Inconsistent business details across social profiles

Key takeaways

Inconsistent business information on social media, such as different phone numbers, old opening hours or a former business name, makes buyers doubt you and sends some to the wrong place. Keep one master list of name, address, phone, hours, website and email, and update every profile and your Google Business Profile from it.

• 1 master list of business details, updated whenever anything changes.
• Wrong hours send customers to a closed door.
• Match your Google Business Profile and website to social profiles.
• Check every profile each quarter.

Why do business details drift?

Business details drift because each platform is updated separately, often by different people, and changes such as a new phone number or holiday hours are made on one profile but not the others. Over time, every profile tells a slightly different story.

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What do inconsistent details cost?

Inconsistent details cost missed calls to old numbers, wasted trips at the wrong hours, emails to dead inboxes and lower trust. They can also weaken local search, because Google uses consistent information across the web as one signal of a reliable business.

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How do you fix them?

Write a master list: legal and trading name, address or service area, phone, email, website, opening hours and holiday hours. Update every social profile and your Google Business Profile from it. Add a quarterly reminder and a rule that any change goes on the list first.

Do limited companies need extra details?

UK limited companies must show certain details, such as the registered name, on their websites and business communications. Social profiles are a good place to keep the trading name consistent with what customers see elsewhere. Check GOV.UK guidance on what your company must display.

How do you spot inconsistent details quickly?

Spot them by putting every profile and your Google Business Profile side by side and comparing six fields: name, phone, email, website, address or area, and hours. Any difference, even a missing area code or an old email, is worth fixing, because customers act on whichever version they see first.

• Different phone numbers.
• Old or personal email addresses.
• Opening hours that do not match.
• Old business names or logos.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: three profiles showing three phone numbers, one of them a former employee's mobile. Customers who call that number never reach the business. A master list and one afternoon of updates removes the problem.

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Details checklist

• Write a master list of business details.
• Update every social profile from it.
• Match your Google Business Profile.
• Add holiday hours before each holiday.
• Check every quarter.

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Next step

Open each profile and your Google listing side by side today. Note every difference in name, phone, hours and website.