Keeping the business information on your Google Business Profile up-to-date and accurate is an important part of doing local SEO.
Not only does updating your business info on GBP help optimize your listing, it also contributes to your local citation and NAP consistency, both of which are crucial to building a strong local SEO profile.
Of course, updating the information on your Google Business Profile whenever something about your business changes isn't just about local SEO — it's also important to ensure potential customers get the most accurate information about your business, increasing their chances of purchasing products or services you sell.
According to Google, at least 88% of people who conduct a local search from their smartphone visit a local business they find within a week, which should give you an idea of just how much business you could potentially miss out on if something like your address or business hours are wrong!
When Should You Update Business Info on Google Business Profile?
There's a pretty easy rule of thumb to remember regarding when to change the business info on your Google Business Profile — whenever something about your business changes, you need to update the info on GBP to match!
Business Hour Changes
Keeping your business hours up-to-date and accurate is a big part of keeping your Google Business Profile optimized.
Not only should you update your regular business hours if they change, you should also make sure to add temporary holiday hours when applicable.
Since we now know that "openness," or whether or not a business is open at the time someone performs a local search, is a ranking factor, it's more important than ever to ensure your Google Business Profile listing's business hours are accurate at all times!
Change of Address
It should go without saying that if your place of business moves addresses, you should update the address on GBP as soon as possible.
That way, Google continues to rank your business in the most relevant local searches, and local customers can actually find your business instead of showing up to a closed and shuttered storefront!
New Contact Info
Another time when you should update your business info on Google Business Profile is whenever any of the contact information changes.
For example, if a phone number or extension changes or if you add a new phone number to your business, make sure to update the contact info on GBP.
Different Business Name
From time to time, businesses change names, whether it's due to an acquisition or merger, a rebranding, or something else, so make sure to update your business name on Google Business Profile if this ever happens to your business.
It's also important to ensure your business name is consistent across all Google Business Profile listings and listings on other directories. This is crucial to building strong local citations, which contribute to your overall local SEO success.
When we say consistent, what we really mean is exactly the same. In other words, if your business is listed as "John's Hardware Store" on one listing and "John's Hardware" on another, you need to update one or the other to match exactly.
This even applies to when you're adding a chain business to Google Business Profile — the business name should be exactly the same for every separate listing.
Google itself specifies in its guidelines for representing your business on Google that you are NOT to add unnecessary business info, such as location info or marketing taglines, to your business names on GBP, so make sure to stick to the same name across profiles to avoid any penalizations.
Changes to Product/Service Offerings
Another scenario when you may need to change your business info on Google Business Profile is when your business changes something about the products or services it offers.
For example, let's say your restaurant goes from overing dine-in, takeout, and delivery to just dine-in and takeout — you should remove any takeout-related categories from your Google Business Profile.
Or, let's say your bakery is starting to do commercial wholesale orders. In this case, you would want to add the "Wholesale bakery" category to your GBP.
You should also ensure your Google Business Profile attributes are accurate and up-to-date whenever anything changes. For instance, if you add or remove payment methods or dining options, add or remove the corresponding attributes to/from your profile.
Keeping your Google Business Profile categories and attributes as up-to-date and accurate as possible helps Google rank your business in relevant local searches, ensuring potential customers looking for products or services like yours can find your business among competitors.
How To Edit Information on Your Google Business Profile
In order to update info on your business's GBP, you'll first need to make sure you've claimed and verified it, giving you full ownership and control over your profile. Once this is done, you're free to update the information whenever you like.
If you manage multiple business locations on Google Business Profile, you can give edit permissions to individual location managers or other team members to delegate some of the responsibilities of keeping business info up-to-date across locations.
Editing your Google Business Profile info is as simple as logging in to the Google account you use to manage your listing(s), selecting "Edit profile" in the menu, and then navigating to whichever sections you need to update (e.g., Business info, Categories, Attributes, etc.).
Final Words
Maintaining accurate and up-to-date business information on your Google Business Profile is crucial for both doing local SEO and ensuring potential customers have the right information about your business.
Regularly updating your business hours, address, contact information, and other details not only helps optimize your listing, but also contributes to a better user experience.
By following the guidelines and updating your profile whenever there are changes to your business, you can improve your visibility in local searches and attract more customers to your business!