How to Fix A Google Business Profile Suspension

If your business profile was suspended, then there is likely an issue with it that will need to be corrected before it is reinstated. Google generally isn’t clear on what you’ve done, so you’ll need to figure out what needs to be fixed.

In this video, I’ll go over the steps to get your Google Business Profile Reinstated after a suspension.

The 3 Steps on How to Fix A Google Business Profile Suspension:

1. How to figure out and Fix the issues that went against the Google Guidelines (we’ll discuss the most common and then tell you where to find the complete list
2. How to submit your request for reinstating your Google Profile
3. How to appeal if your request is rejected
4. What to do if all else fails and you are ready to give up

I’m Torie Mathis, Digital Agency CEO, digital marketing coach at the Smart Arsenal, and fixer of digital dilemmas like this one since 2007.

Let’s get started.

Step 1 Is To Fix The Issue

A good place to start is to think of the last thing that you changed before the listing got flagged. Sometimes, it’s something that is specific and obvious, which will make it easy to fix.

Other times, most of the time, you’re not sure what it is – it can happen out of the blue without you having made any changes so we are going to have to do a little digging.

Let’s review some of the main reasons that Google will suspend a Google Business Profile:

Any content added to your Business Profile must accurately represent your business location and follow a very long list of policies and guidelines.

When violations occur, Google restricts your content from displaying or restricts access to the profile or merchant account.

Here are some of the most common issues:

Prohibited and Restricted Content

All content added to a Business Profile must abide by Google’s Prohibited and restricted content policies. These policies apply to all content formats, which include Reviews, Photos, and Videos. Profiles and content that do not meet these criteria may be rejected by Google. (I take this to mean ANYWHERE in the Google Landscape across all Google products.)

These include:

• Fake engagement
• Impersonation
• Misinformation
• Misrepresentation
• Inappropriate content & behavior
• Harassment
• Hate speech
• Offensive content
• Personal information
• Obscenity & profanity
• Sexually explicit content
• Adult-themed content
• Violence & gore
• Restricted content
• Dangerous content
• Illegal content
• Child safety
• Terrorist content
• Off-topic
• Advertising & solicitation
• Gibberish & repetitive content
• Defacement & mischief

You can look into these more at the link in the description. https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114

Eligibility Problems

Google has the following restrictions and qualifications for Business Profiles. Your business profile may have been published and then later found to be ineligible.

Ineligible Businesses

To qualify for a Business Profile on Google, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours.

The following businesses are not eligible for a Business Profile:

• An ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don’t own or have the authority to represent.
• Lead generation agents or companies.
• Brands, organizations, artists, and other online-only businesses.
• Rental or for-sale properties such as vacation homes, model homes, or vacant apartments.

For more details on eligibility, review the Business eligibility & ownership link in the description.

Business Does Not Exist

To keep data on Google as accurate as possible, Google uses information from different sources such as user reports and licensed content.

If Google determines that your business doesn’t exist in the location you claim, Google will disable your profile.

P.O. Box Address

Businesses with a P.O. Box address aren’t permitted on Google Business Profile. Merchants that set their business address at a P.O. Box will have their profile suspended.

Ownership

Issues with Business Profile ownership include:

Unauthorized Profile Access

When it’s determined that a different merchant is the authorized owner of a business profile, access to other unauthorized users will be revoked.

Inactive Owner

Merchants that don’t access their Google Business Profile for long periods of time may have their access revoked and content removed after adequate warning.

Posting Restrictions

When user contributions to a profile are consistently unhelpful, harmful, off-topic, or generally violate Google Policies, Google will limit or suspend user-generated content for that profile. An example would be a series of poor reviews for a business for reasons not related to the business itself.

Other issues may be with how you filled out your Google Business Profile such as your:

Business Description

Use the business description field to provide useful information on services and products offered, as well as the mission and history of your business.

You should be upfront and honest about the information provided, focusing on content that’s relevant and useful to your customers to understand your business. Content that’s irrelevant to your business or has no clear association with it isn’t allowed.

