How do you get outdated or wrong information about your business off Google Search?
Start with the site that published it, because Google does not own other websites. Google's help says to contact the website owner, and that even when Google drops a result, the page itself is still there. Once the site's owner removes the old information, Google says it eventually leaves its results through regular updating, and Google offers a request to refresh an outdated result. Wrong details on your own Google Business Profile are a separate fix.
Where the fix starts
Google's page on contacting a website owner says that to remove something from a website, you usually need to talk to its owner: "Even if you found it on Google, Google doesn’t own the website." Even if Google takes a page off its results, it says, people can still reach the page by its address, through social media or from other search engines.
Its suggestions include a "Contact us" link or email address on the site and, if the owner cannot be reached, the company that hosts it. As general advice, ask for one specific change, such as an old phone number or a closed location, and give the correct detail.
Asking Google to refresh an old result
Google's page on refreshing outdated content says that if content was deleted from a site but still comes up in Google Search, the page description or cache might be outdated. Its refresh request asks for the address of that page, and a separate request covers an outdated image. If you have already updated a live page, the page says you "don't have to fill out the form".
Google's page on removing personal content adds that once a site's owner removes information, it will eventually leave Google Search as part of Google's regular updating process. As general advice, fix the source first: the request is for a result that no longer reflects the page.
Where the wrong detail lives
| Where the old detail shows | Who can change it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A page on your own website | You | Update or remove the page; Google says an updated live page needs no form |
| A directory, review site or old article | That site's owner | Ask the owner to correct it, then request a refresh once the page has changed |
| Your Google Business Profile | You, as the profile's owner | See the related answer on Google changing your hours or saying you are closed |
| Your home address or personal phone | The site's owner, or Google for its results | See the related answer on removing your home address or phone from Google |
| An answer from an AI assistant | No one directly | See the related answer on whether AI assistants get facts wrong |
What Google will not do
Google's pages describe refreshing or removing its own results, not editing someone else's page. Its page on contacting a website owner says information that shows up on Google is on the internet, and adds: "It doesn’t mean Google agrees with it." As general advice, a page that is still live and still wrong usually stays in the results until its owner changes it. Old addresses left by your own rebuild are covered in the related answer on whether a new website or domain hurts your Google results.
Sources
- Google Search Help, "Contact a website owner"
- Google Search Help, "Refresh outdated content"
- Google Search Help, "Request to have your personal content removed from Google Search"
Related answers
- Can you get your home address or personal phone number out of Google results?
- What should you do when Google changes your hours or says your business is closed?
- Do AI assistants get facts about businesses wrong?
- Will a new website or a new domain name hurt how you show up on Google?
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