Think Your Google Business Profile is Set and Forget? Think Again. Why Ongoing Attention Matters More Than Ever

Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most important tools for helping potential customers find and choose your business. But many business owners don’t realise how vulnerable their listing can be, or how easily it can get derailed. In this blog, we explain why you should monitor your listing regularly, what to do before making changes like moving or rebranding, and the right way to keep your profile accurate and verified.

Google allows the public to suggest edits to your listing. This means anyone, including a competitor or customer, can click “Suggest an Edit” and propose changes to your business name, phone number, hours, or location.

Google may publish these changes without notifying you, especially if they appear to be more accurate based on other online sources. If you’re not regularly checking your GBP, you might not notice that your details have been updated incorrectly, which can lead to:

• Customers calling the wrong number
• People arriving at the wrong address
• A dip in search visibility if Google believes your information is inconsistent

Action step:
Log into your Google Business Profile at least once a month to check for changes, post updates, and confirm everything is accurate.   You should be in there regularly anyway, to reply to your reviews within 24 hours, add photos and posts.

If you’re rebranding or relocating, your instinct might be to update your Google Business Profile first. But this can be a costly mistake.

Significant changes to your GBP, especially your business name, phone number, or physical location, can trigger a re-verification process. This may involve a text message, a phone call, or increasingly, a video verification, where you’re asked to walk through your premises and show signage and proof of operations.

If Google doesn’t trust the change, your listing may be suspended until they can verify your business again.

If you’re changing your business name, it’s also worth talking to us about the broader implications beyond your GBP. Your new name may require a domain change, and that can affect your Google rankings, backlinks, email deliverability, and overall online visibility. These types of changes should be strategically planned and carefully implemented to help mitigate a lesser effect on your current SEO performance and digital marketing momentum.

Before you touch your Google Business Profile, take these important steps:

1. Update your website with your new name, location, and contact details.
2. Refresh your social media profiles so they reflect the same information.
3. Ensure your online directory listings (citations) match your updated details across platforms like Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, and industry-specific directories.
4. Change your email signatures, documents, signage, and business registration to match your new brand identity.

Only once your business details are consistent across the web should you update your Google Business Profile. This sends strong trust signals to Google, making the verification process smoother and more likely to succeed and it helps mitigate potential challenges.

Whitespak recommends following their step-by-step process, outlined in this infographic, to minimise the risk of problems when moving locations.

Here's how we sidestepped video verification and got text verification for this client. 

What most new businesses do is go straight to Google, add a business, and then have to deal with the most annoying process on earth: video verification.

But here's the process we followed to get text verification:

• We created a Facebook business page with the name, address, phone, and website URL and connected it to her existing IG account.
• We created a BBB listing.
• We updated the listings she already had online with the address and other info (a handful of industry-specific directories).
• We updated the website to include the NAP information in the footer of every page on her 11-page site.
• We connected her website to Google Search Console and Analytics using her company domain email that is on Google Workspace.
• We had someone she knows, who is a level 4 local guide, go to Google Maps and add the business. (This unclaimed listing started ranking for a few long-tail terms within a couple of days.)
• She got a few reviews from clients on the new listing her friend created.
• Finally, we claimed the existing listing using her Google Workspace domain-based Google account, and her verification options were phone/text or video. Obviously, we chose text. 1 minute later, the GBP was claimed and verified within her account.

Basically, if Google has evidence that this is a real business and that your account is clearly connected to it, then you'll likely get better verification options.

If not, you can expect Google to ask you to prove the business's existence and your connection to it via video verification (gross).

Source: Whitespark - Faster GBP Verification

If you jump straight into changing your business name or address on GBP without updating your other online assets:

• Google may not believe the change is legitimate
• Your listing may be suspended or removed
• You might be forced into a difficult verification process with no clear timeline
• Your local SEO visibility could drop overnight

In some cases, it’s actually better to create a new listing (especially if you’re moving far from your current location) but this comes with its own complications and risks, including loss of reviews and rankings.

While it might seem tempting to include extra keywords or service locations in your business name (e.g. “Joe’s Plumbing Brisbane Hot Water Repairs”), Google’s guidelines are clear: your name should reflect your real-world business name as seen on your signage, website, and branding.

Violating this can lead to suspension, and any perceived spammy behaviour may also hurt your credibility with Google.

Managing your Google Business Profile shouldn’t be left to chance, especially when it’s such a key part of your digital presence. At Bloomtools, we help businesses:

• Audit GBP listings for unauthorised changes
• Improve local search rankings
• Implement rebranding and relocation changes the right way
• Create consistent directory listings to build trust with Google

Whether you’re planning a move, launching a new brand, or just want to make sure your listing stays in good health, we’re here to guide you through it.

Reach out to our team before you make any major updates to your business listing. We’ll help you plan the right approach, avoid common mistakes, and help mitigate potential challenges.