Google Business Profile suspended: what to do

What does a suspended Google Business Profile mean?

It means Google has decided your profile breaks its rules and has taken action on it. Google's help page on fixing suspended or disabled profiles says it may suspend or disable Business Profiles that do not follow its guidelines. If you think yours should come back, you can appeal.

When Google removes a profile, the public cannot go to it. The owner and managers cannot act on it either, but they can ask Google to reinstate it. If the appeal works, Google reinstates the profile and its owner and managers together.

Sometimes the problem sits with the Google Account rather than one profile. Google says that when an account is restricted, every profile it manages is suspended. You also cannot create or claim other profiles until the restriction is lifted.

Why does it say suspended for suspicious activity?

Google's help page on suspended profiles does not list "suspicious activity" as a reason of its own. It says profiles that do not follow the guidelines may be suspended or disabled. So treat the wording as a sign that something on the profile, or the account behind it, looks wrong to Google.

The quickest way to find the real reason is the appeals tool. Google says the tool shows details about the decision. These include the date of the first decision, the reason for it, a link to the policy you broke, and whether you can appeal.

Read that reason before you change anything. It tells you which rule to fix, so you are not guessing.

What are the common causes in Google's guidelines?

Most suspensions come back to a few rules in Google's guidelines for representing your business on Google. Google says a profile that will not be suspended avoids prohibited content, reflects your business accurately and follows its policies. These are the rules that small businesses break most often:

• Extra words in the business name. Your name should match the name on your signs and stationery, and the one customers know. Google says adding unnecessary information to the name could result in suspension. That includes taglines, phone numbers, web addresses, opening hours and service or location details.
• An address you do not work from. Post office boxes and remote mailboxes are not acceptable. A virtual office, a postal address you rent but do not work from, is not eligible for a profile.
• A desk in a co-working space. Google allows it only when the office has clear signage, receives customers during opening hours and is staffed by your team during those hours.
• More than one profile. Google says there should only be one profile per business, and not more than one page for each location.
• Keywords in the wrong places. Do not put keywords or web addresses in your address lines, and do not use categories just as keywords.

Fake reviews are a separate problem. Google's page on Business Profile restrictions for policy violations says breaking its fake engagement policy can lead to restrictions. Examples include a pause on new reviews and a warning to customers that fake reviews were removed.

How do you fix the cause before you appeal?

Fix the rule you broke first, then appeal. Google says to make sure your profile follows all the guidelines before you submit an appeal. An appeal that changes nothing gives Google no reason to decide differently.

Start with the reason the appeals tool gives you. Then check the profile against how your business really works. Is the name exactly what is on your sign and your letters? Do you serve customers at the address you listed? If you visit customers at their homes instead, Google's guidelines treat you as a service-area business, with one profile for your central office or base.

If your name includes a legal term such as Ltd, Google asks for real-world proof that you use it. Its examples are signage, business cards and invoices. Businesses that show their address on Google should keep permanent, fixed signage with the business name at that address.

Make a short note of what was wrong and what you changed. You will use it in the text box of your appeal.

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How do you appeal through the appeals tool?

You appeal through Google's own Google Business Profile appeals tool, signed in to the Google Account linked to the profile. The steps below follow Google's help page as it reads today. The tool may look slightly different on your screen.

1. Open the appeals tool and check you are signed in to the right Google Account. Select Confirm, or Switch account to use a different one.
2. Select the Business Profile you want to appeal, then Continue.
3. Select the decision you want to appeal, then Continue.
4. Read the details: the date, the reason, the policy link and whether the decision can be appealed.
5. Select Choose file to upload your evidence. You can attach more than one file.
6. Use the text box to explain why your profile should be reinstated and what you fixed.
7. Tick the box to confirm you are ready, then select Submit appeal.

Google reviews the appeal and sends the decision by email. If your whole Google Account is restricted, appeal that first on your My accounts page. Once the account restriction is lifted, appeal the profile suspension.

What should you have ready before you appeal?

Have documents that show your business name and address exactly as they appear on the profile. Google lists official business registration, a business licence, tax certificates and utility bills for the business as evidence that can strengthen an appeal. Utility bills can be for electricity, phone, water or internet.

Before you upload anything, check every document. Google's tip is to make sure the business name and address on each one match the profile you are appealing for. A bill in a former trading name or at an old address can weaken your case.

Keep your explanation short and factual. Say what the reason was, what you changed and how the documents prove your business is real at that address.

What should you avoid while your profile is suspended?

Do not create a new profile for the same business. Google says this in bold on its suspended-profiles page. A second profile can also count as a duplicate. Google allows only one profile for each business. A profile it treats as a duplicate will not show on Google Search or Maps.

• Do not rush the appeal. Google says appeals can only be submitted once, so attach all your evidence first.
• Do not send documents that do not match. A different name or address works against you.
• Do not buy or swap reviews to make up for lost visibility. That can bring restrictions of its own.

What happens after you submit your appeal?

Google reviews your appeal and emails you the decision. You can also check progress in the appeals tool. Google lists the statuses as Submitted, Approved, Not approved, Can't be appealed and Eligible for appeal.

If your request is turned down, Google says it may be able to do an additional review. You can add evidence that you did not include the first time. Use that chance only when you have something new, such as a document that matches the profile exactly.

If your profile has problems after it comes back, Google's help page points you to Google Business Profile Help for support. To understand why a live profile might still not appear, read our guide to why a Google Business Profile is not showing up.

How can Buzzozo help you after a suspension?

Google decides every appeal, so no one can promise to get a profile back. What we can do is help you keep your listing and reviews in line with the rules. Our online reputation management service grows genuine reviews from real customers. We never fake reviews.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) for local customers is the other half. Our local SEO service with Google Business Profile management keeps your categories, photos, posts and questions accurate and active. SEO and local SEO are priced per job on our Custom plan.

The Website plan is from £149 a month for the first 100 businesses, locked for life, and from £299 a month after the first 100. It is monthly, with no contract, and you can cancel any time. See our website plans and prices for everything included.

If you need a website for your profile to link to, you can try one first. Get your free website: it is free for 14 days, and no card is needed.

Once the profile is back, keep its details accurate with our guide to editing your Google Business Profile. For the basics, see what a Google Business Profile is, and if the profile is live but missing from search, check why a Google Business Profile is not showing.

Common questions