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Updating one's Google business listing

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Mike4
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Updating one's Google business listing

#427602

Postby Mike4 » July 14th, 2021, 12:08 pm

I moved house about 18 months ago and at the time, I updated my "Google, My Business Profile" with all the new info, address, phone number etc. All well and good. New address etc shows up as one would expect when I log into "My Business Profile".

Trouble is, if I do a generic search on Google for my trading name (as many of my customers do to find me), the listing that Google returns shows my old, obsolete address and disconnected phone number, along with a nice big map showing my old address!

Does anyone know how to correct this please? Many thanks...

Itsallaguess
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427605

Postby Itsallaguess » July 14th, 2021, 12:23 pm

Mike4 wrote:
I moved house about 18 months ago and at the time, I updated my "Google, My Business Profile" with all the new info, address, phone number etc. All well and good. New address etc shows up as one would expect when I log into "My Business Profile".

Trouble is, if I do a generic search on Google for my trading name (as many of my customers do to find me), the listing that Google returns shows my old, obsolete address and disconnected phone number, along with a nice big map showing my old address!

Does anyone know how to correct this please?


Did you carry out the specific 'Verification process' following the last edit of your Google 'My Business' information?

Have a good read of this link and make sure you followed all the required steps, including the verification and emailed post-card steps...

https://support.google.com/business/answer/6300716

If you're happy that you've done all that (and it may be worth doing again, just to check..), then there is a process available to report erroneous 'Google Maps' business details, so it will probably be worth you pursuing that route, explaining the earlier update process that you've already carried out -

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3094088

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Mike4
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427619

Postby Mike4 » July 14th, 2021, 1:16 pm

Itsallaguess wrote:
Did you carry out the specific 'Verification process' following the last edit of your Google 'My Business' information?


Thanks IAAG.

No I didn't verify after updating my details, but your link seems to concentrate on verification when initially signing up, AFAICS. If I click the "Manage your Business" button on your first link it takes me straight into my "Google My Business" dashboard where I can do all manner of things, including see my current address and photos listed. But these are not reflected in a generic result returned by a Google search, which actually seems to be a GoogleMAPS link showing my old business location, my current website address and an obsolete phone number.

In the My Business dashboard there is a box titled "Your Business is on Google", offering links to View (my business) on Maps, and View on Search. Both these links return the current, correct address etc.

I can't find anywhere inside the "My Business" dashboard explaining how to re-verify my business after changing any detail, nor any suggestion that I should need to!

I think I'll do as you suggest and report it as a "Maps" error.....


(Edit to make a sentence make sense...)

Mike4
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427626

Postby Mike4 » July 14th, 2021, 1:28 pm

The plot thickens.

I've just noticed the thing I'm complaining about is not a Google problem at all. Its a DuckDuckGo problem. Using the Google search engine home page returns all the correct details, but using DDG, a search brings up a half-page listing and map on the right hand half of the results page showing all the old obsolete info, and it links to Apple Maps for getting directions to my old address.

Looks like I need to be reading the DDG help pages.....

servodude
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427644

Postby servodude » July 14th, 2021, 2:22 pm

Mike4 wrote:The plot thickens.

I've just noticed the thing I'm complaining about is not a Google problem at all. Its a DuckDuckGo problem. Using the Google search engine home page returns all the correct details, but using DDG, a search brings up a half-page listing and map on the right hand half of the results page showing all the old obsolete info, and it links to Apple Maps for getting directions to my old address.

Looks like I need to be reading the DDG help pages.....


Sounds like they're crawling places that have vestiges of the old info
- while not crawling the newer stuff (possibly not exposed in the same way by Google?)

I'd be trying to find out where they're pulling that info from
The developer tools in the browser might show the calls in a readable format in the network pane?

-sd

Mike4
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427663

Postby Mike4 » July 14th, 2021, 3:05 pm

servodude wrote:
Mike4 wrote:The plot thickens.

I've just noticed the thing I'm complaining about is not a Google problem at all. Its a DuckDuckGo problem. Using the Google search engine home page returns all the correct details, but using DDG, a search brings up a half-page listing and map on the right hand half of the results page showing all the old obsolete info, and it links to Apple Maps for getting directions to my old address.

Looks like I need to be reading the DDG help pages.....


Sounds like they're crawling places that have vestiges of the old info
- while not crawling the newer stuff (possibly not exposed in the same way by Google?)

