Why Google Suspends Business Profiles (and How to Avoid It)
A suspended Google Business Profile can cut off a large share of your calls overnight. Most suspensions are not random. They come from profiles that do not follow Google’s guidelines, and they are avoidable.
The most common causes
Not a real, eligible business
Google expects a profile to represent a real business that serves customers in person at a location or in a service area. Listings that exist only to collect leads, or that do not match a real operating business, are removed.
Fake addresses and virtual offices
Using a P.O. box, a mailbox store address or someone else’s office is a frequent cause of suspension. A service-area business that does not serve customers at its address can hide the address and list its service area instead.
Misrepresenting the business name
Your profile name should be your real-world business name, as shown on your signage, website and invoices. Adding keywords, cities or slogans to the name is not allowed.
Duplicate listings
One business should have one profile per location. Creating several profiles for the same business to “cover more searches” usually ends with all of them being suspended.
Inconsistent information
If the name, address, phone and website on the profile do not match each other or your website, Google may ask for proof or flag the listing.
Review violations
Fake reviews, reviews from employees or relatives, and review incentives can result in review removal and, in serious cases, profile suspension.
How to stay safe
- Use your real business name, exactly as customers see it.
- Use a real address, or hide the address and set a service area if you do not serve customers there.
- Keep one profile per real location and keep your information consistent everywhere.
- Earn reviews from real customers without incentives.
- Keep your website matching your profile, with your business information visible.
- Add managers through your profile’s access settings instead of sharing your Google password.
If your profile is suspended
Read the reason Google gives, correct the problem, and submit a reinstatement request with the documents Google asks for, such as a business license, utility bill, photos of your vehicle and signage, or a video of your work. Reinstatement is possible for real, eligible businesses. It is not possible for businesses that do not meet the guidelines.
Not sure whether your profile is at risk? Request a free audit and we will check it against Google’s guidelines.
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