How to Get Your Google Business Profile Reinstated After Suspension

SEO September 29, 2024

0 4 6 minutes read

For most small businesses, Google Business Profile (GBP) is their marketing lifeline.

Because it’s free, many local establishments rely solely on their GBP to generate traffic, calls, and drive customers to their business.

Marketers understand it’s risky to put all your marketing efforts in one place.

But for a local business with a limited budget – or none at all – a free GBP listing is often the only resource they have to promote their business online.

When a business’s GBP listing is suspended, it can bring sales to an immediate halt. In some cases, companies have even gone out of business due to a suspension.

A suspended GBP listing can cause a business owner significant stress, especially when they don’t understand why it was suspended in the first place.

What Is a Google Business Profile Suspension?

A Google Business Profile suspension occurs when your GBP listing is no longer visible on Google and Google Maps, or you have lost control of your listing (it becomes “unverified,” and you can’t manage it).

You will know your listing has been suspended when you see one of these notifications in your GBP dashboard:

You will also receive an email from Google informing you of the suspension.

When your listing gets suspended, the email you receive from Google will provide a “violation type,” giving you a general idea of why your listing was suspended.

GBP listings can get suspended for various reasons, often related to spammy tactics or violations of Google Business Profile Guidelines.

Google can also impose a Manual Suspension if it reviews your listing and finds an issue with it.

This review often follows someone reporting your listing through GBP’s Redressal Form.

It’s possible for users to report a listing on Google Maps or search through the Suggest an edit feature.

If the person reporting is trusted enough by Google, their suggestion to remove the business listing or make negative edits could take effect almost immediately, sometimes causing a suspension.

Suspensions can also occur after you make changes to your listing.

For instance, one of my client’s GBP listings was immediately suspended after he correctly changed his landscaping business from a storefront with a physical address (his home) to a service area business by deleting the address.

Immediately after deleting the address, the listing was suspended.

There are two types of suspensions:

A hard suspension.
A soft suspension.

What Is a Hard Suspension?

A hard suspension happens when you search for your company’s name and city, and your Knowledge Panel/Business Profile doesn’t show up online. This is problematic because potential customers won’t find your GBP listing on Google Maps or search results.

Hard suspensions typically occur when Google determines your business doesn’t qualify for a GBP listing or you’re using spammy tactics.

What Is a Soft Suspension?

A soft suspension occurs when your business’s Knowledge Panel/Business Profile still shows up online, and you can access it in your GBP dashboard, but it appears unverified, meaning you can’t manage or update your listing.

With a soft suspension, your GBP profile is more susceptible to user-suggested edits, making it vulnerable to incorrect changes and displaying inaccurate information.

Certain industries are more prone to suspensions due to higher levels of spam and fake listings. These industries are known to have more spam and fake GBP listings, which makes them more prone to suspensions.

Google and SEO professionals have been working to reduce spammy and fake GBP listings, so if you’re in one of these industries, someone may report your profile if you’re violating any Google Business Profile rules.

Common spammy categories typically include Service Area Businesses (SABs) such as:

Locksmiths.
Lawyers.
Plumbers.
Pest control services.
HVAC.

The Dreaded Google Business Profile Suspension Email Notification

If your listing hasn’t been suspended yet, you’re in luck. However, most listings will face a suspension at some point, so it’s best to be prepared.

Why Would Your Google Business Profile Get Suspended?

If your GBP listing gets suspended, it’s likely due to suspicious or spammy activity, breaking Google Business Profile guidelines, or violating the terms of service of another Google product or service.

Google suspends listings for various reasons, especially if you violate Google Business Profile Guidelines.

How Do You Know If Your GBP Profile Has Been Suspended?

Most business owners first notice a decrease in calls or visitors. They then perform a quick search online and may not find their listing, or they log into their Google Business Profile dashboard and see a suspension notification. An email will also notify them of the suspension.

This email contains valuable information about the “violation type” or the general policy your listing violates.

Common Reasons Why a GBP Listing Gets Suspended

There are many common reasons why a GBP may get suspended. For instance, high-spam industries like lawyers, locksmiths, or plumbers, may face suspension due to the nature of their industry.

If you make numerous updates to your Google Business Profile listing in one sitting, this could trigger Google to be suspicious and cause a suspension.

Other reasons for GBP suspensions include:

Keyword stuffing your business name.
Using a P.O. Box or UPS store address.
Setting up your listing at a virtual office or co-working space.
Displaying a physical address for a Service Area Business (SAB).
Having an online-only business.
Belonging to a high-risk business category like lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, locksmiths, rehab centers.
Sharing an address with another business, especially if it’s a residential address.
Making excessive changes/edits to your GBP profile in one sitting.
Having a redirecting URL or a social media link as your website URL on the profile.
Changing your listing from Storefront to SAB or vice versa.
Having multiple GBPs with overlapping service areas.
Discrepancies in your address or hours between your website and other online directories/citations.
Listing your business hours as 24/7.
Manager of the listing has an account suspension, which leads to suspension of your listing.
Creating multiple listings for the same business at the same address.
Violating terms of other Google tools or services.

Seeing the suspension notice and email can cause panic, and you may be tempted to appeal immediately. But wait!

Before you appeal, you need to correct the problems with your listing.

For instance, if you stuffed keywords in your business name, you need to fix the name before submitting your appeal.

The Appeal Tool Process

Once you’ve resolved the issues, it’s time to use the Appeals tool.

The Google Business Appeal process is straightforward, but you need to be prepared ahead of time.

Firstly, go through the Help document about the appeal process. When you receive an email about the suspension, click the blue Appeal button to access the Appeals tool.

The Appeals tool will be your central hub for managing your appeal and tracking its status.

Ensure you’re logged in with the email address used to manage the suspended GBP listing. Confirm and select the suspended business profile.

On the next screen, you’ll see the suspension date, reason, and details/status (Eligible for appeal or Cannot be appealed).

Pro Tip: After submitting the appeal, you have exactly 60 minutes to upload official documents proving your business’s legitimacy. If uncertain, it’s best to hire a product expert to assist with the appeal process.

Google Business Profile Appeal Evidence List:

Official business registration – proves official establishment.
Business license – proves authorization to operate.
Tax certificate – shows tax ID and validation.
Utility bill at the business’s address – includes electricity, phone, gas, water, etc.

The documents must match the business name and address on your Google Business Profile listing exactly.

Once ready, click the Submit button. Remember, you have one chance to upload evidence, so don’t miss this step.

After submitting, the Appeals tool will update to show your submission status.

The Google Support team will need several days to review your evidence. You can check the Appeals tool for status changes to either Approved or Not Approved.

You’ll receive an email informing you if the appeal was approved or denied. If denied, you might have the option to request Google to re-evaluate, although details on this are not currently available.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know more about GBP suspensions, you can be better prepared if your listing gets suspended. Remember, suspensions can sometimes happen for random reasons, so always be prepared.

Make sure not to rely solely on GBP for all your online marketing efforts and always follow Google’s rules. Google offers this tool for free, and compliance is crucial.