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The Leading Experts in Google Business Profile Suspensions – Real Results. Backed by Experience.
How To Fix A Suspended Google Business Profile
Getting the ‘Your business profile has been suspended’ email can be concerning, especially for small businesses but it doesn’t mean it can’t be appealed. GMB suspensions are usually triggered by changes to your business information that unintentionally violate Google’s guidelines. In this guide, we will break down the reasons behind your Google business profile suspension and explain what documents you will need to submit for reinstatement.
You will see this notice in your Google business profile dashboard:
‘’Your access has been suspended because this profile doesn’t follow the guidelines.’’
Google Business Profile Violation Types
‘’Content that violates our policies on deceptive content and behaviour isn’t allowed.
Deceptive content intentionally misleads or deceives others.’’
Deceptive Content:
If the information on your Google business profile is inaccurate, it can result in your listing being suspended for deceptive content as it violates Google’s policies. This often happens when you update your business information such as your name, address or phone number (also known as NAP).
Google places a high value on transparency and ensuring that people can trust the information they find about your business, so it’s important to carefully review all changes beforehand, as it can lead to your GBP being flagged for review.
If this is the case, your business will no longer appear in search results or on Google maps listing, which can seriously impact your credibility. To remove the suspension, you will need to provide official documents to prove you are operating a legitimate business.
‘’Your business profile on Google has been suspended because it was flagged for suspicious activity.’’
Suspicious Activity:
If your Google business profile is suspended for suspicious activity, this means you have made frequent changes to your business information or have created duplicate listings for the same business. Google may also suspend your profile if it detects that you have logged in from a different country.
Google’s algorithms are designed to identify these kinds of activities in order to maintain the quality of the information displayed to consumers.
‘’Your listing has been suspended due to quality issues.’’
Quality Issues:
A Google My Business quality issue suspension occurs when your business profile doesn’t meet its quality standards.
This type of suspension is triggered when you attempt to game the system by using keywords in your business name that doesn’t match your legal registered name or when your business is listed under high risk category.
If suspended for a quality issue, your business may still appear visible as it’s usually a soft suspension but you will lose access to manage your listing.
What Could Lead To Your Google Business Profile Suspension?
- Using A Virtual Address, P.O Box Or A Co Working Space
Google requires that businesses use a real address preferably where customers can visit, using a virtual address, P.O. Box, or co working space is not allowed.
Listings that use these types of addresses are at risk of being suspended as Google wants to ensure that consumers can trust the business is operating from a legitimate address.
To Stay Compliant: Make sure your business is operating from a physical location. This helps build trust with Google and shows that your business is real and reliable.
- Frequent Edits To Your Google Business Profile
Making constant changes to your business name, address, phone number, or category could result in your business profile being flagged for suspicious activity.
If updates are made too often without a clear reason, you may be asked to upload business documents to verify those changes.
To Stay Compliant: Only make edits to your Google business profile when necessary. Try to limit updates to your business information, as frequent changes can cause inconsistencies in your NAP.
- Duplicate Listings For The Same Business
Google only allows one listing for each location, but sometimes businesses overlook the fact that they may have duplicates. This can cause confusion for potential customers.
If Google notices duplicate profiles, it may lead to the suspension of all related listings for that location.
To Stay Compliant: Review your listings regularly to check for any duplicates, ensure that only one GBP is assigned to each business location.
- Keywords In Your Business Name
Stuffing keywords in your business name is a direct violation of Google’s guidelines. The name on your listing must exactly match your legal business name as shown on your documents.
Attempting to add keywords to rank higher will mark your listing as spam and can result in a suspension of your profile.
To Stay Compliant: Your business name must match your legal name exactly, without adding keywords. For example, if your business name is NYC Plumbing don’t name your business “NYC Plumbing – Best Plumbers In New York’’.
- Showing Outdated Business Information
Failing to update your contact details or business hours can lead to a suspension, as customers may report your listing for providing inaccurate or misleading information.
In such cases, your business profile is selected for a manual review and a Google employee will determine whether your business should be on listed Google.
To Stay Compliant: Keeping your business information up to date is vital, as not updating your details may lead to customer complaints and reports of inaccurate information.
- Business Listed In A Spam Category
If your business is listed in a category that’s flagged as spam, Google may temporarily suspended your listing until further business documentation is provided to prove that you are running a legitimate business.
To Stay Compliant: Ensure your business is listed under the appropriate category that your are servicing to avoid any confusion.
Google Business Profile Suspension Types
Soft Suspension
A soft suspension occurs when someone suggests an edit to your business details, such as your:
- Business address
- Business hours
- Phone number
- Website URL
While your Google Business Profile will still appear in search results, you’ll see an “unverified status” next to your listing.
In some high risk categories, there may be more frequent suspensions due to spam. Google applies stricter checks for these categories to maintain the quality of listings.
- Plumbers
- Pest
- HVAC
- Dog Training
- Locksmiths
Hard Suspension
A hard suspension occurs when Google removes your business profile from search results and maps due to a significant violation of its guidelines.
If your GBP is encountered a hard suspension, you will need to undergo enhanced verification to have your listing reinstated.
To prevent a hard suspension, ensure your Google business profile is always compliant with Google’s guidelines. It’s crucial that the details on your listing matches the information on the official business documents.
IMPORTANT: A hard suspension is a clear indication of a serious violation, which could result in your listing being flagged and lead to further suspensions.
What Documents Are Required To Fix Your GBP Suspension?
- Official Business Registration
(To verify you’re a real business)
Tax Certificate(Validate tax ID and business)
Business Licence(Authorised to do business)
Utility Bill (Proof of address)
Before you submit an appeal, check that your business registration and license display the correct name and address as shown on your Google listing. Ensure the utility bill matches the same details.
How To Appeal Your Google Business Profile Suspension
Step 1: Understanding Google guidelines and prohibited content is crucial, as your listing may have been suspended for several reasons. Knowing what went wrong will help you prevent it from happening again.
Step 2: Review and fix any issues, confirm your business name, address and phone number are accurate and check if you are listed under the correct category.
Step 3: Fill out the Google business profile reinstatement form, you will need to provide specific details about your business, always answer the questions honestly as this will determine if your profile is reinstated.
IMPORTANT: You have a 60 minute window to upload any supporting documents from the time you start your appeal.
FAQs On Google Business Profile Suspensions
What does Google account not in good standing mean?
When a business is presented with “A Google Account associated with this Business Profile is not in good standing.” suspension it’s because of the person managing your Google business profile, it may have linked an account that has issues and as a result it has effected your business due to being under the same management.
Why was my Google business appeal denied?
If your appeal was denied, make sure that your business name and address exactly match the information on your Google listing. In your second appeal, provide additional supporting documents such as your storefront signage, branded uniform, sales invoices etc to show Google that you are a legitimate business.
My Google business profile has been suspended after changing address?
It’s common to occur a suspension when making changes to your business information as Google wants to verify your new address. In the appeal process you will be asked to upload proof of address documents or to provide a video of the business location.
Why does it say no info found in my Google appeals tool dashboard?
If you are encountering a ‘’No info found’’ message in your manage appeals tool dashboard, that means you would need to create a thread in the Google business profile community to get help with your appeal from a Google product expert.
How long does a Google business profile reinstatement take?
The time it takes to reinstate a Google business profile can vary but on average it takes around 1-2 weeks. However, appeals could be delayed if there is a backlog.
Final Thoughts
Let’s wrap it up, Google suspensions are often unexpected and can feel overwhelming, especially when you rely on local search to attract new customers. At Profile Suspended, we work with you to resolve the issue, prepare the right documentation and put forward a strong case for reinstatement.
