Imagine spending hours perfecting your Google Business Profile (GBP), only to find that a third party has made unauthorized changes to your business information. It’s frustrating—and it leads to lost customers and rankings in search engines.
Unfortunately, Google allows anyone to suggest edits to business listings, and they can range from incorrect business hours to wrong addresses on Google Maps.
While Google’s system is designed to crowdsource information, you don’t have to sit back and wait for inaccuracies to affect your business, as there are ways to prevent these unwanted changes—and that’s where EmbedSocial’s solution comes in.
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Why does Google allow third-party changes to your Google Business Profile?
Google allows third-party changes to your Google Business Profile to ensure that business listings remain accurate and up-to-date for its users at all times.
The idea is simple: Google leverages crowdsourced information to provide users with the most current details about businesses. This system relies on Local Guides, regular users, and even AI to suggest edits like new business hours or other details.
The final goal is to create a dynamic, community-driven platform where user-suggested updates help correct inaccuracies. For instance, if a business has changed its hours but hasn’t made the update, a customer might submit a suggestion.
However, while helpful, this system can lead to unintended consequences, such as incorrect or malicious edits made by bad actors like competitive businesses.
Unfortunately, Google doesn’t always notify businesses before making these changes. Some edits may be automatically pushed through, especially if Google trusts the sourcе. That’s why you should stay vigilant and monitor for changes proactively. Optimizing your Google Business Profile at all times is the best way to keep it ranking high in local search results.
Common unauthorized changes to Google Business Profiles
Unauthorized changes to Google Business Profiles (GBP) can range from minor tweaks to significant updates that impact how your business is represented online.
Here are some of the most common types of changes you may see:
- Business hours—one of the most frequent unauthorized edits involves changing your operating hours, which can be especially frustrating for businesses that rely on foot traffic, as incorrect hours can lead to missed opportunities;
- Business name or category—sometimes, third-party users or even Google’s own AI can change your business name or primary category, potentially placing your listing in the wrong industry or altering how customers find you online;
- Contact information—phone numbers and email addresses are also susceptible to unauthorized changes, and when these are altered, customers may struggle to get in touch with your business, leading to lost leads or inquiries;
- Physical location or address—changes to your business’s address can confuse customers trying to visit your physical location. You can imagine how even a minor tweak in the location pin can send people to the wrong place;
- Business attributes—attributes such as whether a business offers “takeout,” “wheelchair access,” or “Wi-Fi” can be changed by third parties. Incorrect Google updates here can mislead potential customers about the services you offer;
- Business website and photos—people can even change your business website and photos, thus redirecting users to the wrong destination, which could be very detrimental to your business if customers get the wrong idea about you.
These changes might happen without your knowledge, which is why it’s crucial to monitor your profile and take steps to prevent unauthorized edits. Also, you have to remove users from your Google Business Profile without the proper authorization.
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How to track changes to your Google Business Profile
Tracking changes to your Google Business Profile is essential to ensuring your business information stays accurate across Google Search and Maps.
This process requires a combination of Google’s native tools and third-party solutions to ensure you always stay in control of your business information.
After all, without proper monitoring, unauthorized GBP changes could lead to incorrect listings, potentially causing confusion for customers.
That said, here are several ways to track changes in your profile:
1. Google Business Profile change notifications
Google does provide some level of tracking by sending notifications when changes are made to your profile, and these alerts are typically sent via email and inform you when edits have been suggested or made by third parties.
That said, not all users receive these alerts at all times so it’s crucial to check on them regularly and act quickly if you see any changes.
2. Google Business Profile dashboard
Your GBP dashboard allows you to monitor suggested changes manually. When edits are made, Google highlights these changes in orange, making them easy to spot. Then, from the dashboard, you can either approve or reject the suggested edits before they go live on your profile.
3. Third-party tracking tools
For more comprehensive monitoring, businesses can use third-party tools, such as EmbedSocial’s GBP listing change tracker. These tools go beyond what Google offers by providing real-time alerts for any suggested changes. They may also automate the process of rejecting unauthorized edits.
4. Regular audits
In addition to automated alerts, it’s a good practice to conduct regular audits of your GBP information. This involves manually reviewing your profile to ensure all business details—such as operating hours, business address, and contact information—are correct and up to date. Regular audits help you catch most changes.
How to prevent unauthorized Google Business Profile changes: 5 standard methods
Preventing an unauthorized Google business update requires proactive monitoring of your business information and leveraging the tools Google provides.
Here are the standard methods to minimize the risk of unwanted edits:
1. Claim and verify your Google Business Profile
The most important step verifying your Google Business Profile, which ensures that you are recognized as the official owner and will receive notifications for suggested changes. After verifying, you also limit the ability of third parties to make changes without your approval.
2. Enable change notifications
Google allows business owners to receive email notifications whenever a third party suggests an edit. Make sure you have these notifications enabled in your Google Business Profile settings so you can act quickly to reject any unauthorized changes before they go live.
3. Manually monitor your profile regularly
Regularly reviewing your GBP dashboard is another effective method. Google highlights changes in orange within the dashboard, making it easy to manage unauthorized edits. Check your profile at least once a week to ensure all information is accurate.
4. Report incorrect changes to Google
If a change has been made to your profile without your consent, report it to Google. The GBP dashboard lets you revert unauthorized changes and flag them for Google’s review. This process can take some time, but it’s necessary to maintain control.
