BEST Business Rebranding Checklist

In the local search space, rebranding is something that happens quite often. Rebranding your website, Google listing, and other important online sources is crucial for helping Google understand the change, and for maintaining your SEO during the rebranding.

8-Step Business Name Change Checklist

This is a business rebranding checklist of all the places a local business needs to update online when it is changing its business name.

1. Update website first.
   1. The logo needs to reflect the new name.  Often logos include taglines.  If you want it to be clear that something is a part of your business name, don’t put it on a second line.
   2. Any place that references your business name (About Us page, Contact page Footer etc). 
   3. Clarify that you rebranded on your About and Contact pages (i.e “Old Name is now called New Name as of June 2021”).
2. Update the Site name inside WordPress or whatever CMS you use.
3. Update your domain registry.
4. Update business license with the Secretary of State (US) and other places you have licenses listed.
   1. If in healthcare: Update the NPI record.
   2. If in legal: Update the state bar website.
5. Update major data providers. (I suggest hiring Whitespark for this if you don’t build your own citations.)
6. Update your name on your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
7. Optional: Send out a press release announcing the name change.
8. Optional: Acquire a trade name or doing business as (DBA) for the new name.

We created a handy PDF of this list with checkboxes for you to follow any time you need to work through the steps!

Tips for Rebranding your Google Business Profile

Before you actually change your business name on Google (step 6) you need to ensure the new name is fully indexed with Google, especially on the business website. If the name is not indexed with Google before you change it in the dashboard, Google may change it back or ask you to reverify the profile.

Pro Tip: If you have any Local Service Ads (LSAs) attached to your Google listing, rebranding the GBP may cause the reviews to be unlinked on the LSA. If that happens, you’ll need proof of the new name (like a DBA) to send to Google support to get them relinked.

Why Rebrand Your Business?

Businesses rebrand for many reasons, among which are:

Mergers and acquisitions: If your business has acquired another business, often you will want to rebrand to your main brand, which includes rebranding the business.

Redefine services: Over time, businesses can expand their service offering, or narrow their focus to a smaller number of services. In either case, businesses may change their name to reflect their service offering better.

Optimize Google Business name: Many businesses wonder if keywords in the business name impact ranking, and we can confirm they do. In fact, keywords in the business name were ranked third on Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors Report. If you want to add keywords into your business name, you need to ensure you follow these steps and rebrand your business officially. If you do not follow this checklist, Google will likely revert your business name back, again and again.

Need More Help With Your Google Business Profile?

Rebranding is just part of a solid local SEO strategy. Check out our SEO audit to find out more about how you can optimize your Google listing and boost your local SEO.

Having trouble rebranding your business on Google? See how to get help from Joy and our other Product Experts on the Google Business Profile community forum.

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