Update your business details everywhere: the complete list, in priority order
A phone number or address lives in far more places than the website. Google, directories, social profiles, payment pages, email signatures and printed material each hold their own copy, and any one of them can send a customer to the wrong place. Work through the groups in order, since the first ones matter most. The aim is that every place says the same thing, in the same format.
8 min read · Updated 2026-10-17
When to use this
Use it when you change your business phone, address, legal or trading name, opening hours or website address. Print it, or paste it into a task list, and tick items off as you go.
Step 0: decide the exact details first
- Write the new name, address, phone and website exactly as they should appear, in one note, with the same punctuation and abbreviations everywhere.Inconsistent versions such as "Street" in one place and "St." in another make it harder for systems to recognize one business. See NAP.
- Write the date each change takes effect, and the old details that should still work for a while.
- Decide whether the old phone number will keep ringing or forward, and for how long.
- If the website address is changing, read point your domain to a new site and move or transfer a domain before touching anything else.A domain change has the biggest knock-on effects, including email, so it needs a plan.
- Collect your login details for each place below, and note who owns each account. See who owns your accounts.
Priority 1: Google Business Profile
- Sign in to the Google Account that manages your profile and open your Business Profile on Google Search or Maps.
- Edit the name, address, phone number, hours and website link to match your note exactly.This is usually the first place customers see your details, so it is the most urgent. See Google Business Profile basics.
- For a name change, use the name that appears on your real signage. For a move, expect to verify the profile again.Google states that a name change after verification may require verification again, and that moving after verification does require it.
- Add special hours for holidays or a temporary closure, and check the profile again after Google reviews your edits.Google reviews changes before they go live on your profile, so the edit does not appear instantly.
- Include the full website address with https:// and then click it to confirm it works.
Priority 2: your website
- Send a single list of every page that shows the old detail: header, footer, contact page, about page, service pages, location pages and blog posts. See request a website update.Details are often repeated in places people forget, such as footers, thank-you pages and image text.
- For hours, use the dedicated guide: update business hours.
- Update the contact form recipient and auto-reply wording if names or addresses appear in them. See change a contact form.
- Check images that contain text, such as a banner showing a phone number, since text inside an image cannot be searched or updated like normal text.
- Ask us to review the privacy policy, terms and any legal pages for the old details. We do not give legal advice, so your adviser decides the wording.
- After the change, search the live site for the old phone number and street name and confirm none are left.
Priority 3: structured data and site settings
- Ask your Webtec team to update the schema markup that describes your business: name, address, phone, hours, website and social profile links.Schema is the hidden code that tells search engines and AI assistants your business details, so it must match the visible page.
- Ask us to update the site settings your SEO plugin stores, such as business name, logo and social profile links.
- Check the page titles and descriptions that include the old city, number or name. See titles and descriptions.
- If the website address changes, make sure every old address redirects to its new one. See redirects after a redesign.
- Ask whether the sitemap and Google Search Console need updating for a changed address. See Search Console basics.
Priority 4: directories, maps and listings
- List every directory you know you are in, such as Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp, Facebook, your chamber of commerce and industry bodies.
- Update each one with the exact details from your note.Aggregators copy data from each other, so one outdated listing can quietly reintroduce old details elsewhere.
- Search your business name and old phone number on Google and note every site that still shows the old details.
- Claim or correct duplicate listings rather than creating new ones. Duplicates split your reviews and confuse customers.
- Re-check the main listings in a month and fix anything that reverted.
Priority 5: social profiles and AI answers
- Update the address, phone, hours and website link on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and any other active profile.
- Update the link in each bio, and the pinned posts or banner images that show the old details.
- Post one short announcement of the change with the new details written out in the text.
- After a few weeks, ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for your business details and check what they say. See check what AI says about you.AI assistants take details from your site and third-party pages, so old copies can reappear in their answers. If one is wrong, see fix wrong AI answers.
Priority 6: payments, invoices and email
- Update your business details in payment accounts such as Stripe, PayPal or Shopify, and in your card terminal provider.Customers see your name and address on receipts and card statements, and a mismatch triggers disputes.
- Update your invoice template, quote template and any accounting software details.
- Update your email signature for every person, and the footer of any newsletter tool.
- If the domain changes, set up forwarding for the old email addresses and ask us to confirm the email records are correct. See email and your domain.
- Update the contact details at your domain registrar and hosting provider, so renewal notices reach a person who reads them.
- Update your billing contact for Webtec through the support form. For plan terms, see your proposal.
Priority 7: offline and the final check
- List printed items: business cards, brochures, vehicle signs, shop window, packaging, forms.
- Decide which can be replaced now, which can wait, and which need an old-details forwarding plan.
- Update your voicemail greeting, phone menu and your answering service script.
- Tell your team the new details in one message, with the exact wording to use.
- Run the check again after a month: search your name, phone number and address, and fix whatever still shows old details.Stale copies surface for weeks. A single follow-up pass catches them.
Questions people ask
Which place should I update first?
Your Google Business Profile, then your website. Those are where most customers see your details first. Google reviews profile changes before they go live and may ask you to verify again after a move or a name change, so start there to avoid delays. Then work through the rest in the order above.
Do I need to update my details if only my opening hours changed?
Yes, in the places that show hours: your Google Business Profile, your website, your social profiles and any directory listing. Google lets you set special hours for holidays and temporary closures as well. See update business hours for the website side.
What happens if I change my website address?
Every old page address needs a redirect to its new one, your email may need new settings, and Google and every listing need the new link. Plan this before you switch, and read point your domain to a new site. Do not let the old domain expire.
Why do old details keep reappearing online?
Directories and data aggregators copy information from each other, so one forgotten listing can bring back an old phone number or address. Fix the main sources first, claim duplicates instead of ignoring them, and run a search for the old details a month later. Persistent ones can be reported to the site that shows them.
Can Webtec update all of these for me?
We can update your website, its structured data and SEO settings. Accounts you own, such as payment tools, directories and social profiles, need your own login unless we have been given access. Send us the list through the support form and say which items you want help with.
Sources
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