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What can wrong business information cost a local business?

By Sergey Sulimko, Founder5 min read

Wrong business information can stop a customer from contacting a local business. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,227 US-based consumers who had searched online for a local business in the previous three months, 20% said missing or incorrect listing information was a reason they chose not to contact a business.1 The surveys report stated decisions, incidents, trust and frustration. They do not convert those responses into a dollar loss for one business.

Which business details cause the most practical problems?

BrightLocal's March 2018 Local Citations Trust Report asked 1,025 US-based consumers about incorrect local business information found online. The question allowed multiple responses, so the percentages below are not parts of one 100% total.2

Information problem or consequence Finding Sample and timing What the finding measures
Consumers called a wrong number for a local business 36% 1,025 US consumers; previous 12 months before the March 2018 survey A reported incident
Consumers arrived too early or too late because online hours were wrong 24% 1,025 US consumers; previous 12 months before the March 2018 survey A reported incident
Consumers visited the wrong location because the online address was wrong 22% 1,025 US consumers; previous 12 months before the March 2018 survey A reported incident
Consumers had a negative experience because of incorrect local business information 71% 1,025 US consumers; previous 12 months before the March 2018 survey A reported negative experience
Clear and complete hours, address and phone information influenced the latest contact or visit decision 32% 1,227 US consumers who had searched for a local business in the previous three months; BrightLocal report published July 15, 2026 A factor named in a stated decision

These figures describe consumer experiences and stated decision factors.12 They do not count unique businesses or show how much any one business lost.

What might a customer do when an online address is wrong?

In a hypothetical BrightLocal scenario, respondents could not locate a local business because its address was wrong online. 30% said they would go to a competitor, while 40% said they would give up looking for the business.2 The answers were alternatives to the same scenario, not observed switching or abandonment.

The same report found that 68% said incorrect information in online directories would stop them from using a local business.2 That is a stated intention about a hypothetical situation, not a count of customers who actually left.

How does wrong information affect trust?

BrightLocal's 2018 panel reported that 80% of consumers lost trust in a local business after seeing incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online.2 93% said they were frustrated by incorrect information in online directories.2 Both figures are self-reported responses from the 1,025-person US panel.

Does wrong business information have a measured dollar cost?

No figure in these sources measures a local business's revenue loss from an incorrect phone number, address, hours or business name. The sources measure consumer responses, not the revenue attached to a missed call, a wrong visit or a competitor choice.

That distinction matters when reading the percentages. A survey response can show a plausible way inaccurate information harms a business, but it cannot tell an owner how many customers were lost or assign a dollar value to those customers without business-level transaction data.

What should a local business check first?

Google Business Profile Help says a business must add or claim its Business Profile, then verify it, before it can show on Search, Maps and other Google services.3

Google Business Profile Help says verified owners can update the address, hours, contact information and photos. Some businesses might need to verify their Business Profile before making changes. Google reviews edits before publishing them live.3

Google Search Central says claiming a Business Profile lets an owner manage how the business appears on Maps and Search.4 Once the owner verifies the listing, Google says the owner can provide or edit the address, contact information, business type and photos.4 Google says this enables local business information to show in Google Maps and the Google knowledge panel.4

Start with the fields a customer needs to decide whether and how to visit:

  1. Check the address and map location.
  2. Check opening hours, including special hours.3
  3. Check the phone number and other contact details.
  4. Review the business type and photos for obvious errors.

Google's guidance covers these Business Profile fields. For the broader role of a Google Business Profile in local discovery, see the local SEO guide.

What do these figures not tell you?

The 2026 and 2018 figures come from different BrightLocal surveys, samples and questions. The 2018 panel is older, and its results are not a current prevalence estimate. The incident and trust figures are self-reported. The competitor, abandonment and stop-using figures are stated responses to hypothetical situations. None is an observed customer count, transaction rate or revenue estimate for a particular local business.

The studies also measure people, not listings. They do not show how often a specific business's information was wrong, which source introduced the error or how quickly a correction changed customer behavior.

Sources

  1. BrightLocal, “What makes consumers choose your business?”, 2026. Representative panel of 1,227 US-based consumers who had searched online for a local business in the previous three months; report published July 15, 2026. Read the consumer search behavior study (read October 1, 2026).

  2. BrightLocal, “Local Citations Trust Report”, 2018. Representative sample of 1,025 US-based consumers, surveyed in March 2018 with an independent consumer panel; some analyses removed respondents who were unsure or undecided. Read the Local Citations Trust Report (published March 27, 2018; read October 1, 2026).

  3. Google Business Profile Help, “Edit your Business Profile - Google Business Profile Help”, undated. Guidance for updating verified profile details and Google's review of edits before publication. Read the Business Profile editing help (read October 1, 2026).

  4. Google Search Central, “Add Business Details to Google | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers”, 2025. Guidance for claiming, verifying and editing a Business Profile so information can appear in Google Search and Maps. Read Google's Business Profile guidance (published December 10, 2025; read October 1, 2026).

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