Trace the wrong claim to its source
Trace the wrong branch claim from the saved answer to its cited passage and the approved business record. Correct the visible source you control when it is stale or ambiguous. Keep source correction and later answer accuracy as two separate states so changing a page is not misreported as changing an answer.
Worked example — illustrative data.
| Step | Specimen entry | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong answer | Illustrative answer says the shop has a riverside branch | Save exact wording and context |
| Cited page | Old store directory page lists retired address | Check whether citation actually supports the claim |
| Canonical record | Owner confirms only the current High Street shop | Verify publicly supportable address |
| Correctable source | Business location page still carries old branch text | Propose precise correction and review |
Capture the answer before changing any page. Separate an outdated source, an ambiguous identity and an unsupported answer inference because each needs a different response. Use approved business records to establish the correction, then update the relevant visible text and associated data consistently. If a third party controls the source, prepare a factual correction with evidence for the owner to send. Repeat the original observation later using the same documented conditions.
Separate a correction request from its outcome
Create two follow-up rows for the fictional branch error: one for the outdated location page and one for the next saved answer. The page row records the exact old and approved new wording; the answer row records whether the wrong branch still appears. If the citation points to a third party, keep the proposed correction separate from any assumption that the publisher accepted it.
A citation may not support the incorrect sentence
A citation may be relevant to the business but not support the wrong sentence. Do not blame or demand a correction from that publisher without checking the actual passage.
Mark the issue resolved at the source when the verified correction is published; mark the answer separately as corrected, unchanged or not observed on a later check.
What if the answer has no supporting source link?
Preserve the wrong sentence and the run context, then compare the claim with the business’s approved public facts. Mark source attribution unknown. Correct a genuinely wrong page you control, but do not name a publisher as the cause without a supporting passage.
Continue with Guides for stores, software teams and local businesses, AI SEO and search visibility services and Improve a page cited with the wrong meaning.
For Google AI website and serving guidance, see Google AI features documentation (checked November 2026).