Having multiple or duplicate listings can be the difference between your practice ranking on page 1 and not ranking at all. For a single doctor clinic having a listing for your name and one for your business can also be a duplicate listing issue. We put together these quick steps to help you see if you have duplicate issues and correct them.
To search for any duplicate Google listings, go to Google Maps and search for your business address. See if any duplicate listings pop up down below the main listing that Google shows you.
How to Merge Duplicate Listings
- Open up your account in GoogleMyBusiness.
- If you have multiple listings, want to consolidate them into just one listing so that you don’t have duplicates.
- If needed, claim the duplicate listings so they are in your account.
- Once you have all duplicate listings in the same account, make sure they all have the same name, address and phone number. (Take note of which listing is the original one you want to keep.)
- ***If you have verified listings for multiple different doctors, it’s virtually impossible to convince Google to merge them into the main business listing. If this is the case, consider DELETING the listings for the different doctors unless these doctor listings have a bunch of reviews, then just leave it.
- If there are 2 or more listings just for the main business, you should be able to call Google and get them to merge the 2 listings together. (They may ask you to delete one of the listings first for the merge to be possible. This is normal.) Just be sure they understand that you want to KEEP the listing with the most reviews. And that if there are reviews on both listings, you want the reviews merged into the listing you are keeping. So the end result is keeping reviews from BOTH listings.
- To call Google, have GoogleMyBusiness open in one tab. Open Google Adwords in another tab and take note of the Customer ID in the upper right corner. Call 866-246-6453 for Google support.. If you do not have a Google Adwords account, simply create one it is free.
- Click 2 for Google My Business support. (The only way to get phone support for Google My Business is to call from the Google Adwords account.)
- Once you have them on the phone, give the email on your GoogleMyBusiness account. If they ask for a call back number, give them your direct number.
- Note – They may need to verify your association with the business by calling the office number on the listing.
- Tell the support person that you have 2 duplicate listings for your business and you want to get them merged together.
- Answer their questions and provide whatever info they request in order to get the merge to happen.
- They will ask you to delete one of the duplicate listings from your GoogleMyBusiness account in order to do the merge. THIS IS OKAY TO DO.
- Delete the listing they tell you to delete by: Clicking “Manage Listing” > Click the red “Edit” button in the listing > Click “Mark as Permanently Closed or Remove Listing” > Click “Remove Listing” > Re-Enter your password > Check both boxes that come up and “Delete Account”.
- The Google person will tell you that they will send this request to the “Concern Team” and that they will get back to you in a few hours. Wait for their call, or check on the listing at the end of the day or the next day to confirm that the merge is actually done.
- The end result should be just one listing for the business in the GMB account, and one listing showing up when you search for the business address, or business name in Google Maps.
Good Luck, happy merging!
