Local Listings ManagementReference desk

Glossary

Reader’s desk

Plain-language definitions for the systems, records, and workflows behind local visibility.

Business listing

A public record containing identity and operational information for a business or location on a search engine, map, directory, app, or platform.

A web reference to a business that commonly includes some combination of its name, address, phone number, or website.

A company that collects, standardises, and distributes business information to other publishers or data users.

An additional public profile that represents the same entity or location and may compete with or confuse the intended record.

A distinct person, place, organisation, product, or concept that a platform attempts to identify and understand.

Google's system for eligible businesses to manage key information and interactions across relevant Google surfaces.

A structured representation of entities and the relationships between them used to organise and retrieve information.

A set of map-oriented local results that may appear for searches with local intent.

An abbreviation for name, address, and phone number, commonly used when discussing business information consistency.

The verified account-level control that allows an organisation or authorised user to manage a public profile.

The main classification selected for a business profile, used by platforms to understand its core activity.

A platform, directory, map, app, or service that displays or uses business location information.

A business that serves customers at their locations rather than primarily receiving them at a public storefront.

The approved internal record from which public location information should be governed and distributed.

A process intended to prevent an unwanted duplicate or conflicting listing from appearing or being redistributed.

A platform process used to confirm that a person or organisation is authorised to manage a business profile.