Same location, same industry, same phone number, old name

[Trojan_SEO]

Hey Moz!

I was recently hired for some local SEO work and discovered this about my client.

His business used to be called something else before he purchased it.  He has the same phone number and same domain name, but there are Google My Business pages for both the old name and the new name, both of which have the same address, phone number, and domain name listed on them.

I am not sure what the correct course of action is.  Should I begin removing the old information?  It seems as though there is no penalty in place but I don't want to build a campaign on a poor foundation.  Is there a way to let Google know that this old page should not exist anymore?

Any advice would by much appreciated!

[Ray-pp]

Hi Anthony,

It's great to see you updating your business' local information. Consistency is very important in local search.

I suggest editing the old profile to have the same, consistent information as your current profile. Then, find the old local listing on Google Maps and click 'Suggest an edit.' There you can submit feedback to let Google know the old listing should be removed in place of the new listing and information.

[RyanPurkey]

Per: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177, the name should, "...reflect your business’ real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers."   You'll want to only have one listing using the businesses correct and current name.

[Trojan_SEO]

Great thank you, I think you just verified other research that I have done.  Thanks again!