I'd be trying to find out where they're pulling that info from
The developer tools in the browser might show the calls in a readable format in the network pane?

-sd


Yes I'm not so concerned about it now I've established it seems to be only DDG users affected.

I can view the source code for the page using "View Source" in Chrome but frankly, I can't spot where it is calling the info from on an initial scan. I'll have a very close look later...

Itsallaguess
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427665

Postby Itsallaguess » July 14th, 2021, 3:09 pm

Mike4 wrote:
I can view the source code for the page using "View Source" in Chrome but frankly, I can't spot where it is calling the info from on an initial scan.


From the DuckDuckGo help pages, in case it's relevant -

Because we generate results using a variety of sources, information on our site is generally flowing from one of those sources.

If it is in our Instant Answer box, you can identify the source by looking at the 'More at' link within the box.

It is best to correct misinformation at the source so that it will automatically flow to us and all the other sites that consume the source.


https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/add-or-change-information/

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427666

Postby servodude » July 14th, 2021, 3:11 pm

Mike4 wrote:
servodude wrote:
Mike4 wrote:The plot thickens.

I've just noticed the thing I'm complaining about is not a Google problem at all. Its a DuckDuckGo problem. Using the Google search engine home page returns all the correct details, but using DDG, a search brings up a half-page listing and map on the right hand half of the results page showing all the old obsolete info, and it links to Apple Maps for getting directions to my old address.

Looks like I need to be reading the DDG help pages.....


Sounds like they're crawling places that have vestiges of the old info
- while not crawling the newer stuff (possibly not exposed in the same way by Google?)

I'd be trying to find out where they're pulling that info from
The developer tools in the browser might show the calls in a readable format in the network pane?

-sd


Yes I'm not so concerned about it now I've established it seems to be only DDG users affected.

I can view the source code for the page using "View Source" in Chrome but frankly, I can't spot where it is calling the info from on an initial scan. I'll have a very close look later...


Look for "developer tools" in one of the menus
- have a play :)

-sd

servodude
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427781

Postby servodude » July 15th, 2021, 2:48 am

servodude wrote:
Mike4 wrote:
servodude wrote:
Sounds like they're crawling places that have vestiges of the old info
- while not crawling the newer stuff (possibly not exposed in the same way by Google?)

I'd be trying to find out where they're pulling that info from
The developer tools in the browser might show the calls in a readable format in the network pane?

-sd


Yes I'm not so concerned about it now I've established it seems to be only DDG users affected.

I can view the source code for the page using "View Source" in Chrome but frankly, I can't spot where it is calling the info from on an initial scan. I'll have a very close look later...


Look for "developer tools" in one of the menus
- have a play :)

-sd


I think you're going to need to find an iPhone (or equivalent)

Looks like DuckDuckGo exclusively uses Apple maps to get the business data and that will not look at (or be told of any changes to) Google info
- so in addition to DDG it's likely not correct if someone searched from within apple maps on their phone?

You can report that it is incorrect from an Apple device according to https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7679413

- sd

Mike4
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Re: Updating one's Google business listing

#427782

Postby Mike4 » July 15th, 2021, 5:11 am

servodude wrote:
I think you're going to need to find an iPhone (or equivalent)

Looks like DuckDuckGo exclusively uses Apple maps to get the business data and that will not look at (or be told of any changes to) Google info
- so in addition to DDG it's likely not correct if someone searched from within apple maps on their phone?

You can report that it is incorrect from an Apple device according to https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7679413

- sd



Thank you SD and yes, this is most interesting. It turns out that Apple Maps is the root of the problem. Apple has business listings rather like Google Business, but the Apple version sits inside in Apple Maps rather than being a standalone service like Google Business. So I've just been to Apple Maps, found my business listing there and used my Apple ID to "claim" it, and update the listing to my current address and phone number. After pressing the "Submit" button I was informed my revisions are in a queue for review and I will be informed once approved.

An interesting but peripheral question now is how did Apple Maps find out about me at my old address in the first place? I'm 100% certain I never told them. I've only ever registered my business activity with Google Business, so I think Apple Maps must have trawled my basic info from Google, in which case why did it not update its info 18 months ago when I updated with Google Business, I find myself wondering.

This certainly explains why a continuous trickle of people keeps telling me "the internet" says I'm based in Reading despite me changing every reference to Reading I can find on my (many) websites.


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