4 Easy Steps to Resolve
A Google Business Profile Suspension
Got this email recently?
“Your business is not eligible to display on Google Maps per our quality guidelines.”
You’re not alone! We have been there with our clients. It is utterly frustrating. Take a Deep breath and follow the steps below to get back on track.
Did your Google my business listing get suspended?
Google has a plethora of reasons that can lead to your suspension, some can be user faults while others might just be Googles’ algorithm fault. Listed below are some next steps you can take to get your Listing back!
Why me?
Well you have to keep in mind that actual humans don’t perform the majority of tasks like quality checking, instead, google uses its AI (Artificial intelligence) to crack-down on bad actors.
Though this might help them upscale and save time, there are some major downsides to this. To a normal individual, a location can be accurate but to a Google crawler bot, it might mistaken it for a PO box. This can lead to problems for the end user, like yourself.
What next and how can I fit it?
1. Checklist
2. Reinstatement
3. Forum
4. Contacting Google support
1. Checklist:
When you click the link google provided in the email, it should take you to Googles’ guidelines. Take a look at them and make sure you are not violating any of their terms. Here is a link to the other guidelines.
Some common mistakes:
Multiple listings: Do a quick search on whether someone might have created your listing before or might have used your address with a different business. Just google your address or name and see if that pops up. You will have to claim ownership or might need a bit of assistance to tackle that problem.
Here is how you can claim ownership.
Name: Do Not Keyword Stuff your name, though it might get you rankings for a while, there is no point of it if you are delisted a month or so later. Just list your name the same as given on your business documents. Just being on Google with an optimized listing will drive traffic to your business regardless. Just make sure you are on top of your listing with weekly updates and optimized pictures and data.
Street Address: If you have Multiple listings, Virtual office address or a PO box address, these are all red flags for Google so make sure you check their guidelines.
For Service based businesses, DO NOT put your PO box Address for your GMB, it will lead to complications! Instead opt out for areas where you serve.
Reported for Spam: Misleading users, Offering Coupons in the profile descriptions, or any illegal behaviors on the listings can lead to a hard suspension. For more info, on spam guidelines, here is Google’s Resources page.
2. Reinstatement:
After you’ve fixed any issues above, try and file the reinstatement form from here. Provide any evidence for your business that might be helpful like your business license, a picture of your storefront or a car with your service sticker on it and so on. This helps clarify the legitimacy of your business and might speed up the process so provide them with this information. Within 3 days, you should get a response.
Our Opinion:
The Customer support team that Google employed recently were not really great at their job. Our past encounters with these people are that they are not interested in listening to your replies and will just direct you to the forum. This is probably because to them, they get hundreds of these requests each day and you are just another email.
They are pretty bad at answering your requests, as they will not tell you what the actual problem is.
Yes, very frustrating.
3. Forum:
If you are like a lot of listings that have received the denial notice, you will be directed to the community forum. (link) Here you will need to post in this format.
- Support Case number (Look in the heading of the suspension email)
- Name of business
- Address (if you are service based, write out the areas)
- Your Map url (the link on your GMB dashboard)
- Website
- A screenshot of your dashboard. (Sometimes the algorithm does not let you post the screenshot, just post and edit in that the picture is not going)
In the body paragraph, enter the details of your business. Most service based businesses have to explain why they are not an online Ecommerce store and instead deal with customers face to face. This is Key to the address issue for service providers like plumbers, locksmiths, etc.
Put some proofs like the decal on the side of the car or a business card to show your legitimacy.
Explain to them how your business functions, emphasize that you need to engage with clients at their homes so that you can actually perform business.
Consider yourself lucky if some community member replies to your post within 24 hours. In majority of the cases, no one replies for a while. Wait a few days and see if you get anyone to respond, if not then try no. 4.
4. Contacting Google Support:
If you got this far and are still trying, you deserve a medal. Most frustrated businesses just call it quits after the previous step or get stuck waiting on a response.
Head over to your suspended Google my business listings page, on the bottom left side, there is a “Support” tab. From here you can try and get in contact with a google employee. This step is usually done after exhausting the previous steps but if you get this far, you can try your luck!
Here you will have to fill in the header, you can try something along the lines of
“Why has my listing been denied”
If still you do not recieve a reply, then try reaching their social media team, they will try and get someone to reach out to you.
Author,
Syed Khalil
Retell Local SEO Team
Need A Hand?
If you have followed the guidelines till a Tee then take a breather! No need to freak out! Your suspension will be revoked!
If you have reached this step, maybe its time to ask for professional assistance, feel free to reach out to us.
We’ve been through this and we will assess your listing and get it running hassle-free!
Let’s Work Together
Have some questions for us? Send us a message and we will gladly get back to you asap!