5. Maintain consistent information across the web
Google collects business data from various online sources, including your website and other directories. Keeping your information consistent across all platforms helps minimize the chances of Google making automatic updates based on conflicting data from elsewhere.
While these methods provide good protection, they require frequent manual oversight. For businesses with multiple locations, relying solely on these methods might not be enough, which is why automated solutions like EmbedSocial’s tracker can be a game-changer.
Use EmbedSocial’s solution for preventing unauthorized Google My Business changes
If you want to avoid the hassle of continuously checking for changes to your Google Business Profile, you can use a tool like EmbedSocial to do the heavy lifting for you.
This is how EmbedSocial’s GBP listing edit tracker works:
Step 1: Log into EmbedSocial and navigate to the tool
First things first, you have to log into your EmbedSocial account (or create a new one), and press the GBP listing tracker tool from the left-hand menu.
Step 2: Check for any pending edits to your listing
Next, you can look for any pending edits either under the ‘Waiting for approval’ or the ‘All edits’ tab, where you can click on any recent edit to get more details.
Step 3: Accept or decline the listing edits
Now, choose whether to accept the most recent edit or to decline the change, after which you send out a request for a new edit containing the old information.
Step 4: Publish the most recent edits to your profile
Last but not least, confirm the newest edits by pressing ‘Publish edits’, after which you’ll get a notification at the top that your listing changes have been published.
That’s about it! You can see how simple it is to monitor for recent Google Business Profile changes this way and ensure that you catch any that you haven’t done yourself. Also, check your Google Business Profile insights regularly to see if anything is not quite right since your metrics will decrease.
Why choose EmbedSocial’s solution?
For starters, you won’t have to manually check your GBP for changes, as you get everything you need in one dashboard, with the option to accept or decline edits.
Ultimately, the value this tool provides is significant since it directly connects to the Google Business Profile API and other relevant APIs to give you the following:
- Ensures accuracy—you enhance your customer trust and satisfaction since you will maintain accurate and consistent info across Google’s products;
- Saves time for the user—you save a lot of time by automating the process of identifying unauthorized changes and immediately reverting them;
- Proactively manages—you will be able to quickly respond to incorrect changes, thus minimizing the impact of these fraudulent actions;
- Provides oversight—you get a centralized dashboard for managing and reviewing all GBP changes, streamlining the process for multi-location businesses.
Also, this tool will definitely get some serious upgrades in the near future, such as the option to quickly revert business hour changes, email notifications for pending changes, integration with existing systems, and edit notifications for external tools.
We are also considering additional features and improvements:
- Automated correction suggestions—provides suggestions for correcting unauthorized or incorrect changes based on data and best practices;
- User role management—allows you to assign roles and permissions to authorized team members for managing GMB listings;
- Customizable notifications—enables you to customize notification settings, choosing how and when they are notified about changes;
- Historical change analysis—offers tools to analyze historical changes and trends, helping businesses understand patterns and anticipate future issues;
- Multi-location management—provides advanced features for businesses with multiple locations, including bulk actions and location-specific settings.
But that’s not all, our comprehensive EmbedSocial platform includes plenty of additional Google Business Profile management services that you can take advantage of, from Google review management to user reports and scheduling Google posts.
Conclusion: Be vigilant with your GBP changes at all times!
Unauthorized changes to your Google Business Profile can have an impact on your business, from lost customers to even a Google Business Profile suspension. Not to mention that your local business listing will perform well only with correct information.
However, while Google’s crowdsourced editing system aims to maintain accuracy, it sometimes leads to harmful updates for your search queries and local SEO.
Thankfully, you can somewhat protect your profile by combining measures like manual monitoring, enabling notifications, and maintaining consistent information.
However, for full peace of mind, especially if you edit Google Business Profiles in bulk, tools like EmbedSocial provide automated tracking and real-time notifications, saving you time and ensuring that your profile remains accurate across Google.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t let unauthorized edits affect your business—stay vigilant, and consider using automated solutions to safeguard your profile. With the right GBP tools, you’ll be able to manage any changes before they cause havoc.
FAQs on preventing Google Business Profile changes
How can I stop unauthorized changes to my Google Business Profile?
To stop unauthorized changes, enable email notifications in your Google Business Profile settings so you are alerted to any edits. Also, regularly monitor your profile through the GBP dashboard, where changes will appear in orange, allowing you to review them before they go live. For enhanced protection, use third-party tools like EmbedSocial to automate monitoring and block unauthorized changes before they are applied.
What should I do if my Google Business Profile has already been changed?
If your Google Business Profile has already been changed without your consent, log into the GBP dashboard and manually revert the changes. You can also report the unauthorized edits to Google by flagging the updates as incorrect. For recurring issues, consider using tracking tools like EmbedSocial to prevent future changes before they happen.
Can Google make changes to my Business Profile without notifying me?
Yes, Google can make changes based on information gathered from user suggestions, third-party sources, or even AI, sometimes without prior notification. However, a tool like EmbedSocial ensures you are alerted and can take action before the changes go live.
How often should I check my Google Business Profile for unauthorized changes?
It’s recommended to check your Google Business Profile weekly, especially if you have a high-traffic or multi-location business. For enhanced protection, consider using automated tools like EmbedSocial to track and notify you of any pending changes in real-time.
