# Keeping Your Business Facts Consistent Across AI Sources > How to keep your name, phone, hours, services, and service area identical across Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, and your website so AI assistants repeat the right facts. Canonical: https://vassalmarketing.com/information/answer-engine-optimization/consistent-business-facts-across-ai-sources/ **Maintained by Vassal Marketing** ยท Last updated on September 26, 2026 Reviewed at least quarterly and whenever a platform or rule it cites changes. General information, not legal or professional advice. Check rules that affect your business with a qualified professional. Write down one official set of business facts, then make every listing and your website match it. AI assistants read different sources, so a single stale listing can put the wrong hours or phone number in front of a customer. ## Why this matters An AI assistant does not call you to check your hours. It repeats what it finds in your Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Business, your website, or an old directory. Microsoft puts it plainly: in AI answers, a stale fact produces a misleading response. If you changed your phone number two years ago and one directory still lists the old one, an assistant may pass it on. Google says keeping your Business Profile current and keeping structured data consistent with your visible page content are part of appearing well in its AI features. No controlled study proves that consistent listings raise AI visibility. But every assistant reads at least one of these sources, and customers who check an answer against your listing will notice when they disagree. ## Responsible practices ### Write one master record Keep a single document with your business name as customers see it, phone, address or service area, regular hours, services, booking link, and website address. Every listing and page should copy from it. When something changes, update the master record first. ### Claim the core listings Claim Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect), Yelp, and Facebook. Bing Places can import from your Google Business Profile, which saves time, but check every imported field. Add the directories or booking platforms that matter in your trade, such as a home services directory or a salon booking app. ### Set holiday and special hours early Update holiday hours and planned closures on every listing before the date, not the morning of. Most listings let you set special hours ahead of time. Check your website's hours page at the same time. ### Match structured data to the visible page LocalBusiness structured data is code that tells search engines your name, address, phone, and hours. Google says it must match what visitors see on the page and that it is not required for AI features; Bing recommends using it. When your hours change, update the markup and the visible text together. ### Answer common questions on your own site Industry reporting says Google discontinued Business Profile questions and answers in late 2025, and AI now writes answers from your profile, reviews, and website. Put answers about parking, payment, service area, emergency visits, and what to bring on your website in plain text. That gives assistants your own words to work from. ### Watch for automatic changes and skip long shots Google's automated calls to businesses can suggest updates to your profile, which show as pending for up to five business days, so check for them. Clean up duplicate or old listings where you can. Creating a Wikidata entry is not a realistic option for most small businesses, because Wikidata requires notability and may delete promotional entries. ## Worked example: Updating facts after a phone number change Hypothetical example: a family dental practice switches phone providers and gets a new main number. The office manager spends one afternoon updating every source. ### Master record Updates the practice's fact sheet with the new number and the date it changed. ### Core listings Changes the number on Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, Yelp, Facebook, and the practice's booking platform. ### Website Updates the header, contact page, and footer, and asks the web provider to update the LocalBusiness structured data. ### Old sources Searches the old number and finds two directories still showing it, then requests corrections. ### One month later Asks ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Copilot for the practice's phone number and confirms the new one appears. The change took an afternoon because the office already had a list of every listing and login. ## Facts check checklist ### What you can do yourself 1. Write a one-page master record of your business facts and date it. 2. Compare your Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, and Facebook listings against it, field by field. 3. Set upcoming holiday hours on every listing now. 4. Search your old phone numbers and addresses to find outdated listings. 5. Add answers to your five most common customer questions to your website. ### What to ask your provider or staff to handle 1. Update LocalBusiness structured data whenever your hours, phone, or address change, and check it matches the page. 2. Keep a list of every listing, who has access, and when it was last checked. 3. Check Google Business Profile for pending edits from Google or the public, and tell you before accepting them. ## Avoid these mistakes - Updating Google and forgetting every other listing - Using a slightly different business name on each site - Changing holiday hours on the day instead of the week before - Leaving hours or phone numbers only in an image or PDF - Letting structured data show old hours after the page changes AI assistants decide what to show, change often, and can give different answers to different people, so mentions, citations, and recommendations are not guaranteed. ## Questions business owners ask ### Which listings matter most for AI answers? Start with Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, and Apple Business. Google's AI features rely on the Business Profile, ChatGPT shows Yelp data, Copilot relies on Bing, and Siri uses Apple Business. Then add the directories and booking platforms customers in your trade use. ### Do I need to pay a listing service to stay consistent? Not necessarily. Most small businesses can manage a handful of core listings by hand with a master record and a monthly check. A paid service may help if you have many locations, but make sure the listings stay in accounts your business owns. ### What happened to Q&A on Google Business Profile? Industry reporting says Google discontinued the Business Profile questions and answers feature in late 2025 and now uses AI to answer questions about a place. Google has not published a help page confirming the dates. Either way, answering common questions on your website gives the AI accurate material to use. ### Should my business have a Wikidata or Wikipedia page? For most small businesses, no. Both have notability rules, and entries written to promote a business are often deleted. Your time is better spent on accurate listings and genuine reviews. ## Primary guidance - [Google Search Central: AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) - [Google Search Central: Local business structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/local-business) - [Google Business Profile Help: Google automated calls and text messages](https://support.google.com/business/answer/16190256?hl=en) - [Microsoft Bing: Introducing the new Bing Places for Business](https://blogs.bing.com/search/2025/10/Introducing-the-New-Bing-Places-for-Business-Built-for-Business-Owners,-Powered-by-Research/) - [Apple Support: Apple Business Connect is now Apple Business](https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-business-connect/apple-business-connect-is-now-apple-business-abcb205640e7/web) - [Wikidata: Notability](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Notability) ## Connected guidance - [Google Business Profile accuracy](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/google-business-profile/profile-accuracy.md): Keep categories, hours, services, and links correct on your Google listing. - [Structured data for local businesses](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/structured-data-for-local-businesses.md): Add LocalBusiness markup that matches what visitors see on the page. - [Keeping website facts accurate](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/website-stewardship/keeping-website-facts-accurate.md): A routine for keeping hours, prices, and contact details current on your site.