Google Business Profile suspended? Why it happens and how to get it back

A suspended Google Business Profile can disappear from Google Maps and the local results with little warning, and for a business that relies on local customers, that is a serious problem. The good news is that a suspension comes down to a guideline Google believes was breached, and Google has a set process for putting it right.

Below: why profiles get suspended, what to fix before appealing, how Google's appeal process works, and how to avoid it happening again. Everything is taken from Google's own help pages, linked throughout.

Why profiles are suspended

Google's help on suspended or disabled profiles says simply that it may suspend or disable Business Profiles that do not follow its guidelines. When you open the appeals tool, it shows the reason for the action and links to the policy concerned. Start there: it is the most reliable way to know what went wrong.

The guidelines themselves, Google's guidelines for representing your business, contain the rules to check first. Among them:

Before you appeal: fix the cause

Google's help is clear that you should make sure your profile follows all the guidelines before appealing. An appeal on a profile that still breaks the rules is likely to fail.

• Read the reason in the appeals tool, and the policy it links to.
• Check the business name matches your real-world name exactly, as on your signage and paperwork, with no added town names, services or keywords.
• Check the address. If it is a virtual office, a PO box or a co-working space that does not meet Google's conditions, it cannot be used. If customers do not come to you, set the profile up as a service-area business and hide the address.
• Check the service area is realistic and within about two hours' drive of your base.
• Look for duplicate profiles for the same location, including ones created years ago or by a previous supplier.
• Check the category describes what the business is.
• Check the phone number and website are yours and work.
• Remove anything in the description that the guidelines exclude, such as special offers, prices or links.

How to appeal

Google's help on appealing Business Profile restrictions sets out the steps:

1. Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool.
2. Sign in with the Google account linked to your profile.
3. Select the profile.
4. Review the restriction details.
5. Select the decision you want to appeal.
6. Click Submit appeal.
7. Add evidence, if you have it.

Evidence

Google lists the kinds of evidence it accepts, including:

• an official business registration;
• a business licence;
• tax certificates;
• utility bills for the business, such as electricity, phone or internet.

For a UK limited company, your registration is on the public Companies House register, which is worth having to hand. Make sure every document shows the same business name and address as the profile.

Watch the time limit. Google says that once you open the evidence form, you must submit it within 60 minutes, or it will not be attached to your appeal. Gather everything before you open it.

How long it takes

Google says appeal reviews and decisions can take up to five working days. If your Google Account itself is restricted, Google says it must be reinstated before you can appeal decisions about content.

While you wait

Do not create a new profile. Google says explicitly not to create a new Business Profile for the same business while your appeal is under review, and its guidelines forbid more than one profile per location in any case. A second profile is likely to make things worse.

What to prepare before you open the form

Because of the 60-minute limit, gather everything first:

• Your business registration. For a UK limited company, the Companies House record; for a sole trader, a document that ties your name to the business name and address.
• A recent utility bill for the business address, such as electricity, phone or internet, in the business name.
• A business licence, if your trade requires one.
• Clear photos of your premises, including permanent signage with the business name, if customers visit you.
• A short, factual explanation of what you have corrected, if the suspension related to something you have now fixed.

Check that the business name and address on every document match the profile exactly. A mismatch between the documents and the profile can undermine an otherwise good appeal.

If the appeal is turned down

Read the reason carefully, fix anything you missed, and gather stronger evidence, especially documents that tie the business name to the address. Then check Google's help pages for the current options for a further review. Be wary of anyone who promises a guaranteed reinstatement for a fee: Google decides, and no one can guarantee its decision.

How to avoid it happening again

• Keep the name clean. No keywords, towns or services added, ever, however tempting.
• Use a real address you operate from, or run as a service-area business.
• Keep one profile per location, and remove duplicates.
• Control who has access. A Business Profile can have several owners but only one primary owner, and managers can edit most of it. Make sure your business is the primary owner and that you know who else can edit it. We cover access in who owns your marketing accounts.
• Keep evidence ready: your registration, a recent utility bill and photos of your signage.

Keep the rest of your local presence healthy

A suspended Google profile is a reminder not to depend on one listing. It is worth having your business correctly listed on Bing Places and Apple Business Connect too, with the same details, and a website that ranks in its own right. Our local SEO checklist covers all of it.

If you would like your profile set up properly from the start, that is part of our SEO audit and first fixes, a fixed £2,500.