This will include:

• Low-quality, irrelevant, or distracting content. For example, misspellings, gimmicky character use, gibberish, etc.
• Focus on special promotions, prices, and offer sales. Examples of content not allowed include, “Everything on sale, -50%” and “Best bagels in town for $5!”
• Display links. No links of any type are allowed.

Your Business Name

To help customers find your business online, accurately represent your business name. Your name should reflect your business’s real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers.

Add additional details like address, service area, business hours, and category in the other sections of your business information.

For example, if you create a Business Profile for a 24-hour coffee shop in downtown San Francisco called Shelly’s Coffee, you would enter that business information as:

• Business name: Judy’s Coffee
• Address: 3247 Poppy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
• Hours: Open 24 hours
• Category: Coffee shop

You can’t add the Business Name: Judy’s 24-hour Coffee Shop Best in San Francisco because the business name is only Judy’s Coffee

Including unnecessary information in your business name isn’t permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile.

Some of these items include

• Marketing taglines
• Store codes
• Trademark/registered signs
• Using all Caps
• Business hours information
• Phone numbers or website URL’s
• Special characters (e.g. %$@/”)
• Irrelevant legal terms (such as LLC)
• Service or product information
• Location information

Problems With Your Address

You must use a precise, accurate address and/or service area to describe your business location. As mentioned before, P.O. boxes aren’t acceptable.

• Create your Business Profile for your actual, real-world location.

• If your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn’t operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn’t eligible for a Business Profile.
• Businesses can’t list an office at a co-working space unless that office maintains clear signage, receives customers at the location during business hours, and is staffed during business hours by your business staff.

• You can’t create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts.

Service-area Business Issues

Service-area businesses, or businesses that serve customers at their locations, should have one profile for the central office or location with a designated service area.

Service-area businesses can’t list a “virtual” office.

Some businesses, like auto repair shops that have a garage for repairs and offer roadside service, are hybrid service-area businesses. These businesses can show their storefront address and designate a service area on their Business Profile.

If you serve customers at your address and want to set a service area, your business location should be staffed by your team and able to receive customers during its stated hours.

What’s The Difference: Storefront Versus Service-Area Businesses

If your business doesn’t have a storefront with clear signage but travels to customers at their physical locations, you’re allowed one service-area Business Profile. (like a carpet cleaner)

If you have different locations for your service business, with separate service areas and separate staff at each location, you’re allowed one profile for each location.

The boundaries of your profile’s overall service area shouldn’t extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based. For some businesses, larger service areas may be appropriate.

If you’re a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers. If you show a home address. Or PO Box you can have your profile suspended.

For example, if you’re a plumber and run your business from your residential address, clear the address from your Business Profile.

Other issues can be with your

• Website & phone
• Business hours
• Categories
• Menu
• Products

More info can be found here: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177

Once you find the issues edit your profile to correct the errors.

If you have editing issues with your profile, you can contact Business Profile Support.

Step 2 Is The Submit and Reinstatement Request.

To fix a suspended profile, you must submit a reinstatement form after fixing the issues.

GO to this page and follow the instructions:

https://support.google.com/business/troubleshooter/2690129

After that, you wait

Google will review, investigate, and clear up most requests within 2 weeks.

If your request is denied you can Appeal

Step 3: Appeal A Denied Request

If your reinstatement request is denied, Google may be able to prove your eligibility. Reply to the email that let you know your appeal was denied with:

• Pictures of the front of the store
• Summary of business operations

Step 4: Not Getting Anywhere

At this point, if you are not getting anywhere, you have a couple of options.

• You can you can contact Business Profile Support.
• Or you can  book an appointment with Small Business Advisors

Your Google My Business profile can be an amazing tool to reach new customers, so don’t give up.

As always, if you need any help, drop a comment below, and I will help you out the best I can.

Once you get your page back up and running, how about we get you more reviews on Google and across the web? I have a FREE review-boosting boot camp happening right now.

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