Your business name, address and phone number probably appear in more places than you realise: your website, your Google Business Profile, Facebook, Instagram, industry associations, local directories and old listings you set up years ago. When those details don’t match, customers get confused and search engines get less sure about who you are. Here’s why your business details should match everywhere and how to tidy them up.
Why matching details matter
When someone searches for a local business, Google and other search engines look at information about you from many sources. If your name, address and phone number are the same everywhere, it’s easier for them to trust that the details are correct and show your business with confidence. If one site has an old phone number, another has a different suburb and a third spells your name differently, that confidence drops.
The bigger cost is lost customers. Someone who calls a disconnected number or drives to your old address probably won’t try again. They’ll just call the next business on the list.
Pick one version of your details
Before you update anything, decide exactly how your details should appear and write them down. That means:
- Business name: the name customers know you by, written the same way every time. Don’t add extra keywords or suburbs to it on some sites and not others.
- Address: the same format everywhere, including unit or shop numbers. If you work from home or travel to customers, decide whether to show a street address at all or just the suburbs you serve.
- Phone number: one main number, ideally the one that’s answered during business hours.
- Website: the same address every time, linking to your home page or the most relevant page.
- Opening hours: including public holidays and any seasonal changes.
Start with the places that matter most
Update your own website first, since it’s the source you control completely. Then update your Google Business Profile, because it’s often the first thing people see when they search for you. After that, work through your social media pages and any directories or associations you belong to.
Find the listings you’ve forgotten about
Search for your business name, your phone number and your old address. You’ll often turn up listings created years ago, sometimes by directories that pulled your details automatically. Claim the ones you can and correct them. If a listing is wrong and you can’t claim it, most directories have a way to request a correction or removal.
Keep it current when things change
Moving premises, changing your phone number or rebranding? Make a list of every place your details appear so you can update them all at once. Keep that list somewhere handy. The next time something changes, you’ll save yourself hours of searching.
Check your Local Business Near Me listing
If your business is in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, it may already be listed on Local Business Near Me. Search for it and check the details are right. You can claim the listing for free to update it yourself, or ask us to remove it. If you’re not listed yet, you can add your business for free. Every listing gets the same features, with no paid plans or upgrades.
Once your details are sorted, read our tips on how to write a business listing that gets you more calls and free ways to get your local business found online.
