Having your Google Business Profile (GBP) account suspended can be a significant hurdle, particularly if your business depends on local visibility. A suspended account impacts your online presence and can also undermine customer trust. In this blog post, we cover all insights and resources to help you safely fix your suspended GBP and prevent future issues.
What Does a GBP Suspension Mean?
A GBP suspension happens when Google limits or removes your business listing because it doesn’t comply with their guidelines. Depending on how serious the violation is, this could result in your profile being hidden from search results or Google Maps.
Types of GBP Suspensions:
- Soft Suspension: Your account is marked as unverified, but it still appears online.
- Hard Suspension: Your profile is completely removed from Google Search and Maps.
Why Was My GBP Suspended?
Here are some common reasons:
Incorrect Business Information: Inconsistent or inaccurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) details.
Example:
Scenario: Your business is listed as “Sourav’s Bakery” at “123 Main St, New York,” but your website shows the address as “124 Main St, New York.”
Result: This inconsistency can confuse Google, which may lead to a suspension of your profile.
Keyword Stuffing: Adding unnecessary keywords to your business name.
Example:
Scenario: A bakery named “Sweet Delights” changes its name to “Best Cakes in NYC, Sweet Delights Bakery” in an effort to rank higher for “best cakes in NYC.”
Result: Google sees this as keyword stuffing, and your GBP could be suspended for breaching its guidelines.
Duplicate Listings: Creating multiple profiles for the same business.
Example:
Scenario: You create two separate listings for “Sweet Delights Bakery” at the same address—one with a phone number and one without.
Result: Google may identify these as duplicate listings, resulting in suspension until you merge them into a single listing.
Violation of Guidelines: Non-compliance with Google’s Quality Guidelines.
Example:
Scenario: You list a business category like “Plumbing Services” when your actual business is a flower shop.
Result: Google will suspend your GBP for not adhering to its guidelines regarding accurate business categories.
Suspicious Activity: Sudden, unusual changes to your profile.
Example:
Scenario: You abruptly change your business address from “123 Main St” to “456 Broadway” without a valid reason.
Result: Google may flag this as suspicious activity and suspend your GBP for verification.
Unverified Business Information:
If you do not complete the verification process for your business, Google may suspend your profile until verification is finalized.
Example:
Scenario: You’ve listed your business but never completed the verification process via mail or phone call.
Result: Google suspends your GBP until you verify your business information.