TL;DR
- To update your contact details: change them in your header and footer settings first, then on every page that lists them. Then update your forms and your Google Business Profile.
- Your header and footer change everywhere at once. Details typed into page text have to be changed page by page.
- Changing an email address? Decide which one: the one shown on a page, your site’s default email, or where form messages go.
- To add a location: add it to your contact or locations page, your footer, and Google.
- Keep everything matching, on your site and on Google.
How Do I Update My Contact Details on My Website?
- List every place your details show up. Check the header, footer, contact page, about page, location pages, and any page that mentions your hours or phone number.
- Update the header and footer. These usually live in your theme’s settings (look under Appearance, then Customize or Editor, or under Theme Options), a header or footer template in your page builder, or a widget area. One change here updates every page.
- Update each page that lists your details. Edit the page, change the text, and save. As Beth told one client who hoped for a one-click change, “Anything in the header and footer updates everywhere, but each page is its own content.”
- Update your forms if your email changed. Each form has notification settings that say where messages go.
- Clear your browser’s cache and check each page.
- Update your Google Business Profile. Go to your profile, select Edit profile, make your changes, and select Save. Google reviews changes before they go live.
Not sure where your header and footer live? See How Do I Edit Text on My WordPress Website?
Which Email Address Do I Need to Change?
There are usually three, and they live in different places. Beth’s first question is often which one:
- The email shown on a page, like your contact page or footer.
- Your site’s default email, which WordPress uses for site notices. It’s under Settings, then General. WordPress emails a confirmation link to the new address before it switches.
- Where form messages go, set in each form’s notification settings.
How Do I Add a New Location to My Website?
- Add the location to your contact or locations page, with its address, phone number, and hours.
- Add it to your footer if your other locations are listed there.
- Add it to Google. Each location needs accurate details on its Business Profile.
- Check your forms. If the new location has its own staff, messages may need to go to them.
Closing a location? Take it off every page, your footer, and your forms, and update it on Google.
Why Do My Details Need to Match Everywhere?
Customers trust what they see, and so does Google. Google says, “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.” When one client’s hours didn’t match on two pages, Beth fixed them and asked, “Please reference both pages in the future for any hour changes.”
Rather Have Us Update It?
Send us the new details and tell us what’s changing. We’ll update the header, footer, every page that lists them, your forms, and your Google Business Profile on your Webmaster Retainer. See How to Send Website Change Requests to Your Webmaster
What Webmaster For Hire Recommends
- Keep a list of every page that shows your details. Then one change never gets missed.
- Put your main contact details in the header or footer, so one change updates the whole site.
- Update Google whenever you update your site.
:: Common Questions ::
Do I Have to Verify My Business Again If I Move?
On Google, yes. Google says, “If you move your business to a new address after it’s verified, you must verify your business again.” When Beth moved her own office, Google asked for a video walk-through to verify the new address.
Why Do I Still See My Old Phone Number?
It’s likely in a spot that wasn’t updated, like page text or an image. Or your browser is showing a saved copy. Clear your cache first, then check the pages on your list.
Have New Contact Details?
See our Webmaster Retainer, or request a consultation.
