How to update a business' information?

Google Maps tips & tricks
1

Hi,

I recently moved to a new neighborhood and have become friends with the owners of the restaurant right next to my new home. The problem is, they acquired the restaurant just a few months ago, so the information on Google Maps, including customer reviews, menus, business name, business hours, etc. date from back when the restaurant was managed by the previous owners, so it’s no longer relevant. Well, some users are still leaving reviews, but they are basically considered as reviews of the former restaurant.

I’m in the top 10% contributors in my city, so I tried to update those details by making suggestions, but haven’t had any luck so far as all my suggestions are ignored. I actually tried a couple times, and last time I included a picture of the front store with the new name and signage, as well as pictures of the new menu, but nothing has changed so far.

They tried to reach out to the previous owners but they couldn’t help. Apparently they lost their credentials and aren’t really cooperating. Is there any way that we can have this business removed entirely from Google Maps in order to create a new entry? I have marked another business as “permanently closed” in the past and the change was applied almost immediately so I’m not sure what to do in this particular case.

Thanks in advance for your help.

4 Likes
2

The best person to ask is @MortenCopenhagen

he will definitely be able to help.
@And_re

1 Like
3

Thanks for the tag, @waza28

@And_re

You need to be very careful with helping a friend’s business on Google Maps.

The restaurant owner should seek help in the GBP help center and you find the GBP forum here.

The interests of a business owner and a local guide should not be mixed since there can be conflicts of interest.

It also depends on where you are located. There might be restrictions blocking changes.

You may find the following post from my Easing frustrations series interesting and helpful:

It also depends on whether the former owners claimed the listing or not.

Cheers
Morten

1 Like
4

Hi @MortenCopenhagen

Thank you for your input. Just to clarify, there is no conflict of interest as I did not and will not post a review myself, and the end goal is to remove outdated information from the platform and replace it with new one.

I believe the previous owners have claimed the listing. Does it mean that nothing can be done unless they update it themselves?

5

@And_re

Sounds like you know the guidelines. Perfect.

It is unlikely (but not impossible) that you as a local guide can permanently close a business that are still getting reviews.

Did you try to create a new listing?

You can check if the old listing is claimed by looking for the “Claim this business” - link on Google Maps. If not there => claimed.

Again, the Google Business Profile program is where the relevant help can be found. They have a procedure to re-claim ownership, but I believe it is best to just close it and start over with a new pin.

Cheers

Morten

6

@And_re

Feel free to pm me the Maps link if you don’t want to share it publicly.

Cheers

Morten

1 Like