Ignoring an old or inaccurate listing can seriously hurt your current business. It frustrates customers, damages your reputation, and prevents your accurate listing from ranking as highly as it should. Knowing how to remove a business from Google Maps is essential, whether you’ve closed a location, moved offices, or found a confusing duplicate listing.

We’ll show you the difference between marking a business as closed and deleting it entirely, ensuring you protect your valuable online reputation.

When and Why You Need to Clean Up Your Maps Presence

The way you remove a business depends entirely on your situation: whether you own the profile or are simply trying to report an inaccuracy you don’t control.

Scenario 1: You Own the Business, and It’s Closed or Moved

If you have verified and manage the profile for a business that is no longer operating at that location, you have direct control. Your goal here is to update the profile’s status, not necessarily delete it.

• Mark as Permanently Closed: This is the most common and best method for businesses that have shut down. It tells Google and customers the location is finished, but keeps historical data like reviews visible for reference.
• Change the Address: If you’ve just moved, simply update the address in your Google Business Profile (GBP) dashboard. Google will usually require a quick re-verification at the new location.
• Deleting the Profile: This is rarely recommended. Deletion wipes out all reviews and history. 

Scenario 2: Reporting Incorrect or Duplicate Listings (You Are NOT the Owner)

If you find a duplicate of your business, a listing for a company that closed years ago, or a fraudulent listing, you must ask Google to correct it using the “Suggest an edit” feature.

• Find the Listing: Use Google Maps to search for the confusing or wrong business.
• Click “Suggest an edit”: This link usually appears prominently on the listing’s profile.
• Choose the Action: Select Close or Remove and choose the correct reason, such as Permanently closed or Does not exist here.
• Submit Your Fix: Send the suggestion to Google. Approval depends on Google verifying your input, often with help from other community members.

Timpson Marketing: Making Sure Your Local Presence is Perfect

Dealing with these listing issues, especially managing cleanups across many locations or dealing with stubborn duplicate listings, can be a huge headache. This is where professional management from Timpson Marketing saves you time and stress. We focus on local SEO hygiene, ensuring your digital footprint is accurate, clean, and optimized to attract customers.

Our 3-Step Plan for a Flawless Google Presence

We treat your Google Business Profile not just as a directory entry, but as a critical marketing tool. Our plan ensures that when a cleanup is needed, it’s done right, maximizing the authority of your active business locations.

Phase 1: Finding All the Issues

• Full Digital Checkup: We start by checking everywhere your business is listed—Google, Yelp, Bing, and other key directories. We log every single mention of your name, address, and phone number (NAP).
• Spotting the Trouble: We use specialized tools to find every rogue, duplicate, or outdated listing that is confusing customers and dividing your SEO strength.
• Deciding the Fix: For every problem listing, we decide the exact best action: Mark Closed, Merge with Active, or Report and Remove.

Phase 2: Fixing and Removing the Bad Data

• Official GBP Closures: If you own the listing, we carefully use the official dashboard to set the status to “Permanently Closed,” ensuring valuable customer reviews are saved.
• Mass Correction: For listings you don’t control, we submit accurate “Suggest an edit” requests, often attaching supporting proof (like photos of the empty site) to get Google to act quickly.
• Directory Cleanup: We also work behind the scenes to update or delete the wrong listings on other major sites (like Yelp, Bing), so the incorrect information doesn’t keep popping up on Google.

Phase 3: Boosting Your Active Profile

• SEO Power Up: Once the bad listings are gone, the search authority they were stealing is transferred to your active, correct business profiles, which helps your rankings immediately.
• Constant Monitoring: We keep scanning the internet for new mistakes or phantom listings, ensuring your local SEO stays perfectly clean and your active profile is always optimized for business.

Tired of Bad Data Hurting Your Business?

Ready to eliminate the confusion and dominate your local area on Google Maps? Call Timpson Marketing now to book your complimentary, detailed local presence audit. Let our experts handle the clean-up and deploy a winning strategy designed to drive immediate, high-quality customer traffic to your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I mark a business as permanently closed on Google Maps?

To mark a business as permanently closed, the verified owner must log into their Google Business Profile dashboard. Go to the “Info” tab and select the “Mark as permanently closed” option found near the hours section. This action instantly updates the listing on Google Maps and Search, which clearly signals to potential customers that the location is no longer operating. This is the official and most recommended method for businesses that have shut down, as it preserves their customer review history.

2. Is it better to delete a business profile or mark it as permanently closed?

It is almost always better to mark a business profile as permanently closed rather than deleting it completely. Deleting the profile erases all valuable data, including customer reviews and its historical presence, which cannot be recovered. Marking it as closed preserves this information for reference while making it clear to users that the business is inactive. Deletion should only be considered if the profile was created entirely by mistake and has no history.

3. How long does it take for a suggested edit to remove a business to be approved?

The time required for Google to approve a “Suggest an edit” removal request varies greatly, typically taking anywhere from a few days to several weeks or longer. Google needs to verify the change using community input, external data, or its own automated checks. Submitting photo proof or having multiple people submit the same accurate edit can often help speed up Google’s manual review process.

4. Can a business be completely removed from Google Maps if it has reviews?

It is almost impossible to completely remove a historical business listing from Google Maps if it has legitimate reviews, as Google treats this data as a valuable public record. Instead of full deletion, the listing will be permanently marked as “Permanently Closed” and remain visible for historical purposes. This process preserves the integrity of the customer reviews while preventing new customers from attempting to visit a non-existent location.

