If your Google My Business account has been suspended, it can be hard to get more organic traffic. If your GMB account contains incorrect or inconsistent information about the service area, address, hours of operation and so on, you may get in trouble.
If your GMB listing is disabled, it will not show up on search engines. You can read on to learn how to make sure this does not happen and also how to fix it if it does.
There are a number of reasons why your listing might be Suspended.
Google wants to make sure that users can always find high-quality search results. This benefits everyone in the sales process, from cleaner search results resulting in simpler user experiences that increase the likelihood of generating sales leads.
Unfortunately, Google’s rigorous attention to detail on occasion makes it difficult to satisfy their criteria. For a variety of reasons, GMB listings may be removed. Many of these reasons-such as keyword stuffing (the practice of shoehorning keywords into web page content) and making fraudulent claims about a firm’s service offerings-are obvious. But even minor violations of Google’s listing rules may result in the suspension, and often the permanent deletion, of your listing.
Common reasons your GMB listing can get suspended include the following:
1) Mistakes with your business name show up on the internet.
2) You have more than one listing for the same business and/or location.
3)Recent changes to your address, phone number, or other information have appeared on your listing.
4) Your NAP (name, address, and phone number) on your GMB (Google My Business) page does not match the one that is found on directory listings. It is best to be as consistent as you can with GMB, but don’t worry too much about exact formatting of abbreviations and suite numbers.
5) You’ve used a lot of keywords to make your website rank higher in Google.
6) You’ve been reported as a service-area business, but you neglected to deactivate your physical address. Service-area businesses are already regarded as high risk.
7) Your Business does not have a physical location (i.e., it’s an internet store or virtual service). P.O boxes are not accepted.
8) Your website’s URL is a redirecting URL.
We are sorry to inform you that your Google account has been disabled. We can’t tell you why. You may need to contact Google directly for an answer. If we don’t hear back from you within a week, we will disable your account again. The reinstatement process takes a long time to finish. During this time, customers are less likely to find your business. That is why it is best if you can get the problem fixed quickly.
Types of GMB Suspensions
What you do to try and fix a GMB suspension depends on what type of suspension it is. There are two types: Soft and Hard. If your account has been suspended by Google, for example, then you should reach out to them here:
1) Soft suspension: A soft suspension means that your company has been designated as unverified for some reason. If you receive a soft suspension, you’ll see a notification on GMB when you log in, but your listing will still be visible on Google and Google Maps. Until you can show proof of verification, you’ll no longer have access to it.
2) Hard suspension: A hard suspension is a big issue. Google has determined that your listing breaches its standards or is otherwise ineligible to appear. If you are hit with a severe restriction, when you log in to your account, you will not be able to access your listing history and will receive a removal notice..
3) Manager account suspension: Manager or owner suspensions are two types of account suspensions. A manager’s suspension takes away a manager’s capacity to interact with a listing, but the item itself is unharmed.
4) Owner account suspension: An owner account suspension instantly terminates an owner’s Google account. All listings and reviews will be removed, as will any other material associated with the business. It’s possible that any reviews will be lost if you successfully re-enable your account.
What to do if you get suspended
If Google suspends your listing, make sure it follows GMB and Google’s restricted-content standards. To ensure the quality and relevance of postings on its platform, Google takes a very strict stance in terms of upholding these qualities. Make sure your GMB listing is up to date and filled out correctly, as directed. You can submit a reinstatement request through GMB’s Help page once you’re confident your listing is flawless.
To resolve a soft suspension, open a new Google account and reclaim the listing. You’ll have to do the entire verification procedure again, ensuring that you fulfill all requirements and fix the cause of the suspension.
To get your listing back up and running, you’ll need to contact Google to discover the reason for the suspension and submit a local business reinstatement request. When you regain access to the listing, you must immediately address the situation.
Google frequently requests you to provide evidence that verifies your company’s ownership, location, and legality. You may be asked to submit the following documents:
1) The utility bill was sent to the same address as the GMB.
2) Both a business license or a tax form, for example, must specify the same address as your GMB profile.
3) An image or video of your physical address, such as a storefront with both signage and address, as well as a suite number if appropriate.
4) To disprove the allegation, provide proof that you are not sharing office space with another firm.
You may also need to update your GMB listing’s business name to match the name on your signage. Google suggests uploading a photograph of the company sign to your profile or, if you have a building space, a photograph of the directory for your building. Users who engage in prohibited behavior, such as keyword stuffing or review gatekeeping, may need to have access to their accounts removed.
