There are several ranking factors that can destroy your local SEO efforts: inconsistent NAP (name, address, phone number), a lack of Google Business Profile (GBP) signals, too few reviews, or an abundance of negative feedback. However, there is one more factor we will elaborate on in this article: duplicate business listings.

A duplicate listing is a listing that uses the same address as one of your locations, often with an identical or nearly identical name and content. If you find multiple listings for a single store or office on GBP, Facebook, or other platforms, you have found duplicates.

Sometimes, you may also encounter fake listings. These look like duplicates, but with one key difference: they use your company name but do not match any of your actual business addresses. Whenever you find a listing in GBP using your company name (or an alternative version of it) with an address that does not match your verified locations, you have identified a fake Google local listing.

These are the most frequent causes of duplicate and fake business listings.

To simplify your workload, it is best to avoid the situations that lead to duplicate listings in the first place. Here are four common ways these duplicates appear:

This often happens when a team member or an agency working on your local SEO forgets that a listing already exists and creates a new one. This is especially common when delegating the task to someone inexperienced with the process.

Suppose you own a café and want to promote takeaway and dine-in services separately. You might be tempted to create two different listings with different categories, believing it will increase visibility. However, the system may flag these as duplicates, which can severely damage your local SEO campaign.

If your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) is inconsistent across the web, you may fall into this trap. Some sites aggregate data from various sources. If the system finds your information presented differently in multiple places, it may automatically create several conflicting listings for you.

If your business data changes—such as a new phone number—you need to update your old listings. If you have lost the password to an old account and cannot access it, you might be tempted to simply create a new account with up-to-date information. This results in two active listings for the same business.

Even if you do not see the harm in maintaining multiple Google Business Profile listings, industry directories certainly do. In fact, duplicates are strictly prohibited on Google Business Profile. Below are three potential consequences you may face if you do not remove duplicate listings:

This is perhaps the most damaging consequence of duplicate listings. Owning multiple listings for the same location often leads to poor Local SEO results, meaning your marketing budget is effectively wasted in your attempt to increase online presence.

This happens because duplicates create NAP inconsistencies. When Google finds repeated information for the same address, it cannot determine which listing is authoritative. Consequently, the system lowers these listings—and even fake listings—in local search results.

Beyond search engines, duplicate listings also negatively impact your customers. Much like Google, people find conflicting information suspicious and confusing. According to Local Citations Trust Report, most consumers feel frustrated by incorrect information in online directories.

This frustration has tangible consequences: 80% of consumers state they will stop trusting a brand if its business name or contact information is incorrect. Since most customers look up a business online before visiting a physical store, confusing listings can drive potential clients directly to competitors who provide crystal-clear information.

This is the third and final negative consequence you may encounter, and it is closely linked to the loss of consumer trust. If customers find your data conflicting or confusing, they may begin reporting the listings or sending complaints to the directory. This often triggers an investigation by the business directory, which can lead to your account being suspended or your listings being erased entirely.

What does this mean for your business performance? Essentially, you have severely compromised your online presence through avoidable errors. By allowing your listings to be suspended, you are handing a significant advantage to your competitors, who can now reach far more potential clients than you.

While it is possible to recover a suspended account, the process is neither quick nor simple. You will likely have to invest a significant amount of time and money just to regain your previous search positions

Now that you understand how harmful duplicate business listings can be, you must know how to remove them. This process is divided into two stages.

Searching for duplicate listings should be a recurring task. Never underestimate the importance of ensuring your data remains clean; otherwise, achieving high-performing local SEO will be nearly impossible.

There are several ways to identify duplicate business listings:

• Manual search engine audit

A traditional manual search is the first step for many business owners. While a simple Google search is the most obvious method, be prepared to invest a significant amount of time if you prefer this manual approach.

The task is straightforward: search for your business and identify every listing that appears. You must then determine which listing is correct and flag the others for deletion. Because this needs to be done regularly, it is helpful to set a reminder and track your progress in a spreadsheet to monitor your status.

• Manual directory audit

Another manual method follows a similar principle: identify the specific sites where your business is listed and search for your brand name within those directories.

To find every mention on a specific site, you can use the following search command: "site:listingssite.com yourbusinessname".

Once you have gathered your search results, audit the findings and identify all duplicate entries. After completing this, remember to set a recurring reminder to incorporate this task into your regular schedule to ensure your listings stay clean.

• Leverage specialized platforms like BrandWizard

To eliminate the hassle of manual searching and save valuable time, you can use BrandWizard’s automated duplicate search tool. BrandWizard scans for your locations using your primary name, alternative names, physical addresses, and precise city coordinates. Even if a listing has incorrect coordinates—such as being pinned in the wrong part of the city—the software will still successfully identify the duplicate location.

Once you have identified all duplicate business listings, the next step is to remove them. Because every website has a different interface, the removal procedure varies by directory, and there is no universal, one-size-fits-all solution.

Typically, the manual removal process follows these steps:

• Log in to the specific directory or platform
• Claim the listing if you have not already done so to gain administrative control
• Edit, merge or delete the duplicate entry as required by the platform's tools

Most reputable directories provide their own assistance portals or step-by-step guides explaining how to properly claim, edit, or report a duplicate listing.

Ultimately, the decision between a manual or automatic approach depends on your business's needs and resources.

You can choose the manual method to save on service fees. However, while you save money, you "pay with your time" by dedicating hours to repetitive administrative tasks.

Alternatively, you can opt for an automated solution like BrandWizard. While this involves a fee, it delivers superior results and prevents you from wasting your valuable workday on manual audits.

Duplicate or fake business listings not only undermine your efforts to build a strong Local SEO campaign but also damage consumer trust. When both users and search engines encounter inconsistent data, it creates confusion and erodes brand credibility.

Fortunately, resolving this issue is straightforward. You can choose to identify and delete duplicates manually, or you can leverage BrandWizard’s automated solutions to handle the heavy lifting for you. Whichever path you choose, the investment is vital to ensure your online presence supports—rather than destroys—your business growth.

Do you want to save time and ensure your company is free from duplicate listings? BrandWizard is designed to help your business take full control of its digital footprint. Book a demo today to see our tool in action.