5. What should I do if my business has a duplicate listing on Google Maps?

If your business has a duplicate listing, you should first try to claim ownership of that duplicate profile if possible. The best action is then to officially request that  Google merge the duplicate listing with your primary, active listing. If you are unable to claim the duplicate, you must use the “Suggest an edit” feature on the duplicate and report it as a “Duplicate of another location.”

6. Can I remove a competitor’s incorrect listing by reporting it?

You can and should report a competitor’s listing if you have clear evidence that its information is false or misleading, such as listing a fake address or using excessive keywords in the business name. Use the Suggest an edit feature on Google Maps and select the most accurate reason, such as Spam, Fake, or Offensive. Consistent and accurate reporting is necessary for Google to investigate and take action against fraudulent listings.

7. Does marking a business as “Temporarily Closed” keep it ranking in search results?

Yes, marking a business as “Temporarily Closed” signals to Google that the closure is not permanent, and the listing will typically continue to show up in search results with a clear notification. This option is mainly intended for short-term situations like brief renovations or seasonal breaks. If the business is not expected to reopen, marking it as “Permanently Closed” is a clearer and more honest status to provide.

8. What is the process for completely deleting a Google Business Profile?

Completely deleting a Google Business Profile is a specific action that only the primary owner can perform within the Advanced settings section of the dashboard. Before attempting deletion, the primary owner must first remove all other users (owners and managers) from the profile. You then select the Delete business profile option and confirm, though this action is permanent and generally discouraged.

9. Will removing a business from Google Maps affect its presence on Google Search?

Yes, removing or marking a business as permanently closed on Google Maps directly impacts its presence on Google Search because the two platforms are connected. Once the Maps listing status is updated, the associated information panel (Knowledge Panel) on Google Search will also display the updated status. This change usually causes the business to disappear from the local “three-pack” and rank lower for local, specific searches.

10. Can I remove an unverified listing from Google Maps that is inaccurate?

Yes, you can remove an unverified and inaccurate listing by using the Suggest an edit function directly on Google Maps. If you select “Close or Remove” and choose the reason “Doesn’t exist here,” Google will investigate your claim. Since the listing is unverified, Google relies more heavily on community input and its own Street View data to quickly confirm that the location is fake or non-existent.

11. What evidence can I provide to speed up the removal of a closed business?

To speed up the removal of a closed business, you should submit strong external proof when using the Suggest an edit feature. Good evidence includes recent photos of the storefront showing it vacant, official government documents confirming the business closure date, or a link to the business’s website stating it is permanently shut down. These third-party proofs are valuable to Google’s reviewers and help confirm the information quickly.

12. Does deleting a business profile affect its associated website?

No, deleting a Google Business Profile has no direct effect on the business’s website or its organic search rankings. The website’s domain authority and content ranking are completely separate from the local listing data stored in the GBP platform. However, the loss of local traffic that the GBP previously drove can still lead to a drop in overall customer visits.

13. How do I remove a listing that was accidentally created as a duplicate?

If you accidentally created a duplicate listing, the easiest way to handle it is to verify both listings, log into the one you want to keep, and then contact Google Support to Request a merge. If merging is not immediately possible, you can mark the duplicate as permanently closed and then remove all manager/owner access. This ensures that only the correct, active profile remains searchable.

14. Can I dispute a “Permanently Closed” status if my business is still operating?

Yes, if your business was incorrectly flagged or marked as permanently closed, you must immediately log into your verified Google Business Profile and reopen the business. Navigate to the hours/status section and change the status back to open. If you believe the profile was maliciously hijacked, you should first secure your account and then contact Google Support directly to dispute the status.

15. What are the consequences of ignoring an outdated or incorrect business profile?

Ignoring an outdated or incorrect profile has serious negative effects on your local SEO and customer trust. Customers who visit a non-existent location will leave frustrated, which hurts your brand reputation and can lead to negative feedback. Also, an inaccurate listing can divide the search authority of your primary listing, making it much harder for your correct profile to rank well.

16. What is Google’s definition of a “spam” business listing?

Google defines a spam business listing as one that misrepresents the business’s identity, physical location, or services to unfairly gain a ranking advantage. Examples include putting excessive keywords in the business name, listing a fake address for a service area business, or creating profiles that are not real businesses to confuse consumers. Reporting these types of listings helps to clean up local search results.

17. Is there a direct phone number or email to contact Google for listing removal?

Google does not typically provide a direct phone number or public email for general listing removal requests; all support is primarily managed through the Google Business Profile Support Help Center. You must navigate through the specific troubleshooting guides, which will eventually direct you to a form submission for manual review by a support specialist. This process requires clear communication and patience.

18. If I remove myself as an owner, does the business profile get removed from Google Maps?

No, simply removing yourself as an owner or manager does not remove the business profile from Google Maps. The profile remains active, and any remaining owners or the original owner maintain control. If no one remains as an owner, the profile becomes orphaned or unmanaged, which leaves it vulnerable to unauthorized changes and spam.

19. Can I remove reviews if I delete the business profile?

Yes, if you choose the extreme step of completely deleting the Google Business Profile, all associated data, including every customer review, will be permanently removed from Google’s system. While this removes unwanted negative reviews, it also removes all positive reviews and historical data, which is why deletion is not the recommended action for managing reputation.

20. How can I confirm that my removal request was successfully processed by Google?

You can confirm the success of your removal request by checking Google Maps and Search results after a few days or weeks. If your request to mark a business as permanently closed was successful, the listing will clearly display the “Permanently Closed” badge. If you reported a duplicate, the incorrect listing should eventually disappear or be merged with the correct profile.