Cedar Creek Construction came to us with a mystery: despite great reviews, quality work, and a solid website, they were invisible in local search. When someone Googled "contractors near me" in their service area, Cedar Creek was nowhere to be found.
After a quick audit, we found the culprit – and it's more common than you might think.
Someone had created a second Google Business listing years ago, and it was destroying their rankings
The Hidden SEO Killer
Duplicate Google Business Profiles are one of the most common – and most damaging – local SEO problems we see. They happen for lots of reasons: a former employee set one up, an agency created one and forgot about it, or Google auto-generated a listing from data sources.
Whatever the cause, the effect is the same: Google gets confused about which listing is the "real" one, and your rankings suffer.
Why Duplicates Hurt So Much
Having multiple Google Business Profiles for the same business creates a cascade of problems:
- Split reviews – Your 5-star ratings are divided between profiles. Instead of 87 reviews on one listing, you might have 50 on one and 37 on another
- Confused signals – Google doesn't know which listing to rank. Instead of confidently ranking you #1, it hedges and shows neither
- Potential penalties – Google may flag your business as spammy if it detects duplicate listings. This can tank your rankings even further
- Lost traffic – Customers find the wrong (or outdated) listing with an old phone number or address
If you've ever gotten calls asking "Are you still in business at [old address]?" or "Is this still [old phone number]?" – you might have a duplicate listing problem.
How to Find Your Duplicates
Finding duplicate listings isn't always obvious. Here's how to check:
- Search your exact business name on Google and Google Maps. Look for any listings you don't recognize
- Search your phone number – sometimes duplicates use old numbers
- Search your address – previous businesses at your location might have morphed into a listing for you
- Check Google Business Profile Manager – log in and see if there are any listings you don't remember creating
The Fix: Step by Step
Once you've identified duplicates, here's how to clean them up:
- Identify all duplicate listings using the search methods above
- Claim any unclaimed listings to gain control. You can't remove what you don't own
- Document which profile has the most reviews and history – this is the one you'll keep
- Submit removal requests for duplicates through Google Business. This can take 1-4 weeks
- Consolidate NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across all directories to reinforce the correct listing
- Build citations on major directories to strengthen your primary listing's authority
Take screenshots before you start. If anything goes wrong with the removal process, you'll want documentation of what existed before.
The Result for Cedar Creek
Within 6 weeks of cleaning up their listings, Cedar Creek jumped from page 3 to the local 3-pack (the coveted top 3 map results). Their phone started ringing again.
The fix wasn't complicated – it just required knowing where to look. If you're struggling with local SEO despite doing "everything right," duplicate profiles might be your invisible problem too.
Prevention Going Forward
Once you've fixed the issue, prevent it from happening again:
- Claim your listings proactively on all major platforms (Yelp, Facebook, Bing, etc.)
- Set up Google Alerts for your business name to catch any new listings that appear
- Document who has access to your Google Business Profile – limit it to trusted team members
- Audit quarterly – a quick search every few months catches problems early
Want to implement these strategies?
Book a free strategy call and learn how we can help grow your contractor business.
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