fr i was just looking into how google actually verifies business data and it is more than just the gbp dashboard. most people focus solely on that one profile, but there is a huge web of directories, mapping sites, and aggregators all feeding info back to the search engine. think of it like a massive cross-referencing system where google compares everything to see if the details match up. when u have consistent data across those other listings, it makes the information much more
trustworthy for the algorithm. it is basically about building a pattern of truth so google doesn't have any reason to doubt the business exists.
if your citations are messy, you are basically asking for a suspension . i used to think cleaning up old directories was
a waste of time but it really acts as a second layer of validation.
>the more sources that say the same thing, the stronger the signal. does anyone else find that fixing name/address/phone discrepancies is the hardest part of managing client accounts?more here:
https://www.advicelocal.com/blog/how-citations-help-google-validate-business-information/