What Is an Auto-Generated Listing?

Ever searched for your business on Google and found information about it—even though you never created anything? That's an auto-generated listing.

What Is It?

An auto-generated listing is when Google creates a basic profile for your business without you doing anything.

Google collects information about your business from around the internet and puts it together automatically.

Where Does Google Get This Information?

Google finds your business from:

• Other websites that mention you
• Online directories (Yellow Pages, Yelp)
• Social media pages
• Public records
• Customer reviews
• Maps data

It's like Google playing detective, collecting pieces of information from different places.

The Problem

The information is often wrong or incomplete.

Common issues:

• Old address or phone number
• Wrong business hours
• Missing website link
• No photos
• Outdated information

And you can't control it because you didn't create it.

Real Example

Maria's Bakery had an auto-generated listing with:

• Her old address from 2019
• A disconnected phone number
• No business hours listed
• No photos

Result: People were trying to visit the wrong location and couldn't reach her. She was losing customers every day and didn't even know this listing existed.

How Do You Know If You Have One?

Google your business name + your city.

If you see information about your business but you never set anything up on Google, that's an auto-generated listing.

Why This Matters

Potential customers are seeing this incomplete information right now.

They're deciding whether to contact you based on:

• Wrong phone numbers
• Old addresses
• Missing details
• No photos

You're losing customers without knowing it.

The Bottom Line

An auto-generated listing is Google's best guess about your business. It's often wrong, incomplete, and you can't control it.

Until you take control, potential customers are making decisions based on incomplete or incorrect information.

Don't let Google guess about your business. The information out there should be accurate and complete.