One morning, a customer calls you, annoyed: they came on Sunday, Google said you were open. But you never open on Sundays. You did not change anything… but Google changed your profile. This scenario is more common than you might think, and it is costly: disappointed customers, negative reviews, lost calls.
Here is why Google changes profiles, how to spot it, how to restore your information, and how to react to more serious situations such as a suspension.
Why Google changes your profile
Google wants to display accurate information. To do so, it relies on several sources, as it explains in its help on Google updates to your profile:
- suggestions from internet users (“Suggest an edit” on a profile);
- third-party sources and licensed content;
- its own checks (website, public data).
If these sources indicate that your information is inaccurate or outdated, Google may change it. The problem: these sources are sometimes wrong. A misinformed internet user, an outdated directory, and your opening hours, phone number or even your category change without your consent.
What gets changed most often
- Opening hours, especially at weekends and on public holidays;
- the phone number, replaced by an old number or a switchboard;
- the website, sometimes replaced by a directory page;
- the category or the name;
- the opening status: a profile marked “Temporarily closed” or, worse, “Permanently closed”.
Each of these errors has a direct impact: a customer finding the door closed, a call that does not get through, a prospect who thinks you have gone out of business.
How to spot a change
In Google’s interface, information changed by Google is highlighted, and a notification may appear at the top of your profile editor. You still need to go there regularly, which few managers do.
Also bear in mind that your own edits are reviewed by Google before being published: the help on what happens to your edits states that the review often takes a few minutes, but can take up to 30 days. Information you have just corrected may therefore still appear in its old form for a while.
How to restore your information
If Google’s change is wrong, restore your version from your profile editor by entering the correct information again. A few tips:
- correct it quickly: the longer an error stays online, the more bad experiences it causes;
- make sure your website displays the same information (opening hours, phone): Google uses it to check;
- keep your special hours up to date in advance, so that internet users do not “correct” your holiday hours;
- if the same change keeps coming back, contact Google support.
Conversely, if the change is right (an old number you had forgotten, for example), accept it and take the opportunity to check the rest of the profile.
Suspension, ownership conflict, verification: the serious cases
Beyond one-off changes, several situations make you lose control of your profile:
- Suspension: Google considers that the profile does not comply with its guidelines (keywords in the name, non-compliant address…). It may disappear or stop being editable. You need to fix the problem and then request reinstatement.
- Ownership conflict: another verified profile matches the same business and takes precedence. You need to request access from its owner or merge the profiles.
- Verification to redo: until it is done, your edits are not published.
These situations are rarely flagged clearly. The earlier you detect them, the simpler they are to resolve.
Your customers’ photos: worth watching too
Your customers can post photos on your profile. Most are useful, even when they are not flattering. But some are off-topic (a photo of another place, a screenshot), very poor quality, or even inappropriate (personal data visible, shocking content). Google only removes a photo if it breaks its rules, but you can report it.
Prevention is better than cure
A few habits greatly limit unwanted changes:
- keep perfect consistency between your profile, your website, your social media and the directories you are listed in: Google cross-checks these sources;
- fill in your special hours in advance for every public holiday and every holiday period;
- reply to reviews that point out wrong information (“closed although shown as open”) and correct the profile straight away;
- post regularly: an active profile is less exposed to “corrections” by third parties than an abandoned one.
Closures reported by mistake
The most dreaded scenario: your profile says “Temporarily closed” or “Permanently closed” when you are open. The consequences are immediate, since many internet users no longer even click on a profile marked as closed. If it happens to you, restore the “Open” status without delay, check that your website and opening hours are up to date, and publish a post to show that business continues.
How Replik monitors your profile
Replik’s profile management includes free daily monitoring:
- every change made by Google triggers an alert, with your version and Google’s side by side. You restore yours or accept Google’s in one click, and the change is logged;
- every day, Replik checks that you are still in control of your profile and alerts you in the event of a suspension, deactivation, ownership conflict or verification to redo, with the steps to follow;
- new photos from your customers are reviewed by AI: only those that seem to harm your profile are flagged to you, with a direct link to report them to Google.
Alerts arrive by email and notification, only once per problem, and close by themselves when the situation is resolved.
In short
Google regularly changes profiles based on sources that are not always reliable. Opening hours, phone numbers and opening status are the most exposed, with direct consequences for your customers. Check your profile regularly, correct quickly, keep your website consistent, and react without delay to a suspension or an ownership conflict. For the rest of your profile, follow our guide to optimizing it, and start with the free audit.