How to Effectively Use Keap’s ‘Find & Merge Duplicates’ Feature Step-by-Step

Dealing with duplicate contact records is a persistent challenge for any business relying on a CRM. Duplicates lead to messy data, ineffective communication, wasted marketing spend, and skewed analytics, ultimately hindering your team’s efficiency and your ability to scale. For Keap users, the ‘Find & Merge Duplicates’ feature is a powerful tool designed to combat this very problem, helping you maintain a clean, accurate database. This guide will walk you through leveraging this essential feature to ensure your Keap CRM remains a reliable single source of truth for your business operations.

Step 1: Accessing the ‘Find & Merge Duplicates’ Feature

To begin the process of data clean-up, navigate to the Keap ‘Admin’ section. From your Keap dashboard, look for the main navigation menu, typically found on the left-hand side or at the top. Click on ‘Admin’ or ‘CRM’ (depending on your Keap version and UI), and then locate ‘Settings.’ Within the settings menu, you will find an option specifically labeled ‘Find & Merge Duplicates.’ Clicking this will take you to the dedicated interface where you can initiate your search for redundant contact information. Before you proceed, it’s advisable to ensure you have a clear understanding of what constitutes a duplicate for your business, as this will inform your strategy in the subsequent steps. This initial access point is crucial for proactive data hygiene, a cornerstone of efficient business operations and precise client engagement.

Step 2: Defining Your Duplicate Search Criteria

Once you’ve accessed the ‘Find & Merge Duplicates’ area, Keap will present you with options to define how it identifies duplicates. The most common and effective criteria are ‘Email Address’ and ‘First Name & Last Name.’ You might also have options like ‘Company Name’ or specific custom fields if they are set up to be unique identifiers. For the most robust results, selecting ‘Email Address’ is often the best starting point, as it’s typically a unique identifier for individuals. However, if your database includes contacts without emails, or if you suspect duplicates based on name variations, selecting ‘First Name & Last Name’ can be invaluable. Carefully consider which criteria will yield the most accurate results for your specific data set, prioritizing fields that are truly intended to be unique within your database. This precision ensures you’re identifying actual duplicates, not just similar-looking, but distinct records.

Step 3: Reviewing and Analyzing Potential Duplicates

After setting your search criteria and running the report, Keap will present you with a list of potential duplicate groups. Each group will typically contain two or more records that match your specified criteria. It’s imperative to carefully review each group before proceeding. This step is where human oversight becomes critical, as automated systems can sometimes flag false positives. Examine the information in each record—notes, tags, opportunities, orders, and associated activities—to determine which record is the most complete or current. Look for subtle differences that might indicate distinct individuals, or clear similarities that confirm redundancy. This thorough review process helps prevent accidental merges of unique contacts and ensures that the final merged record retains the most valuable and up-to-date information.

Step 4: Selecting the Master Record for Each Group

For each group of duplicates, you will need to designate a ‘Master Record.’ This master record is the primary contact entry that will be retained, and all relevant information from the other duplicate records in that group will be merged into it. Keap typically provides a checkbox or radio button next to each record, allowing you to easily select your chosen master. When making this selection, prioritize the record that contains the most comprehensive, accurate, and recent data. Look for the contact with the most complete profile: recent activity, up-to-date contact information, relevant tags, and active opportunities. Selecting the correct master record is crucial, as it dictates the foundation of your consolidated contact entry and minimizes the risk of losing valuable historical data during the merge process.

Step 5: Executing the Merge and Confirming Changes

Once you have meticulously reviewed each duplicate group and designated a master record for all of them, the final step is to execute the merge. Keap will usually have a “Merge Selected” or similar button to initiate this action. Before clicking, take one last glance over your selections to ensure accuracy. Upon confirmation, Keap will begin the merging process, intelligently consolidating all associated data from the duplicate records into your chosen master. This includes tags, notes, tasks, appointments, opportunities, orders, and custom field data. After the merge is complete, Keap will typically provide a confirmation message. It’s good practice to immediately verify a few of the merged contacts to ensure all data has been successfully consolidated and that no critical information was lost or incorrectly combined. This step solidifies your efforts in maintaining a clean and robust CRM database.

Step 6: Post-Merge Verification and Ongoing Best Practices

After completing the merge operation, a crucial step is to perform a post-merge verification. Navigate to some of the newly merged master records and meticulously review their profiles. Ensure that all relevant information from the duplicate records—such as notes, tags, campaign history, opportunities, and custom field data—has been accurately consolidated into the chosen master record. Confirm that there are no lingering inconsistencies or missing data points. Beyond this immediate verification, establish ongoing best practices to prevent future duplicate creation. This includes training your team on proper data entry protocols, leveraging Keap’s forms with duplicate checking enabled, and setting up periodic duplicate scans. Proactive data hygiene is an iterative process, and consistent effort will ensure your Keap CRM remains a powerful, reliable asset for your business.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Keap Data Recovery Best Practices: Minimizing Duplicates for HR & Recruiting Firms