A customer can meet your business through a map listing, a directory, a social profile or your own website. If those places disagree about the phone number, opening hours or service area, the customer has to work out which one to trust. Start with a verified business information sheet, then compare the public details against it. The aim is accuracy and a usable customer journey, not a promise about search rankings.
Agree the facts before editing profiles
Create a record containing the business’s real name, public phone number, website address, usual hours and relevant location or service-area information. Add the person responsible for approving each field. Distinguish customer visiting hours from office administration hours, and a public premises address from a private address that should not be advertised as a place to visit.
Ask the operational owner to confirm the information. Do not decide that the newest-looking online listing must be correct. Where the business has several locations or departments, make separate records with clear names so details do not get copied from one location to another. Store account ownership information separately from public-facing business facts.
Find the places customers actually use
List the website contact page, footer, important service pages, map profiles, active social profiles and directories that your team or customers use. Include links in email signatures, appointment messages and printed materials when they point to a public profile. Record each exact page address so the same location can be checked again.
Prioritize entries connected to real customer routes. An incorrect phone number on a frequently used profile deserves attention before a minor wording difference in an obscure directory. For each discrepancy, record the current value, approved replacement, who can edit it and the evidence you will need to confirm the correction. Keep the original observation rather than overwriting it as soon as a change is submitted.
Use the profile’s own editing process
Google’s Business Profile guidance says you can update details such as address, hours, contact information and photos through the account linked to the profile. Available management features can differ between Search, Maps and devices. Use the current official instructions linked below rather than assuming that a screenshot from an old tutorial matches your interface.
A missing edit option may be an access or verification issue. Record it as something to resolve with the account owner; do not create a duplicate profile simply to obtain a new editing screen. For other directories, follow their own correction and ownership process. Changing your website does not establish that a separately managed profile has also changed.
Illustrative correction record
Location: main workshop. Public page: the workshop’s verified map profile. Observed issue: the listing still shows the former Saturday closing time. Approved value: the current hours confirmed by the operations lead. Action owner: profile manager. Status: submitted, awaiting public readback. Completion evidence: the correct hours visible on the public profile after review.
Verify the public information and the action
Reopen the customer-facing page after the change has been processed. Check the displayed value, then test the action it supports where appropriate. A correct-looking website address can still lead to the wrong location page. A visible phone number should connect to the intended business route, and a map pin should be checked against the actual entrance or location context.
Keep submission and verification as separate statuses. If a platform is reviewing an edit, record that state and a follow-up owner rather than reporting it as publicly corrected. Capture a dated note or screenshot when useful, but avoid including account details or private information in a shared audit report.
Give the information sheet a maintenance owner
Update the approved record when the business changes its services, location, contact route or hours. Use the same change list to identify affected public channels. Someone should own the full task, even if different people edit the website, social accounts and directories.
Keep a short exception list for information you cannot yet correct, including the next action and responsible person. Review recurring discrepancies for an underlying cause, such as an old email template or a supplier using outdated brand details. Fixing that source can prevent the same incorrect information from being distributed again.
- Public facts are approved by the responsible business owner.
- Each location has its own clear record.
- Submitted edits are distinguished from verified public changes.
- Important links and contact routes are tested.
- Unresolved entries have an owner and next action.
Your next step
Create the approved information sheet, then check the five public pages most likely to influence a customer’s next action. Complete one correction through public readback before expanding the audit.
Sources
Google Business Profile Help: Edit your Business Profile · Checked 2026-10-28
