Business Data Aggregators: Who Feeds Your Listings and How to Correct Them

By the Expert Reputation team · Updated October 26, 2026

Data aggregators, also called primary data providers, are companies that compile business records and license them to maps, search engines, directories, navigation systems, and apps. In the US, the main ones today are Data Axle, Foursquare (which absorbed Factual in 2020), and Localeze, now sold by TransUnion as Digital Business Profile. If one of them has your old phone number, that number can keep showing up on sites you never touched. That's why correcting your record at the source is part of any serious listings cleanup.

What a data aggregator does

You might update Google, Yelp, and Facebook yourself. But hundreds of smaller directories, in-car navigation systems, voice assistants, and apps never hear from you directly. Many of them license their business data instead. The aggregators' own descriptions:

• Data Axle says it distributes listings "from search engines and directories to navigation apps, virtual assistants, and AI-driven search," and that its "data is used by major in-car navigation systems and apps."
• TransUnion says it publishes your profile "across the web — including maps, navigation systems and directories you can't access directly," naming "80+ online publishers including Google, Apple, Bing, Facebook and YP.com."
• Foursquare explains that partner apps such as WhatsApp, Untappd, and Pinterest "license and update our data" on their own refresh schedules.

Who the US aggregators are today

Names have changed a lot through mergers. Many guides online are years out of date.

Where you can see the connection yourself

Two platforms publish their data sources:

• Apple Maps. Apple's acknowledgements page lists "Business listings data" from Foursquare, Localeze, Yext, Uberall, Tripadvisor, and others, plus "Reviews from Yelp." See our Apple Business guide.
• Bing. Bing says "Many of the sources Bing pulls from are publicly visible at the bottom of the listing, in the 'Data from' section." Other sources are internal and not disclosed. Open your Bing listing and scroll down to see which providers it names.

Google doesn't publish a list of its business data suppliers, so we don't make claims about which aggregators Google uses.

How to check and correct your record with each provider

Before you start, decide on your exact business name, address, phone number, website, and hours. Use them identically everywhere. Our NAP consistency guide explains why small variations cause trouble.

Data Axle

Data Axle's process:

1. Go to Data Axle Local Listings (local-listings.data-axle.com) and search for your business.
2. Check that the information is correct and edit it if not.
3. Verify the listing. Data Axle says, "Once you've verified it, we will automatically send it to our partners."

Data Axle describes the 1-10 listing tier as "all FREE" and says you can "update your profile as many times as needed, without having to pay a fee or upgrade your account." For 10 or more locations, it offers an enterprise solution with photos, descriptions, account support, and status reports. Data Axle also says submitted listings are matched against its database "to ensure no duplicate listings are created."

Foursquare

Foursquare's support article lays out three steps:

1. Search for your business on the Foursquare business portal at business.foursquare.com.
2. Click Claim on the listing that matches your venue.
3. Complete the claim form to "verify your identity and association with the business," which typically includes contact details and your role.

If the venue is already claimed by someone else, Foursquare says you'll be notified right away. If you believe you should have access, contact Foursquare support.

Foursquare also explains why a correct Foursquare listing may still not appear on a partner app. Partner apps "select only a limited number of places" based on criteria such as a complete address, a threshold of check-ins and tips, and how long the place has been in Foursquare's database. If a different, incorrect listing shows at your exact address on a partner app, Foursquare asks you to report it, since that "suggests a potential data conflict on our end."

Localeze (TransUnion Digital Business Profile)

TransUnion launched Digital Business Profile on April 23, 2026. Its sign-up buttons still lead to a neustarlocaleze.biz portal. TransUnion says you manage your name, location, contact information, hours, payment methods, and service areas "through a single TransUnion portal." TransUnion then distributes the profile to its publishers, with monitoring and status reporting included.

Unlike Data Axle's small-business tier, this is paid. TransUnion's page listed $99 per year per location as of October 2026. TransUnion's materials don't describe a free way to correct an existing Localeze record, so check with TransUnion directly if you only need a one-time fix.

Why errors reappear on other sites

The most frustrating part of listings work is fixing something and watching it come back. Platform documentation explains why:

• Platforms merge several sources. Bing says it "pulls business information from Bing Places for Business and multiple third-party data sources, then merges them into your listing." Bing Places is a preferred feed, but "other sources may take priority if their information is fresher," for example if Bing Places data "hasn't been updated for more than 6 months."
• Your edit has to agree with everyone else. Bing says core details "are only applied if they align with trusted external data. If inconsistencies are detected, changes may not publish or may be overwritten." If two aggregators still have your old suite number, your correction can lose.
• Old listings stay tied to old data. Bing tells businesses that moved not to edit the old listing. "The old listing may remain connected to data sources associated with the previous address." Bing's fix is a new listing plus marking the old one closed. See moving or rebranding.
• Partners refresh on their own schedules. Foursquare says propagation to partner apps "can range from a few days to several weeks," and display "is ultimately controlled by" the partner.

A common pattern: a practice moves, updates Google, and assumes it's done. A year later, the old address still appears on a navigation app or a directory nobody checked. The aggregators may still have it. A stray number can also come from a tracking number used in an old ad campaign. Duplicates often begin the same way; see our duplicate listings guide.

Realistic expectations on timing

No aggregator controls when every downstream site refreshes, and none promises a specific date for all of them. What the providers themselves say:

• Data Axle says updates "can be submitted as soon and as often as they happen" and that it updates its own data "in real-time." Partner timing isn't stated.
• Foursquare says partner app propagation ranges "from a few days to several weeks." Changes on Foursquare itself typically take "a few days" to propagate through its servers.
• Bing says its publish cycle typically takes 7-12 days in North America. See our Bing Places guide.

Plan on re-checking your major listings a few weeks after any aggregator correction, and again a couple of months later.

A practical order of operations

1. Settle on one set of details (name, address, phone, website, hours).
2. Fix the platforms you control directly: Google, Apple, Bing, Yelp, and Facebook.
3. Correct your record with Data Axle, Foursquare, and Localeze/TransUnion.
4. Find and resolve duplicates created by old addresses or phone numbers.
5. Audit again later. Use our listings audit checklist.

Doing this by hand for one location takes patience. For several locations, it's a recurring job. Expert Reputation's Listings Manager keeps your core details consistent across 100+ directories from one dashboard.