Google Business Profile Suspended? What to do and how to avoid suspension

Is your Google Business Profile suspended? Don’t panic! This newsletter looks at why this might have happened and how you can contact Google to ask for your listing to be reinstated.

We have always been fans of Google My Business and have been using this platform happily for nearly 13 years, with many of our clients receiving lots of new enquiries thanks to this great free tool.

Google My Business became Google Business Profile in November 2021 with the Google My Business App finally being removed in July of this year. According to different forums, there has recently been a new algorithm update to reduce spam and there are cases of many legitimate businesses becoming suspended. We’ve heard of one agency where 1,500 locations have been disabled! We ourselves have experienced a handful of suspensions, including our own, and we wanted to share our experience.

Please note that all timings detailed below are approximate and are really in the hands of Google.

Primary Owner

Firstly it’s important to ensure you, the business owner, are the primary owner of your listing. You may not be if an agency set your listing up or an old employee. We recommend that all listings have at least 2 users, so that you still have access to the listing should something happen to your Google account (this can be managed under users in the main menu of your listing).

It is best if the primary owner makes any changes to the listing, and should you find yourself suspended it must be the primary owner who communicates with Google for reinstatement purposes.

We have been providing advice and guidance to our clients who have found their listings suspended but the primary owner must be the one to update the listing to ensure it is compliant and then submit the reinstatement form.

Is your Google Business Profile Compliant?

We recommend that everyone who owns a Google listing ensures their listing is compliant as soon as possible, to avoid suspension.

If your listing is suspended you must make it compliant before Google will reinstate it.

There are a number of rules and here are some of the main points:

• The title of your listing must reflect the exact name of our business e.g. we had 2 listings for our 2 legitimate locations and included the location to help clients find the right address. However, this resulted in the Berkshire listing being suspended, so both our listings must be simply “One To Three Marketing Solutions”.
• The opening hours must reflect your genuine opening hours (especially if they are listed on your website). Google does not like listings that show they are open for 24 hours.
• You cannot have a listing if you are purely an online business.
• You should only list your address if clients can visit you there. PO Boxes are not accepted.
• There are many more “rules” so we recommend you read Google’s guidelines to ensure your listing is compliant.
• Too many changes at one time could lead to a suspension.

There are also rules for companies with multiple locations or different businesses at the same address. Everything you need to know about making your listing compliant, can be found on this link from Google Support.

Reinstatement of Google Business Profile

If your listing has been suspended, take time to check it is compliant and once you are happy then submit a reinstatement form with as much detail as possible. This link walks you through each stage.

This will generate an email from Google from local_listing_corrections@google.com which you can reply to (please note you can’t contact this email address directly you can only reply). You should receive this email on the same day as submitting the reinstatement form. This email essentially gives you a Ticket Number (in the subject line of the email) which can be used for all future communications with Google about your listing.

If you have not heard back from Google after 3 working days, you can reply to the email, supplying proof of your business. This needs to include business signage, proof of your location and a formal letter such as a VAT return with your company name and address. Our clients have sent various letters / documents of proof such as business insurance or business bank accounts. The most important thing is that the formal document needs to show the exact business name with your business address.

You should then receive the following acknowledgement (usually within 24 hours but again this can vary):

You then need to wait to hear back from Google (usually 1-3 days, but this can vary and is in the hands of Google). This is the email you will receive to confirm your listing has been reinstated:

Please note that it can take a few days for the listing to "settle", to show all photos etc and start appearing in search results. It is also common to see lots of "orange writing" as the primary owner, but this is not what the general public sees. The key is patience and allowing the listing some time to settle down. If you have any queries about your reinstated listing you can reply to the email from Google.

How long does reinstatement take?

Google guidelines suggest that you do not submit multiple reinstatement forms as this can slow down the process.

From our experience, the quickest time for a reinstatement has been less than 1 week, but one client waited over one month. Unfortunately, the timings are in the hands of Google. As more listings are becoming suspended, it is likely there will be delays in reinstatement. We have a 100% reinstatement record with our clients, so please be patient, as the reinstatement should happen for a legitimate business that meets Google’s guidelines and follows the reinstatement process carefully.