Having an active Google Business Profile up and running signals credibility and boosts trust with local customers. However, some businesses find themself in a situation where their GBP is suspended, not active, and not visible anymore. This can happen due to many reasons – NAP inconsistencies, keyword stuffing, incorrect data, fake reviews, etc. The first thing to do from there on is to identify the reason for suspension, work on fixing it, and submit a reinstatement request to Google.
Why Your GBP Can Be Suspended?
01. Keyword Stuffing
Google likes to keep it simple and straightforward. This means that the name of your business should not contain any extra words (keywords) in addition to your business name. For example, avoid adding phrases like best hairstylist in Miami, or ” no. 1 plumber in NYC. This will raise red flags with Google and will end up in your account being suspended. Keep it short, neat, and clean.
02. Virtual Office
Using a virtual office, PO box, coworking space, or a UPS store as your business address will result in your Google Business Profile being suspended, and the reinstatement process can take time. In order to keep your GBP up and running, you are required to have a physical, staffed location. Without this requirement, don’t even try to create the profile since it will most likely end up in suspension.
03. Address Issues
Having a physical, verifiable address is a big thing for Google, so any address-related issue, especially for service-area businesses (SABs), will send the wrong signals. These issues include having your own personal residential address listed as your business address. The way to avoid being flagged and suspended for this reason, your personal address hidden, and service areas must be set instead.
04. Multiple Listings
The fastest way to get your Google Business Profile suspended is to create another one with the same business name, same location, or same phone number. Very often, when one GBP account gets suspended, business owners go and create a new one. This way, you are only complicating things for the reinstatement process later on. Avoid creating multiple listings – instead of that, focus on recovering your original one and optimizing it.
05. Drastic Edits
Once your GBP gets verified by Google, don’t make any sudden and major changes to it, since that will raise concerns and result in your profile suspension. Changing data such as address, phone number, or business category straight after verification looks suspicious to Google, and it may trigger their automated suspension.
06. NAP Inconsistency
Having consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) listings across the internet is vital for good rankings and an active Google Business Profile. Make sure that all the details match across different directories (and even pay attention to small details such as St. vs Street). When NAP details don’t match across your website, social media, and online directories, your GBP will most likely be suspended.
07. High-risk Industry Category
Some industries have a higher risk of being a scam, trying to scam people for money (such as plumbers, locksmiths, HVAC, garage door services, etc). These types of businesses are often targeted by automated, algorithm-based sweeps, and your account may also be affected and suspended. To avoid this, make sure to enter all the necessary details and supporting documents at once.
08. Fake Reviews
Some businesses may fall into a trap of buying and creating fake reviews, for the sake of fast credibility building. This can be recognized by Google’s algorithm and will end up in your Google Business Profile suspension in all cases. Ensure you publish only genuine reviews, and avoid buying any fake ones.
09. Incorrect Business Name
A mistake in your business name will end up in having your Google Business Porfile suspension. This is closely connected to NAP inconsistencies, which will also lead to suspension. However, a mistake in your business name (or a business name that is different of shortened from the one you provided for verification) will create a mismatch that will trigger Google’s automated checkers.
10. Violating Policies
Google has very strict policies regarding the type of content that you publish on your website, which can also affect your GBP. Publishing inappropriate content, having malware linked to your website, misleading descriptions, or any offensive media will result in your profile suspension.
How to Avoid GBP Suspension?
Avoiding Google Business Profile suspension really comes down to following Google’s strict procedures and guidelines. The first thing you can do to avoid GBP suspension is to ensure that your business name on Google matches your legal business name that’s registered with the authorities. Another major thing to take care of is the address. Using a legitimate, staffed, physical business address is required to have your GBP successfully up and running.
Once your GBP is live, you may fall into temptation to change some things and fine-tune it, but avoid sudden and drastic changes in order to avoid GBP suspension. Also, avoid getting too many positive reviews from unlegit accounts, since it will be flagged as spam. Look at GBP as a product that needs to be nurtured – make all the data accurate at all times, and avoid any spammy and suspicious activities that can trigger suspension.
What to Do if Your GBP Gets Suspended?
The first thing you should do when your GBP gets suspended is not to panic. Many people get afraid and rush to create a completely new GBP, which can cause only further issues and problems. Instead of doing this, check whether you got soft (limited functionality) or hard (profile not visible) suspension.
The next step is always to get your appeal ready and submit a reinstatement request. However, this is not a process you do every day, so you should approach it with care and prepare all the documents beforehand, so you don’t miss the window for uploading everything. If you want to be sure every detail is attended to, we can help you with your GBP reinstatement process.
Conclusion
Having a Google Business Profile suspended can cause many inconveniences for you, since it can affect your regular business activities. You may no longer be discoverable, and thus you may be losing customers. This is why focusing on keeping all the information accurate is a must. If it happens that you find yourself in a situation where your account is suspended, check the reinstatement process, collect all the documents, and submit your appeal. From there on, you can just wait.
