Your Google Business Profile is an important part of your local SEO and digital marketing strategy. It helps you reach new clients, boost engagement via videos and posts, and answer questions. But, obviously, if your Google Business Profile is suspended, you will not get any of those benefits.
The good news is that fixing a suspended profile is usually fairly straightforward. This guide will help you quickly get your Google Business Profile back up and running.
What is Google Business Profile suspension?
If your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business or GMB) is suspended, it will negatively affect your business. Specifically, your listing won’t be visible on Google or Google Maps.
Google will indicate that your listing is suspended, but it will not tell you why. You will have to figure that out with our guide and follow the suggested steps to correct the issue.
Types of Google Business Profile Suspensions
There are two types of suspensions for your GMB profile, and it is crucial to understand the difference.
1. Hard Suspension
A hard suspension is the more serious of the types of suspension. If your listing is suspended, it is completely removed. When you log into your Google business account, you will see a notice that the listing was removed. This is typically a result of listings that violate Google guidelines.
2. Soft Suspension
A soft suspension is easier to correct and less severe. With a soft suspension, your listing is simply marked as unverified on Google Maps or temporarily hidden in local search. As with a hard suspension, you’ll notice a suspension notification when you log into your account. That notification will also tell you how to fix the problem.
Why was your Google Business Profile suspended? 5 Common Reasons
There are multiple reasons that Google may suspend your business profile, but the following are the most common reasons. For each common reason, we’ve included best practices to avoid suspension.
1. Violation of Google’s guidelines.
There are several ways that your listing may violate Google’s guidelines, leading to suspension. To start, there may be fake or spam reviews or other inappropriate activity. This can cause suspension even if you weren’t the one writing the content in question.
Correct this issue by removing the inappropriate content:
- Click on the listing to edit.
- Select “Reviews.”
- Delete reviews that violate guidelines and can be deleted.
- Flag or report other reviews that violate guidelines.
2. Misrepresentation or Inaccurate Information
Using misleading or inaccurate information is a specific violation of Google Business Profile’s guidelines. For example, you cannot use a fake address, phone number, product information, or name. Google may also flag your profile for using a generic picture or a photo Google doesn’t think is real.
If you suspect that this is the reason for your account suspension, just edit your listing to include accurate information.
- Click on the Google Business Listing to edit.
- Select “Info.”
- Edit information to ensure accuracy, whether it is business location, phone number, hours, or something else.
- Select “Save.”
Avoiding this problem is as simple as ensuring your listing always has accurate information. Don’t make up information and update it, as necessary.
Service area businesses should be especially careful. You should also be careful not to use a P.O. Box as your address.
3. Spam or Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is when you put an excessive amount of keywords in your listing or services description. The goal is optimization or improve your search engine ranking, but it violates guidelines, is spammy, and isn’t even effective.
Fixing this issue is simple. Edit your listing to remove the excessive keywords. You can do so by following the steps in the previous point. Avoid the problem by only including keywords naturally, including in your online storefront.
4. Negative User Experiences
Consistently receiving negative customer reviews may also flag your profile for suspension. Google places great importance on user experience, so it expects local businesses to deliver high-quality customer service.
If you receive negative reviews on your Google Business Profile, it’s crucial that you address them promptly. Doing so indicates that you care about your customers’ experience.
5. Multiple Listings for the Same Business
Google considers multiple listings for the same business to be duplicates. As such, Google will suspend a Google Business Profile with multiple listings until you remove the duplicates.
Removing the duplicates is simple:
- Head to your Google Business Profile dashboard.
- Choose the listing to remove.
- Click on “Info.”
- Select “Additional Information.”
- Choose “Delete this business.” Follow the instructions.
Google will usually automatically reinstate your business after you remove duplicate listings.
Avoid this problem by being careful when creating listings, especially if you have multiple sub-brands or locations.
6. Business is Not Eligible for a Listing
In some cases, your business may not be eligible for a listing. The most common example of this is if you have a temporary location or business. But you also can’t make a Google My Business Listing for meeting locations you don’t lease or own or for properties that are for sale or rent.
If you fall into one of those categories, then you simply aren’t eligible for a listing and there isn’t a good way to correct it. But if you think you should be eligible, you can create a new listing. As you create the listing make sure it complies with all of the guidelines and that your business is eligible.
How to Fix a Suspended Google Business Profile
No business owner wants to see their Google Business Profile suspended, but it can happen.
It’s important to note that Google reduced its team during the pandemic and has not increased it back to the previous point yet. As such, Google warns that reaching support and getting a resolution can take longer than normal. So, if you see that your profile has been suspended, you’ll want to act quickly so that you can resolve the issue in a timely manner.
The following steps will allow you to submit your Google Business Profile reinstatement request. While it’s not a guarantee, submitting this request may help eliminate your account suspension so that you can continue with Google Business Profile posts and other content.
1. Look at the guidelines for Business Profiles.
The first step you take when you have a suspended profile should be to review Google’s guidelines. This will help give you an idea of why your account was suspended.
The most important general guidelines are that your profile:
- Does not include any prohibited content
- Complies with Google’s policies
- Accurately reflects your business
For more detail, Google offers the following strong suggestions for all businesses:
- Accurately represent your business as it appears across branding, including stationery and signage.
