Google Business Profile suspended? How to get it reinstated

Why profiles get suspended

Google may suspend or disable profiles that don't follow its guidelines. The appeals tool shows the reason and links to the policy. The most common causes come straight from Google's guidelines:

• Extra keywords or a town name in the business name that aren't on your signage.
• An address that's a virtual office, P.O. box or mailbox you don't operate from.
• A service-area business showing an address customers don't visit.
• More than one profile for the same business or location.
• Fake reviews, or other activity that breaks Google's content policies.

Google can also restrict a whole account, which suspends every profile it manages and stops it creating or claiming new ones.

Fix it before you appeal

Google asks you to make sure your profile follows all its guidelines before appealing. Change your name back to your real-world name, correct the address or hide it if customers don't visit, and remove any duplicates you control.

Then gather evidence. Google lists official business registration, a business licence, tax certificates and utility bills such as electricity, phone, water or internet. The business name and address on each document should match your profile.

How to appeal

1. Open Google's Business Profile appeals tool and sign in with the account that manages the profile.
2. Select the profile, then the decision you want to appeal. You'll see its date, reason and whether it can be appealed.
3. Upload your evidence and briefly explain what you fixed and why the profile should be reinstated.
4. Confirm and submit. Your account comes first: if the account itself is restricted, appeal that from your My accounts page before appealing the profile.

Statuses in the tool are Submitted, Approved, Not approved, Can't be appealed and Eligible for appeal. Google says appeal decisions can take up to five business days, and it emails you the result.

Owners of more than 10 profiles can submit a bulk appeal with a spreadsheet of Business Profile IDs.

What not to do

• Don't create a new Business Profile for the same business. Google says so explicitly.
• Don't submit more than one appeal. Appeals can only be submitted once.
• Don't keep editing the profile while the appeal is pending.

If your appeal is denied, Google says it may be able to do an additional review if you provide more evidence through its contact form.

Prevent it happening again

• Keep your name exactly as it appears on your signage.
• Only list an address customers can actually visit.
• Check suggested edits at least weekly, since Google can publish them after four days.
• Never buy reviews, run review swaps or ask staff to collect a set number of reviews.