Local SEO
How to merge duplicate Google Business Profiles
Two profiles for one business split the reviews and confuse the listing, but not every second profile is a duplicate. Decide which route applies before you act, because merging, removing and claiming ownership do different things to your reviews.
Expected outcome
What you will have when you finish
Before you start
Gather these details before you begin. It keeps the task focused and prevents guesswork later.
- Access to the Google Account or accounts that own or manage either profile
- The Google Maps link for each profile
- The review count, rating, and verification status of each profile
- A note of any differences between the two profiles: name, address, phone number, website, categories, and hours
- Copies of any review replies you have written that you want to keep
Some of the actions in this guide are permanent. Removing a profile from your account permanently deletes the posts, photos, videos, and review replies added by its owners and managers. Decide which profile is the one you keep, and who approves that decision, before you touch either profile.
Two profiles for one business is a policy problem, not just a tidy-up
Google allows one Business Profile for each business. Multiple profiles for the same business may mislead customers and are against Google’s policies, and a profile Google considers a duplicate will not show on Search or Maps. Duplicates usually appear after a move, a rebrand, a second claim, or a profile created per service — Google lists the patterns it looks for: an existing verified profile for the same business, multiple profiles at the same address, and multiple profiles for different services of one business.
The fix depends on which situation you are in, and the situations are easy to confuse because two different actions both look like “getting rid of the extra profile”:
Choosing the wrong one costs you content. Work through the steps in order.
What a complete comparison pack looks like
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Both Maps links, labelled “keep” and “duplicate.”
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A field-by-field comparison: name, address, phone, website, categories, hours, verification status for each.
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Review counts and ratings for both profiles, screenshotted before any change.
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Saved copies of review replies, photos, and posts from the profile that will not survive.
How to merge duplicate Google Business Profiles step by step
Step 1
Decide which profile is the main profile
Compare the two profiles field by field and pick the survivor on evidence, not appearance.
- The main profile is normally the one that is verified, carries the larger review history, and shows the correct name, address, phone number, website, and categories.
- Record both profiles in a note or document: Maps link, name, address or service area, phone, website, primary category, verification status, review count, and who owns or manages each one.
- Check whether you actually control both profiles. If the stronger profile belongs to someone else — a former employee, an old agency, a previous owner — you need the ownership route in Step 5 as well as, or instead of, a merge.
Step 2
Save what a merge or removal can lose
Do this before you request anything, because neither route has an undo.
- Copy the text of review replies you care about into a document. Google states that replies may be lost in a merge, and removal deletes them outright.
- Save copies of owner-uploaded photos and posts from the profile that will not survive, if you want to reuse them.
- Screenshot both profiles' review counts and ratings, to compare against after the merge.
Step 3
Make the two profiles carry the same information
Google states that for a merge to be successful, the profiles must represent the same business and should have the same information.
- Where you manage both profiles, correct the duplicate so its name, address, phone number, website, and categories match the main profile and the real business. Never change the main profile to match errors on the duplicate.
- If the profiles genuinely hold different details — for example, one still shows the address you moved from — note it. That difference is part of what you explain in the merge request or to support.
Step 4
Choose the route that matches your situation
Pick one route based on who created the duplicate and what it carries.
- Both profiles exist on Google Maps, and the duplicate holds reviews or is not yours to remove: request a merge. On the duplicate's listing in Google Maps, use Suggest an edit, choose the option that marks the place as a duplicate of another place, and select your main profile. Google reviews every merge request; there is no instant or automatic merge.
- You created the duplicate by mistake in your own account, and it carries nothing you need: remove it from your account. Google documents this route for exactly this case and notes it does not affect your verified listing. Only the primary owner can remove profile content and managers, and new owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can. Before you confirm, re-check Step 1: removal permanently deletes that profile's posts, photos, videos, and review replies, and the business can still appear on Google afterwards as an unmanaged listing.
- The two profiles are at an old and a new address because you moved: do not merge and do not start fresh. Google's instruction for a relocation is to update the existing profile with the new address.
Step 5
If the profile you need belongs to someone else, request ownership
A merge fixes how many profiles exist. It does not give you control of the survivor. If the main profile is owned by another account, request ownership of it.
- Send the ownership request from the profile. The current owner has 3 days to respond.
- If the request is approved, you can manage the profile. If it is denied, you can appeal the denial. If there is no response after 3 days, you may have the option to claim the profile — Google notes this option is not always available.
