Imagine this: It’s Sunday evening, and you log in to Google My Business to find “SUSPENDED” in large red letters. Normal reaction is panic. Your GMB listing is how you reach customers who are looking to hire your company.
It can have a huge impact on your bottom line if you don’t appear in the local pack results. 64% of consumers use Google My Business to locate contact information for local services.
Google My Business suspensions have become more common in recent years. This means that there are many other business owners who have successfully gone through (and improved!) this process. The process of getting their GMB listings reinstated. This quick guide will explain everything you need to know regarding Google My Business suspensions. It includes what causes them and how you can get your listing restored as soon as possible.
What does a Google My Business Suspension mean?
Google has strict guidelines that must all be adhered to. Google reserves the right of suspending your Google My Business profile if it is not in compliance with its guidelines. Your business will no longer be listed as a local competitor for services similar to yours. This can have a dramatic impact on the traffic and leads to your website.
A suspension can have a huge impact on your online success. To ensure that your account meets Google’s standards, log in to your account frequently. Google will not notify you proactively if your account is suspended. You will not receive any email notification or email letting you know that your account has been suspended. Logging into your account is the only way to find out.
Types of GMB Suspensions
There are two types of Google My Business suspensions to keep in mind:
Soft Suspension Google will un-verify your business with a soft suspension. Although you will not be able to manage your listing until your account has been reverified by Google, your business will still appear in the local pack listings.
Hard Suspension – This is a different type of suspension than a soft one. Your GMB listing will not be listed in search results until the problem has been resolved. Google won’t tell you what’s wrong with your listing. You will need to read the guidelines and request that Google reinstate your listing.
What caused your GMB listing to be suspended? Here are the reasons.
It is crucial to show up in the local pack in order to get your business in front of potential customers who are looking for your services. We can help you find out why Google My Business was temporarily suspended and offer a solution.
These are some of the most common reasons Google will remove a GMB listing.
- Instead of using a physical address, you’re using a P.O.Box as your address
- Although you have included a physical address in the profile, you have not included a storefront picture that shows your office, signage, address, or suite number.
- The information on your website does not include the correct business name or address
- Your NAP is inconsistent, meaning that your name, address and phone number don’t match any other online directories.
- In the hope of improving ranking, you’ve added keywords in your business name.
- You are using a track phone number that isn’t associated with your company’
- You are linking to another website than yours
- Perhaps you have recently changed the name or address of your company and forgot to update it on your listing.
- These are the top reasons Google may flag a profile to be reviewed and result in a suspension.
Guide to Restoring Your Google My Business
Let’s now dive into getting your GMB profile restored.
There are many steps you can take depending on what is causing your suspension.
- You will need to upload a storefront photo to your profile if you have chosen to add your physical address instead of a general area. The image should include the front of your business and signage with your company name.
- Google may ask you to send them a copy your business license or a utility invoice if your profile contains a physical address that must be reverified.
- Google will require you to submit photographic or video evidence that shows you and another company share the same office address. A single company can usually be listed under one address. Suite numbers, if applicable can help with this.
- You may need to change the name of your company on your website if your NAP and business name are inconsistent with others. You should use your real name for your business name. Do not include keywords in your name to increase your rank.
- You will need to remove duplicate Google My Business listings from the same company or merge them into one listing, if you have reviews that you wish to carry forward. One listing can be created per business and one address.
There are many reasons that a Google My Business listing could be suspended, as we have already mentioned. To get an idea of why your profile was removed, you can read through the quality guidelines. Although Google will not tell you explicitly, these well-documented guidelines may be able to help you narrow down the issue. After you have made the necessary adjustments to your profile, you can submit an appeal to Google. You’ll be back in business in no time. If you are unsure of anything why don’t you book a 30 min call with us and we can try and assist you in this.
