SEO

Google Business Profile Suspended? Here’s How To Get Reinstated

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2024

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

Because it’s free, many local businesses rely solely on their Google Business Profile to generate traffic and calls, as well as to bring customers to their business.

Marketers know it’s risky to put all your marketing eggs in one basket.

But for a local business that has a limited budget – or no marketing budget at all – a free GBP listing is often all they have to promote their business online.

When a business’s GBP listing gets suspended, it can literally make a company’s sales come to a screeching halt. And in some cases, I’ve seen companies go out of business due to a suspension.

A suspended GBP listing will cause the business owner a lot of stress and worry – especially when most aren’t sure why they were suspended in the first place.

What Is A Google Business Profile Suspension?

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

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

Screenshot from Google Business Profile dashboard, February 2024

You will also get an email from Google letting you know that your GBP listing has been suspended.

Screenshot of email, February 2024

When your listing gets suspended, in the email you receive, Google will give you the “violation type.” This will give you a general idea of the reason your listing got suspended.

GBP listings can get suspended for various reasons – many of which have to do with spammy tactics or if the GBP listing owner breaks Google Business Profile Guidelines.

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

This review often comes after someone reports your listing through GBP’s Redressal Form.

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

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

If that person is “trusted” enough by Google, it is possible that their suggestion to remove the business listing or make negative edits could take effect almost immediately. Sometimes, these changes can cause a suspension.

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

For instance, one of my client’s 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 he deleted the address from the listing, his GBP profile was suspended.

There are two types of suspensions:

A hard suspension.
A soft suspension.

What Is A Hard Suspension?

A hard suspension is when you do a search for your company’s name and city, and your Knowledge Panel/Business Profile doesn’t show up online – which is a very bad thing because potential customers won’t be able to find your GBP listing on Google Maps or search results.

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

What Is A Soft Suspension?

A soft suspension is when your business’s Knowledge Panel/Business Profile still shows up online, and you can access it in your GBP dashboard, but it looks as if it hasn’t been verified and you can’t manage or update your listing.

If you have a soft suspension, your GBP profile can be subjected to user-suggested edits more easily – making it more vulnerable to incorrect changes and displaying incorrect information.

Also, some industries are more likely to get suspensions than others.

These categories are known to have more spam and fake listings, which makes them more prone to suspensions.

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

These spammy categories are typically Service Area Businesses (SABs) and include:

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

The Dreaded Google Business Profile Suspension Email Notification

If your listing hasn’t been suspended yet, you’re lucky.

Most listings, at some point or another, will face a suspension. (So it’s best to be prepared!)

Why Would Your Google Business Profile Get Suspended?

If your GBP listing gets suspended, you have likely done something that looks suspicious or spammy, you broke Google Business Profile guidelines, or you violated the terms of service of another Google product or service.

Google suspends listings for various reasons – especially if you are violating 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 to their business.

They will then do a quick search online and may not find their listing at all, or they will log in to their Google Business Profile dashboard and see a notification that alerts them that their listing has been suspended:

Screenshot from Google Business Profile dashboard, February 2024

And they will receive an email letting them know that their listing was suspended, too.

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

Screenshot from email, February 2024

Common Reasons Why A GBP Listing Gets Suspended

There are many common reasons why a Google Business Profile may get suspended.

For instance, if you are in a high-spam industry like lawyers, locksmiths, or plumbers, you might get your listing suspended just because of the industry you’re in.

If you sat down at your computer and made several updates to the main information on your Google Business Profile listing in one sitting, that also can sometimes cause Google to be suspicious and trigger a suspension.

Here are some other reasons why GBP listings get suspended:

Keyword stuffing your business name.
Using a P.O. Box or UPS store address.
You set up your listing at a virtual office or co-working space address.
You have a Service Area Business (SAB) and are displaying a physical address.
You have an online-only business.
You are in a high-risk business category, like lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, locksmiths, rehab centers, etc.
If another business shares your same address – especially if it’s a residential address.
You have made a bunch of changes/edits to your GBP profile in one sitting.
The URL you add to your GBP profile forwards/redirects to another website or links to a social media page.
If you change your listing from a Storefront to a SAB – or vice versa.
Having multiple GBPs in an area that has service areas overlapping.
Your address or hours don’t match what is listed on your website or other online business directories/citations.
You list your business hours as 24/7.
A manager on your listing had their account suspended – so your listing was also suspended.
You created multiple listings for the same business at the same address.
You violated the terms of service of some other Google tool or service.

Seeing that suspension notice and email will probably cause you to panic – and you may be tempted to fill out the appeal form right away.

But wait!

