New opening hours, a different phone number or a move: editing your Google Business Profile usually only takes a few minutes. The trouble starts afterwards. Edits get stuck in review, are rejected or are back to the old state a few weeks later.
This guide shows you step by step how to change each detail, what the notices after saving mean and how to prevent old data from coming back. The steps follow Google's official help, as of November 2026.
- You edit your Google Business Profile directly in Google Search or the Maps app via Edit profile.
- Google usually reviews edits within minutes, sometimes up to 30 days.
- After a move you need to verify again.
- If old details come back, it is usually due to user suggestions and other sources online: review the Google updates marked in blue and fix your website, portals and directories.
How to get into your Google Business Profile
You no longer need a separate dashboard for a single profile. You edit your Google Business Profile right where customers see it:
- On a computer: sign in with the Google account linked to the profile. Search Google for your business name. Buttons now appear above your profile, including Edit profile.
- On a phone: open the Google Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right and then Edit profile.
- With several locations: use the Business Profile dashboard at business.google.com. There you can manage all locations together.
If you do not see the buttons, you are signed in with the wrong account or do not have access yet. If your profile is not verified yet, Google says you can change some details, such as name, category, address, hours, phone number and website.
What do you want to change? The guides
Pick what you want to change. Each guide shows you the steps and what to watch out for.
- Open your profile and click Edit profile.
- Choose Hours and then Open with main hours.
- Enter the hours for each day. Add a lunch break via Add hours as a second time slot.
- Click Save.
After a change Google automatically publishes a short post with the new hours. You can edit or delete it.
- In Edit profile go to Special hours.
- Confirm suggested holidays via Review or add your own days with Add date. For closed days tick Closed.
- If you are closed for more than six days, for example during company holidays or the off-season, mark the business as Temporarily closed instead.
Google recommends confirming holidays even if nothing changes. Remember regional holidays such as 8 December in Austria or Corpus Christi in parts of Germany.
- In Edit profile open the Contact section.
- Change the main number. You can add up to two more numbers, fax numbers are not allowed.
- Enter the website as a full address with https.
- Click Save.
If you changed your number, search for the old number in quotation marks. It often still appears on portals and otherwise finds its way back into your profile via Google updates.
- In Edit profile go to Location and click the pencil icon next to the business location.
- Enter the new address and check the pin on the map. Use Adjust to place it on the entrance.
- Click Save.
According to Google, you need to verify the profile again after a move. Until the new address is approved, the old one usually stays visible. Change the address once the sign is up at the new location, as verification often requires it.
If you go to your customers, for example as a tradesperson, you can hide the address and set a service area with up to 20 places or regions instead.
- In Edit profile change the name. For the category click Edit next to Business category.
- Use the name exactly as it appears on your door and website. Additions such as location, service, slogan or legal form such as GmbH are not allowed.
- Choose a primary category and up to nine more if needed.
Name and category are sensitive: a change can trigger re-verification, and additions to the name can lead to a suspension, according to Google. Google treats a major name change like a new business.
- Logo and cover photo: upload under Photos in Edit profile. Google decides which image appears first, the cover photo is not guaranteed to lead. Photos only become visible once the profile is verified.
- Description: at most 750 characters, no links. Say what you offer, for whom and where.
- Attributes: under Edit profile and More you state whether there is, for example, step-free access, Wi-Fi or parking.
- Services and menu: depending on your category you can add services or a menu directly in the profile.
- No fixed hours: if you work by appointment only, choose Open with no main hours.
- Hide the phone number: under Business Profile settings, Advanced settings.
Only owners can delete a profile. Permanently closed is usually the better choice, because customers then see you are no longer at that location.
- Open the three-dot menu in your profile and then Business Profile settings.
- Choose People and access and click Add.
- Enter the email address, choose Owner or Manager and click Invite.
Managers can edit the profile but cannot manage users or delete the profile. New users have restricted rights for seven days. Only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership, and only to someone who is already an owner or manager. Give agencies manager access, never primary ownership. You change roles and remove users under People and access too.
After saving: what the notices mean
Google reviews every edit before it becomes visible to everyone. In the profile editor you can see where your edit stands:
| Display | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted | The edit is live. | Nothing. Check after a few days that it is also right on Maps. |
| Pending | Google is still reviewing. Usually up to 10 minutes, according to Google sometimes up to 30 days. | Wait and do not edit repeatedly. In our experience every further edit delays the review. |
| Not approved | Google rejected the edit. | Check the reasons (see below) and appeal if needed. |
| Blue text in the editor | Google has already changed the detail, for example after a user suggestion. | Review and correct if needed. |
| Notice of a suggested edit | Google announces an edit someone has suggested. | You have 4 days. If you do not respond, Google may publish it if your website or other public sources support it. |
For you this means: after saving, wait a moment and then check in Google Maps whether the new detail shows. In selected regions you will also find Collected information under Edit profile: data Google gathered from you via automated calls, SMS or WhatsApp. Deleting it there only removes Google's record and does not change your profile.