- If the existing profile is on Maps but unverified, claim and verify it instead; once verification is complete, it is yours to manage.
Step 6
Prepare the comparison pack in case support gets involved
If the Maps suggestion stalls or the situation does not fit the routes above, Google Business Profile support is the escalation path, and it works from links and facts.
- The Maps link for the profile you keep, and the Maps link for the duplicate.
- The business name and address as they appear on your official documents.
- One sentence stating that both profiles represent the same business at the same location, and which one should remain.
- Your Step 1 comparison notes, including review counts and any differences you found.
Step 7
After the merge, check the combined profile end to end
When Google has processed the merge, verify the survivor before you consider the job done.
- Confirm only one profile for the business appears on Search and Maps.
- Compare the review count and rating against your Step 2 screenshots, and spot-check a few individual reviews from the old duplicate to confirm they are present.
- Re-post any important review replies that did not carry over, and verify the name, address, phone, website, hours, categories, and photos are the main profile's correct versions.
Common mistakes to avoid
Removing the profile that holds your reviews
Removal and merging look similar in the menus and have opposite effects on your content. Removal permanently deletes owner-added posts, photos, videos, and review replies, and leaves the public listing unmanaged. If the duplicate holds reviews and replies you rely on, the merge route is the one that combines reviews.
Removing a duplicate and expecting the business to vanish from Google
Google states that removing a profile from your account does not remove the business from Search or Maps, and that user-generated content and reviews remain. If customers still see the listing afterwards, that is the documented behaviour, not a failed removal.
Merging two profiles that are actually different businesses
Distinct, eligible businesses at the same address can each have their own profile — Google gives the examples of departments, individual practitioners, and multiple brands at one location, provided they have different names and clearly visible differences in signage. Merging two real businesses into one profile is the wrong fix; if Google has already merged or flagged two distinct businesses as duplicates, the route is an appeal to support, not another merge.
Creating a third profile while a request is pending
A fresh profile adds another duplicate to the same problem and splits any new reviews away from the history you are trying to consolidate. Wait for the merge, removal, or ownership outcome first.
How to know the task is complete
Success checks
- One profile for the business appears on Search and Maps, and it is the one you chose as the main profile.
- The combined review count reflects both profiles' reviews, checked against your before screenshots.
- You control the surviving profile with an owner or manager account you recognise.
- Review replies you saved have been checked against the live profile and restored where they did not carry over.
If something does not work
- The merge request is declined or nothing changes: re-check that both profiles carry the same information for the same business, then escalate to Business Profile support with your comparison pack.
- Google merged two businesses that are actually distinct: contact support to appeal the duplicate status. Both businesses must be eligible and distinct, and if they serve customers at the same location, expect to provide evidence of permanent signage clearly showing both businesses.
- You removed a profile and the business still shows on Google: that is expected — the listing remains as an unmanaged entry with its reviews. To manage the business again you would claim and re-verify the profile.
- Reviews did not combine as expected after a merge: gather both original Maps links and the before-and-after counts, and raise it with support. If individual reviews are missing for other reasons, the missing-reviews guide covers the checks for that problem.
merge duplicate Google Business Profiles FAQ
What is the difference between merging and removing a duplicate profile?
Merging combines two profiles for the same business on Maps: Google states that their reviews are combined, though replies to reviews may be lost. Removing a profile from your Google Account is a management action for a duplicate you created yourself: it permanently deletes the posts, photos, videos, and review replies added by owners and managers, while the listing itself can remain on Google, unmanaged, with its customer reviews still on it.
Will I lose my reviews if the profiles are merged?
Google states that when two profiles are merged, their reviews are combined. The item at risk is your replies to those reviews, which may be lost — which is why this guide has you save copies of important replies before you request the merge.
Can I merge two profiles if I only manage one of them?
The merge request itself is made from Google Maps, through Suggest an edit on the duplicate, so it does not depend on managing both profiles. Managing the survivor afterwards is separate: if the profile you keep belongs to another account, use the ownership request process, where the current owner has 3 days to respond.
How long does a merge take?
Google does not publish a processing time for merge requests, and every request is subject to review. Prepare the comparison pack while you wait, so a support escalation starts with the links and facts already assembled.
Two different businesses share my address. Do we each get a profile?
Yes, if both are distinct and eligible. Google allows separate profiles at one address where the businesses have different names and clearly visible differences in signage — departments, practitioners, and separate brands at a shared location are its examples. If Google treats two such businesses as duplicates of each other, contact support to appeal the duplicate status rather than merging them.