Before you can apply for an appeal, you have to fix what’s wrong with your listing.

If you’ve done any of these things, you will need to fix the issues before you submit your appeal and try to get your GBP reinstated.

Now, many people who get their listings suspended think they should just create a new listing to avoid fixing the suspended profile.

Do not create a new listing!

Doing that will just complicate things and is a direct violation of Google’s guidelines. (Plus, chances are very high that if you do create a new GBP listing, that profile will immediately be suspended, too.)

When it comes to fixing what caused the suspension, you should first carefully read about the violation type identified in the email you received and next review the Google Business Profile Guidelines to make sure you didn’t violate any of those rules.

For instance, if you have keyword-stuffed your business name, you need to fix your company’s name to get your listing reinstated.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

In the example above, the real estate agent added extra, spammy words to the name of her business.

Before she submits her reinstatement form, she needs to delete the words “- Florida: The Smart Choice For Real Estate!” from her business name.

If you think you were suspended because you have your hours listed as 24/7, then you should adjust your hours to be something like 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. before you submit your appeal.

(Note: The hours you list on your GBP profile should be the hours that you have employees at your business location to meet with customers.

If you’re a SAB, it should be the hours that you are actually available to serve your customers at their location. Not when you answer your phone. Google wants to know when you have employees at your business to physically help customers.)

Do you have a duplicate listing problem, or have you set up more than one business at the same address?

You would need to fix these issues before you try to get your listing reinstated.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

Once you think you’ve figured out the issues and have fixed your GBP, it’s time to fill out the appeal form.

The Appeal Tool Process

Once you’ve fixed the problems with your listing, it’s time to use the Appeals tool.

The Google Business Appeal process is pretty straightforward, but you must be prepared ahead of time. That’s why reading through this article in its entirety is important.

First, be sure to look at the Help document about the appeal process and become familiar with it. Next, let’s look at how the appeal process works.

When your GBP listing gets suspended, you will receive an email that looks like the one below. This email contains a blue button that says Appeal. You will need to click on the Appeal button that takes you to the Appeals tool.

Screenshot from email, February 2024

The Appeals tool will be your central headquarters for working on your appeal and checking the status of your appeal.

Before you begin, double-check to make sure you’re logged in using the email address that you use to manage the suspended GBP listing account, and then click Confirm.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

Next, select the business profile that’s suspended. If you only have one business location, only the suspended location will appear here.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

On the next screen, you will see when the Business Profile was suspended, the reason for the suspension, and the details/status:

Cannot be appealed.
Eligible for appeal.

Note that not all suspensions are eligible to be appealed.

If you see that your Google Business Profile can’t be appealed – you’re out of luck. You cannot create a new GBP; you are simply done with Google Business Profiles.

If the Details/Status says Eligible for Appeal, click Next to move forward through the appeal process.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

Pro Tip: This next section is very important. Once you click the Submit button on this next screen, you have exactly 60 minutes to upload official documents to prove you are a legitimate business.

If you are not sure if your evidence documents are the correct ones, are unsure of the process or whether your GBP listing complies, it’s best to hire a true product expert to help you with the Appeal process.

Do not move forward with this process without product expert help if you are uncertain about what’s required. This is just too important to the future of your business to leave to chance.

You will want to upload evidence to prove you are a legitimate business.

Google Business Profile Appeal Evidence List:

Official business registration – shows you’re an officially established business.
Business license – proves you’re authorized to operate your business.
Tax certificate – shows your tax ID and that you’re validated.
Utility bill at the business’s address – these can include electricity, phone, gas, water, sewage, trash, recycling, TV, or internet.

Your Business Registration/License must display the business name and address that matches the Business Profile you are appealing for. The utility bill must display the same business name and address as your registration/license or tax certificate.

Basically, all the documents you submit must match the business name and address on your Google Business Profile listing.

You must double-check all your documents to ensure that your business name and address match your GBP listing exactly.

It’s best to provide as many items as possible to ensure you have the greatest chance for reinstatement. You can upload a zipped file if you have more than two documents you want to upload.

Once you have all your documents gathered and are ready to upload, click the Submit button.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

This is where you want to start a timer for 60 minutes.

It’s very important that you click on the very subtle Add Evidence link on this screen to open the form so you can upload your evidence documents.

If you choose not to submit any evidence, the chances of your Google Business Profile getting reinstated are slim.

Remember, you have one chance to upload the evidence, so do not miss this step.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

When the Evidence Form opens up, it’s pre-populated with your email address, business name, address, and Google Business Profile ID.

There are options to upload two files, but you can upload zipped files. So, if you have more than two files to upload, zip up those files and upload the zipped file. (The more evidence you can provide Google, the better!)