- Accurately and precisely list your physical address or service area.
- When choosing categories to describe your business, select as few as possible to be accurate.
- Only create a single profile for your business—Google does not support duplicate profiles for the same business.
- You cannot create a Google Business Profile if you are an artist, organization, brand, or online-only business.
You also cannot display any confidential or private information, such as:
- Contact information
- Transcripts with personal information
- Personal financial information
- Government-issued IDs
Confirm Your Business is Eligible
As you look at the guidelines, pay particular attention to the eligibility requirements. To be eligible, your company must make contact in-person with customers during your hours. A business license isn’t required, but Google may require it for verification.
There are a few exceptions, though. Virtual kitchens with delivery-only meals are allowed. There are also allowances for express mail drop boxes, video-rental kiosks, and ATMs. Seasonal businesses are also eligible, as long as you have permanent year-round signage.
Businesses that provide home services can also get a Google Business Profile. Rental properties or properties for sale are NOT eligible, but leasing or sales offices are. Lead generation companies are also NOT eligible, and neither are ongoing meetings, services, or classes at locations you don’t have the authority to represent.
Highlights of Guidelines for Specific Fields
As you create your business profile, you will enter your company name, address, description, and other details. Each of these fields has its own guidelines. The following list highlights a few important things to note about these fields:
- Business description: It cannot be misleading, have links or a website URL, or include inappropriate or offensive content.
- Name: Your business name should be the same as it is in the real world. Do not add unnecessary information to the name such as a tagline, store code, or trademark symbol.
- Address: The address must only be the physical business address, not a digital one. It must be accurate to your company’s real-world or physical location, not a virtual office, virtual address, or co-working space address.
- Hours: Businesses with flexible or variable hours shouldn’t list their business hours. This includes schools, hotels, movie theaters, airports, natural features, and event venues.
- Categories: Choose as few categories as you can while being accurate. Categories are NOT keywords. Choose business categories that fill in the following blank, “this business is a ___.” Do not simply list services via categories.
2. Edit your profile to match the guidelines.
After the previous step, you hopefully have a good idea of why a suspension occurred. You may also see a message from Google that says something like “this location has been suspended due to quality issues.” A message like this lets you know the exact issue so you can correct it. Unfortunately, Google is not able to give businesses-specific reasons for suspensions.
It is also smart to look over everything on your business profile to look for potential problems when editing after a suspension. This might help you avoid future issues.
If you don’t remember how to edit your Google Business Profile, use the following steps as guidance.
Via your profile manager (Computer only)
- Log in to the Business Profile Manager.
- Select “Info” on the left menu.
- Make edits, selecting “Apply” after changing each attribute.
- Remove any sections by selecting “Remove x.”
- You will see the status of the edited information change to “Under review.”
Via Google Search (Computer or mobile)
- Log in to your company’s Google business account.
- Navigate to your company’s profile page. (You can search for your business name in the search bar or type in “my business.”)
- Open your company’s profile.
- Choose “Edit Profile.”
- Choose “Business information.”
- Select “Save” after every change you make.
Via Google Maps (Mobile only)
- Open Google Maps.
- Log in to the appropriate Google account.
- Select the profile picture in the top right corner.
- Select “Your Business Profile.”
- Choose “Edit profile.”
- Choose a suitable option for your changes.
3. Wait for Google to review your changes.
You may have to wait for Google to review the changes you made to your profile. This is part of Google’s standard policy to ensure that everything meets its guidelines.
4. Fill out the reinstatement request form.
Once your profile meets the guidelines, you can fill out the reinstatement form. Do not submit multiple forms.
5. Wait three business days.
Google reviews, investigates, and resolves most requests within three business days. If you don’t get a response within that time, you can respond to the email from Google. They will investigate for you.
6. Appeal if your reinstatement request is denied.
Sometimes, you may have your Google Business Profile suspended due to quality issues or another concern, then have your reinstatement request denied. When this happens, you can appeal.
In this case, you will receive an email from Google. Contact Google with a response to that email. Include photos of the front of your store and a summary of your company’s operations. This helps Google confirm that it is a legitimate business.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Having a Google Business Profile or Google My Business suspension can be stressful, as it is likely an important part of your local SEO efforts. Luckily, it is a pretty straightforward process to correct your profile and submit the reinstatement form. From there, Google typically resolves your issue within three business days.
Tools like Podium can make it even easier to resolve your issue and optimize your Google Business Profile. Use our Google Business Profile ROI Calculator and get started using your Google profile to generate more leads and make more impressions.
Google Business Profile Suspension FAQs
1. How can I know If my Google Business Profile is suspended?
You will have a notification of a suspended listing when you log into your account.
2. Can I appeal a Google Business account suspension?
Yes. You can easily appeal a suspension after correcting the issue.
3. Can I still access my Google Business account while it’s suspended?
Yes, you can access your Google Business Account to correct the problem during a soft suspension.
4. How can I prevent a Google Business Profile suspension?
Avoid suspension by always following Google’s guidelines and providing accurate information on your Google Business Profile.
