How should duplicate Google Business Profiles be handled without accidentally removing the wrong entity?

Inventory every profile before taking action. Record profile URL, name, address, phone, category, ownership status, review count, verification state, and whether it represents a location, practitioner, department, or historical location.

Then classify the relationship:
- True duplicate of the same business/location.
- Legitimate practitioner profile.
- Legitimate department profile.
- Old moved location.
- Unverified user-generated listing.
- Separate business that only looks similar.

Do not merge profiles merely because they share an address. Medical offices, legal practices, and multi-department businesses may have legitimate separate entities under Google's rules.

For a true duplicate, prefer the platform-supported merge/removal path that preserves the authoritative profile and, where possible, valuable reviews. Make sure the profile you keep has correct ownership, categories, NAP, and website URL before cleanup.

For moved locations, update the authoritative profile according to the actual move rather than creating a chain of new listings every time the business relocates.

Check the website too. Duplicate local landing pages, old address pages, schema, and citations can keep reinforcing stale entities even after GBP cleanup.

After changes, monitor branded search and map results for several weeks. Entity consolidation can take time, and old records may reappear if upstream data sources remain incorrect.

The key is entity classification first, platform action second. Aggressive cleanup without that distinction can destroy a valid practitioner or location profile.