There is also a text box where you should provide a narrative as to why your profile should be reinstated, what you changed to fix your Business Profile to get it in compliance with GBP Guidelines, and any other information that would be helpful for Google to know.

Keep everything about the facts.

You are allowed 1,000 characters in this space, so use your words carefully.

Once you have uploaded your documents and filled out the rest of the form, click the Submit button.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

After you submit the evidence, you will be sent back to the Appeals tool, where your Details/Status should be changed to Submitted.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

The Google Support team will need several days to manually review the evidence you have submitted and to check your Business Profile to ensure your GBP listing complies with guidelines.

You can check the Appeals tool to see if the Details/Status has changed to either of the following:

Once Google has reviewed your evidence and GBP listing, you will receive one of two emails.

If your evidence proves that your business is legitimate and your Google Business Profile follows Google’s Guidelines, you will receive an email letting you know that your appeal was approved.

Screenshot from email, February 2024

The Appeals tool will show that your listing appeal was Approved.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

But if your GBP listing is still in violation of guidelines and/or your evidence does not satisfy Google’s requirements, you will receive an email denying your appeal.

Screenshot from email, February 2024

The Details in the Appeals tool will show that your appeal was Not Approved.

Screenshot from Google, February 2024

If your appeal is denied, you may have the option to have Google re-evaluate your appeal decision. However, we do not have details yet on how this process works.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know more about GBP suspensions, you will hopefully be better prepared should you see the Suspended notice in your dashboard.

Remember, GBP suspensions can sometimes happen for random reasons – like if you make too many changes at once, if a competitor suggests an edit, or even if there’s a glitch on Google’s end.

Make sure you’re prepared and that you are not just counting on Google Business Profile for all your online marketing efforts.

And always try to follow Google’s rules. Don’t forget that Google has the upper hand, as it makes this amazing – and free – marketing tool available to merchants.

More resources:

Featured Image: FabrikaSimf/Shutterstock

Related Topics:business Google Heres Profile Reinstated seo Suspended

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Google March 2024 Core Update Officially Completed A Week Ago

Published

11 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Max

Google has officially completed its March 2024 Core Update, ending over a month of ranking volatility across the web.

However, Google didn’t confirm the rollout’s conclusion on its data anomaly page until April 26—a whole week after the update was completed on April 19.

Many in the SEO community had been speculating for days about whether the turbulent update had wrapped up.

The delayed transparency exemplifies Google’s communication issues with publishers and the need for clarity during core updates

Google March 2024 Core Update Timeline & Status

First announced on March 5, the core algorithm update is complete as of April 19. It took 45 days to complete.

Unlike more routine core refreshes, Google warned this one was more complex.

Google’s documentation reads:

“As this is a complex update, the rollout may take up to a month. It’s likely there will be more fluctuations in rankings than with a regular core update, as different systems get fully updated and reinforce each other.”

The aftershocks were tangible, with some websites reporting losses of over 60% of their organic search traffic, according to data from industry observers.

The ripple effects also led to the deindexing of hundreds of sites that were allegedly violating Google’s guidelines.

Addressing Manipulation Attempts

In its official guidance, Google highlighted the criteria it looks for when targeting link spam and manipulation attempts:

Creating “low-value content” purely to garner manipulative links and inflate rankings.
Links intended to boost sites’ rankings artificially, including manipulative outgoing links.
The “repurposing” of expired domains with radically different content to game search visibility.

The updated guidelines warn:

“Any links that are intended to manipulate rankings in Google Search results may be considered link spam. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site.”

John Mueller, a Search Advocate at Google, responded to the turbulence by advising publishers not to make rash changes while the core update was ongoing.

However, he suggested sites could proactively fix issues like unnatural paid links.

Mueller stated on Reddit:

“If you have noticed things that are worth improving on your site, I’d go ahead and get things done. The idea is not to make changes just for search engines, right? Your users will be happy if you can make things better even if search engines haven’t updated their view of your site yet.”

Emphasizing Quality Over Links

The core update made notable changes to how Google ranks websites.

Most significantly, Google reduced the importance of links in determining a website’s ranking.

In contrast to the description of links as “an important factor in determining relevancy,” Google’s updated spam policies stripped away the “important” designation, simply calling links “a factor.”

This change aligns with Google’s Gary Illyes’ statements that links aren’t among the top three most influential ranking signals.

Instead, Google is giving more weight to quality, credibility, and substantive content.

Consequently, long-running campaigns favoring low-quality link acquisition and keyword optimizations have been demoted.

With the update complete, SEOs and publishers are left to audit their strategies and websites to ensure alignment with Google’s new perspective on ranking.

