Suspension of your Google Business Profile can be a very serious issue if you are managing a local business because your phone will stop ringing, and foot traffic may dwindle, thereby causing significant revenue loss. The situation might be distressing, and probably you could react by panicking and promptly filling out the appeal form without really understanding what you are doing. It is actually important to approach this matter with a strategic and informed mindset.
Read the whole guide before you apply for an appeal so that you will be aware of the steps to take in case your appeal is denied.
Why GBP Suspended
Know the reasons why your GBP was suspended. Knowing these will help your appeal be accepted. Here are some of the common causes of suspension of the GBP:
- Keyword Stuffing: Your business name is keyword stuffed, which doesn’t concern your business.
- Inaccurate Physical Addresses: Listing through a P.O. Box or UPS store address.
- Virtual Office Locations: Creating a listing at a co-working space or virtual office.
- Misrepresentation of Business Type: For businesses that are Service Area Businesses, listing with an actual physical address may get them suspended.
- Online-Only Business: Listing a business that is online-based and conducts no in-house operations at any type of business location.
- Industrial:If your business falls in high-risk categories, for instance, legal services, HVAC, locksmithing, or rehabilitation services.
- Shared Addresses: If you share an address with another business, especially a residential one.
- Frequent Edits: If you are making frequent edits to your GBP in a short period of time.
- Redirecting URLs: Adding a URL that redirects to another website or links to a social media page.
- Category Confusion: If you toggled back and forth between your Storefront and SAB categories.
- Multiple Listings: It occurs when the same business is listed more than once in the GBP at the same address.
- Inconsistencies: These are discrepancies between the details published on your website or other online directories and the details on your GBP.
- Suspended Manager Accounts: When an account of the manager linked to your listing is suspended, then your listing may also be impacted.
- Violation of Policy: Violation of terms of service provided by some other Google tools or services.
- Account Violations: If your emailing account associated with the GBP is suspended.
Sometimes, Google suspended your profile without a specified violation, mainly to ensure that you are a real business, mainly if you fall under a sensitive category.
Make sure you correct all violated guidelines before making an appeal.
How to File Your Google Business Profile Appeal
When your GBP is suspended, it is pretty reactive. However, it does require a methodical approach. Here is one way of doing that
- Read Google’s Support Documents: Before you start, be sure to thoroughly read through the appropriate Help Support document related to your suspension. Very helpful for details on appeal process and next steps.
- Solicitor Advice: If you are not sure about the facts of your offence or if you have any other documents to accompany this appeal, consider consulting a Google Business Profile Product Expert. You should be very careful not to make a mistake now as it will permanently reject this appeal.
- Patient and Detailed Approach: Time should be taken to collect the relevant information or papers. Haste loses races, and if you make some mistakes while collecting the relevant papers or documents, it could violate your chance for reinstatement.
What to Do If Your Appeal Is Rejected
A “Not Approved” status with an email notification is what usually takes place after making an appeal. Here is what you do in case it happens:
- Request Re-review: Google allows you to ask for a re-review of the suspended listing by providing documents.
- Produce Relevant Documents:
- Relevant documents include:
- official business registration;
- business license;
- tax certificates;
- utility bills (electricity, phone, water, internet)
- Provide More Detail: If you are appealing for a reaudit, you will provide more documents and pictures than you supplied during your first appeal. For instance, if you did not include the tax certificate during your first appeal, ensure that you include it during this appeal.
- Storefront Business: Attach Pictures of Your Letterhead. This will validate your permanent address.
- Service Area Business: Ensure you attach Pictures of Branded Cars that you use in conducting the business.
- Consistency:The name of the business and the address must be the same as printed out on all papers with that of the Google Business listing.
- Fill out the review request form: You should ensure you are logged into your email account associated with your GBP and then navigate to the request for additional review form here. You will have to fill in all the fields required and on the narrative box, a short write-up stating what you did to correct your listing coupled with attaching to them any documents you presented as proof of legitimacy.
- Add Links: It’s a good idea to add a direct link to your Secretary of State business listing and any accreditation you may have, like your Better Business Bureau listing.
Anyone listed as an owner or manager on your GBP can make this request, not just the person who completed the original appeal.
- Wait for a Response: You will have to wait for an official response from five days after you submit your supplemental review. The results of your re-evaluation will never appear on your Appeals Tool, but you should get an email containing a case ID with the results.
Last Chance to Show You’re Genuine
This is your last chance at submitting pertinent, accurate documents and photos of evidence to the Google service. These can be used in restoring your GBP. To get you the best, ensure that the following is in place:
- The documents and photos submitted are point on and correct.
- Any infractions associated with your GBP are cleared.
Remember that you only get two chances to recover your suspended Google Business Profile, so do not take this lightly and operate through the proper steps to give you a better probability of success.