previous address. Check Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp and your main trade directories separately - a clean Google record does not mean the rest are clean.
Removing them
Use Google's redressal form for listings you do not control. Where both listings have reviews, request a merge rather than removal - a deleted listing takes its reviews with it. Expect a few weeks.
The short version
- Search by name, by phone number, and by every old address
- Duplicates split reviews and rankings
- Request a merge, not a deletion, where reviews exist
- Check Apple, Bing and trade directories separately
Related questions
What if a competitor created it?
Report it through the redressal process with evidence. That is what it is for.
Can I just delete the old one myself?
If you control it, mark it as permanently closed rather than deleting, and merge where possible.
How long does it take?
Usually two to six weeks.
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