Core Update Feedback

Google has opened a ranking feedback form related to this core update.

You can use this form until May 31 to provide feedback to Google’s Search team about any issues noticed after the core update.

While the feedback provided won’t be used to make changes for specific queries or websites, Google says it may help inform general improvements to its search ranking systems for future updates.

Google also updated its help documentation on “Debugging drops in Google Search traffic” to help people understand ranking changes after a core update.

Featured Image: Rohit-Tripathi/Shutterstock

FAQ

After the update, what steps should websites take to align with Google’s new ranking criteria?

After Google’s March 2024 Core Update, websites should:

Improve the quality, trustworthiness, and depth of their website content.
Stop heavily focusing on getting as many links as possible and prioritize relevant, high-quality links instead.
Fix any shady or spam-like SEO tactics on their sites.
Carefully review their SEO strategies to ensure they follow Google’s new guidelines.

SEO

Google Declares It The “Gemini Era” As Revenue Grows 15%

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Max

Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, announced its first quarter 2024 financial results today.

While Google reported double-digit growth in key revenue areas, the focus was on its AI developments, dubbed the “Gemini era” by CEO Sundar Pichai.

The Numbers: 15% Revenue Growth, Operating Margins Expand

Alphabet reported Q1 revenues of $80.5 billion, a 15% increase year-over-year, exceeding Wall Street’s projections.

Net income was $23.7 billion, with diluted earnings per share of $1.89. Operating margins expanded to 32%, up from 25% in the prior year.

Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s President and CFO, stated:

“Our strong financial results reflect revenue strength across the company and ongoing efforts to durably reengineer our cost base.”

Google’s core advertising units, such as Search and YouTube, drove growth. Google advertising revenues hit $61.7 billion for the quarter.

The Cloud division also maintained momentum, with revenues of $9.6 billion, up 28% year-over-year.

Pichai highlighted that YouTube and Cloud are expected to exit 2024 at a combined $100 billion annual revenue run rate.

Generative AI Integration in Search

Google experimented with AI-powered features in Search Labs before recently introducing AI overviews into the main search results page.

Regarding the gradual rollout, Pichai states:

“We are being measured in how we do this, focusing on areas where gen AI can improve the Search experience, while also prioritizing traffic to websites and merchants.”

Pichai reports that Google’s generative AI features have answered over a billion queries already:

“We’ve already served billions of queries with our generative AI features. It’s enabling people to access new information, to ask questions in new ways, and to ask more complex questions.”

Google reports increased Search usage and user satisfaction among those interacting with the new AI overview results.

The company also highlighted its “Circle to Search” feature on Android, which allows users to circle objects on their screen or in videos to get instant AI-powered answers via Google Lens.

Reorganizing For The “Gemini Era”

As part of the AI roadmap, Alphabet is consolidating all teams building AI models under the Google DeepMind umbrella.

Pichai revealed that, through hardware and software improvements, the company has reduced machine costs associated with its generative AI search results by 80% over the past year.

He states:

“Our data centers are some of the most high-performing, secure, reliable and efficient in the world. We’ve developed new AI models and algorithms that are more than one hundred times more efficient than they were 18 months ago.

How Will Google Make Money With AI?

Alphabet sees opportunities to monetize AI through its advertising products, Cloud offerings, and subscription services.

Google is integrating Gemini into ad products like Performance Max. The company’s Cloud division is bringing “the best of Google AI” to enterprise customers worldwide.

Google One, the company’s subscription service, surpassed 100 million paid subscribers in Q1 and introduced a new premium plan featuring advanced generative AI capabilities powered by Gemini models.

Future Outlook

Pichai outlined six key advantages positioning Alphabet to lead the “next wave of AI innovation”:

Research leadership in AI breakthroughs like the multimodal Gemini model
Robust AI infrastructure and custom TPU chips
Integrating generative AI into Search to enhance the user experience
A global product footprint reaching billions
Streamlined teams and improved execution velocity
Multiple revenue streams to monetize AI through advertising and cloud

With upcoming events like Google I/O and Google Marketing Live, the company is expected to share further updates on its AI initiatives and product roadmap.

Featured Image: Sergei Elagin/Shutterstock

SEO

brightonSEO Live Blog

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Entireweb News Bot

Hello everyone. It’s April again, so I’m back in Brighton for another two days of ~~sun~~, sea, and SEO!

Being the introvert I am, my idea of fun isn’t hanging around our booth all day explaining we’ve run out of t-shirts (seriously, you need to be fast if you want swag!). So I decided to do something useful and live-blog the event instead.

Follow below for talk takeaways and (very) mildly humorous commentary.