Google Surrenders: Bradford on Avon Hyphens to Be Eradicated

The town of Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, England has finally won its long-standing battle against hyphens. The campaign to remove the dashes from the town's name dates back 130 years, with locals complaining that they were incorrectly added by the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1899.

According to Tom Vaughton, CEO of SEO experts Varn, which launched the campaign, there were over 5,800 incorrect references online, including on major platforms such as Google Maps. The problem had also made its way into artificial intelligence, with fake news and bad data spreading quickly.

The town council and local businesses recently launched a campaign to reclaim the town's original name without hyphens, which they dubbed the 'great dash debate'. They called on Wikipedia, GWR, National Highways, English Heritage, Encyclopedia Britannica, and other companies to support them.

Google has now agreed to remove its hyphens from the town's name, following a promise made within 48 hours of being contacted by the BBC. Other companies that have updated or are updating their content to spell Bradford on Avon without hyphens include Tripadvisor, Visit Bath, Discover Frome, and Silver Travel Advisor.