Moving or renaming your business on Google, without losing your reviews

By Daniel Debattista · Updated 6 November 2026

A move and a new name are good news for your business, and a common way to end up stuck in verification. The fix is mostly about doing things in the right order. Here's the whole process, step by step.

The short answer on reviews

• The move is the easy part. Google says that if you move and keep the same name, it transfers your reviews to the new address automatically. (A few categories, like hotels, golf courses and scenic attractions, may not move automatically.)
• The name is the part to be careful with. Google says minor name changes don't affect reviews, but a bigger rebrand can be considered a new business.
• Never make a new profile for the move. Google says not to create a new profile because of a change in location. Reviews belong to the profile, so a new one starts at zero.

If you're the same owner offering the same services, the goal is to make that obvious to Google everywhere it looks: same business, new home, and if the name changed, a clear link from the old name to the new one.

Before you touch Google

Google checks your profile against the real world. Get the real world right first.

1. Put up permanent signage at the new location with the new name, exactly as you'll spell it on Google. If customers don't visit you, skip this and see step 7.
2. Update your website. New name, new address and phone number on every page, written exactly the same way. On your About page, add a plain line like "Formerly [old name]. Same owner, same services, new location." That's where the "formerly" belongs. Not in your Google business name.
3. Get your paperwork in the new name and new address. Google's appeals page lists business registration, a business licence, tax certificates and utility bills as the kinds of documents it accepts. A lease or utility bill at the new address, plus your registration showing the new name, covers most cases.
4. Keep your phone number if you can. It's one more thing that ties the old business to the new one.
5. Check for extra listings. Search Google Maps for your old name, your new name and your phone number. If you find a second listing for your business, don't edit it and don't delete anything yet. See "If you already made a second profile" below.
6. Take screenshots of your profile as it is now, including your review count. You'll want them if anything goes missing.

On Google: one big change at a time

Google says a move to a new address means you must verify again, and a name change might mean verifying again too. Our approach is to make the address change first, get it verified, then change the name. That's our advice, not a Google rule. Doing them one at a time takes a bit longer, but if Google pushes back you know which change caused it, and the reviews move with the address before the name changes.

Step 7. Change the address

1. Sign in to the Google account linked to your profile. Google says you need to be signed in to that account to edit your business info.
2. Search for your business on Google, or go to business.google.com, and select Edit profile.
3. Update the address to the new one. If customers don't visit you there, Google says you can choose not to show the address and set a service area instead.
4. Select Save. Google reviews edits before they go live, so check your edit status rather than editing again.

Step 8. Verify the new location

• Use whichever method Google offers you: a call or text, an email, a video, or a code mailed to the new address.
• Don't edit anything while it's pending. Google says if you change your name, address or category while a mailed code is on its way, the code won't work.
• If it's a video, film the street sign or building number, your sign with the name readable, and something only you can access, like unlocking the door. Our video verification guide has a full shot plan.

Step 9. Check your reviews came across

Once the new address is live, compare your review count against your screenshot.

Step 10. Change the name

1. Back in Edit profile, change the business name to exactly what's on your sign and website. Nothing extra: no city, no services, no "formerly."
2. Save, and verify again if Google asks.
3. Check your reviews one more time.

How long it realistically takes

With two changes done one after the other, plan on 2 to 4 weeks from start to finish, and longer if Google asks for more evidence.

If you already made a second profile

It happens. Don't keep both. Google's help pages say:

• If you created and verified a new profile after a move, contact Google to transfer the reviews from the old one.
• Two listings for the same business can be merged through "suggest an edit" on Google Maps. Merge requests are reviewed, the profiles need to show the same business with the same info, and merged reviews are combined, though replies to reviews may be lost.
• If you made a duplicate by mistake, you can remove it without affecting your verified listing. Removing a profile deletes its content, so be sure it's the right one.

If verification keeps failing

Go back through the "before you touch Google" list. The usual gaps after a move and rename:

• The website still shows the old name or address
• The sign isn't up yet, or isn't readable in the video
• The Google name has extra words the sign doesn't
• An edit was made while verification was pending
• An old listing for the business is still out there

If everything matches and it's still stuck, contact Google support through the Business Profile help centre with your documents ready. Our free checker can help spot what's off.

After it's sorted

Update your name and address everywhere else people find you, such as Apple Maps, Facebook, Yelp and any directories, so they all match your Google profile.

Related guides

• Video verification failed?
  What Google wants to see, and a shot plan.
• Should I make a new profile?
  Why starting over backfires.