Why old details keep coming back
You changed your opening hours and a few weeks later the old ones are back in your profile? This is one of the most common problems, and it has a clear cause. Google does not take details only from you. Anyone can submit a correction via Suggest an edit, and Google compares your profile with other sources online, including your own website.
How to stop the loop:
- Your website first: the hours there must match your profile exactly, including holidays and seasonal hours.
- Check blue text right away: look into the profile editor regularly and reject wrong Google updates. If Google announces a suggestion, you have 4 days, according to Google.
- Fix the other sources: Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, review sites and directories. How to find all listings is shown in How to find and fix wrong data about your business online.
This also affects AI answers: ChatGPT and Google AI Mode use sources like these, among others. More in Why does my business not show up in ChatGPT?
When Google rejects your edit
The most common reasons for “Not approved”:
- Additions to the name: location, service or slogan in the business name violate the guidelines.
- Address does not match: the new address does not match your website, sign or other sources, or the pin is in the wrong place.
- Too much at once: changing name, category and address at the same time looks like a different business to Google.
First bring your website and other listings up to date, then change one field at a time. If your profile is suspended, Google says to appeal with proof such as a business licence or invoices. You can only do this once, so prepare well. Never create a new profile.
Tips for your industry
| Industry | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Hotels and holiday rentals | Do not enter opening hours, Google advises hotels against it. Maintain check-in and check-out times and amenities instead. In the off-season mark the property as temporarily closed. |
| Restaurants | Add kitchen, delivery or pickup times as more hours. They only work once regular hours are set. |
| Medical practices | If you work by appointment only, Google says not to enter opening hours. Add holidays in time as special hours or temporarily closed. |
| Trades | Hide the address if customers do not come to you and set a service area with up to 20 places. |
| Retail and branches | From 10 locations you can manage via spreadsheet. Careful: according to Google, empty columns delete existing data. |
You do not have access to the profile?
If your business is on Google but someone else manages the profile, such as a former employee or an agency, you have two options:
- Request access: at business.google.com/add search for your business and click Request access. According to Google, the current owner has three days to respond. If they do not, you may be able to claim it yourself. Businesses without a storefront should contact Google support.
- Suggest an edit: anyone can suggest an edit to individual errors in Google Maps. It is faster, but Google decides whether the change is applied.
Keep an eye on all listings
The Google profile is only one listing among many. For a correction to stick, your website, Apple Maps, Bing, portals and directories must all say the same. faktado.ai checks all these listings and the answers of ChatGPT and Google against your website. You see right away where old hours or numbers remain and get the correction prepared.
- Google: Edit your Business Profile
- Google: Set business hours
- Google: Special hours
- Google: Temporarily or permanently closed
- Google: Status of edits
- Google: Review Google updates
- Google: Owners and managers
- Google: Request access to a profile
- Google: Business Profile guidelines
- Google: Service area
- Google: Change address
- Google: Transfer primary ownership
- Google: Appeal a suspension
maxonline, the SEO and GEO agency behind faktado.ai, takes care of it for you.
FAQ
How do I edit my Google Business Profile?
Sign in with the Google account linked to the profile, search Google for your business name and click Edit profile. On a phone, use the Google Maps app via Business and Edit profile.
How long until an edit is visible?
According to Google usually up to 10 minutes, in some cases up to 30 days. In our experience changes to name, category or address tend to take longer.
Why does Google change my opening hours?
Because users can suggest edits and Google compares your profile with other sources, such as your website or portals. Review the Google updates marked in blue in the profile editor and fix the sources the old hours come from.
Do I need to re-verify my profile after moving?
Yes. According to Google, a verified profile must be verified again after moving to a new address. Until then the old address usually stays visible.
How do I add a manager?
Via the three-dot menu, Business Profile settings, People and access, Add. Enter the email address, choose Manager and click Invite.
Can anyone change my Google profile?
Anyone can suggest edits, but only owners and managers can change the profile directly. Google sometimes applies suggestions automatically if other sources support them. That is why a regular look at the profile editor is worthwhile.
Harald FischlManaging Director, maxonlineHarald is Managing Director of maxonline, an SEO and GEO agency from Lower Austria focused on hospitality. He works every day on how businesses are presented correctly in search engines and AI answers. More about Harald