Why AI Assistants Get Your Business Details Wrong, and How to Fix It

Short answer: Assistants build answers about your business details from many sources, and when those sources disagree or are out of date, the answer can be wrong. The fix is to find where the wrong information lives and correct it at the source.

Common causes of wrong business details

1. Old information still online. A previous phone number, a former address area, or services you dropped, still listed on a directory.
2. Inconsistent details. Your name is written three ways, or hours differ between your site and your listings.
3. Thin information. If you never state your prices or service area, the assistant may guess, or skip you.
4. Confusion with a similar business. Businesses with similar names can get mixed up.
5. Third-party pages you do not control. Old reviews, articles or aggregator pages repeating outdated details.

Exactly which sources a given assistant uses is not public and changes over time. That is why the practical approach is to fix everything you can reach.

Step-by-step fix

Step 1: Write your "source of truth"

One document with your official business name, phone, city and service area, hours, service list, booking link and website. Everything else should match it.

Step 2: Audit your main profiles

Check and correct:

• Your own website (every page that mentions these details)
• Google Business Profile
• Apple Business Connect
• Yelp
• Bing Places
• Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Industry directories relevant to you

Use the same wording for your business description across them.

Step 3: Handle service-area businesses correctly

If you serve customers at their location and have no public office, list your city and service areas rather than a street address. Follow each platform's rules on hiding an address. Keep the city-level details identical everywhere.

Step 4: Fill the gaps on your site

Add the facts assistants might otherwise guess: what you offer, who it is for, where you serve, how pricing works, how to book. An FAQ page is a good place for this.

Step 5: Find and update third-party mentions

Search your business name and phone number. Where you find outdated pages, contact the site owner or use the platform's correction process.

Step 6: Recheck the assistants

After a few weeks, ask the same questions again (see our 15-minute test). If the wrong detail persists, look at which sources it cites.

What you cannot control

You cannot force an assistant to change an answer immediately. Many have feedback options for reporting wrong information; use them when an answer is clearly incorrect.

Need a second pair of eyes?

Book a free consultation and we will talk through what the assistants currently say about your business.

FAQ

Can I ask ChatGPT to correct wrong information? Many assistants offer a way to report incorrect answers, but corrections are not guaranteed or immediate. Fixing the sources is more reliable.

Do I need a physical address? Not necessarily. Service-area businesses can list a city and service area. Follow each platform's guidelines.

How often should I review my listings? At least every few months, and whenever hours, phone or services change.

Further reading: Google Business Profile Help: tips to improve your local ranking.

Written by the Miri Team. Related: our local business listings service.