Why Did My Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended? | Vicinus.ai
Has your Google My Business Listing been suspended? There are quite a few common reasons why your Google My Business Listing has been suspended by Google.
GMB is a significant component of many local marketing campaigns. This means that when there are issues with your Google My Business Listing, major problems can occur for your business.
What happens when Google My Business Listing gets suspended?
When your Google My Business Listing gets suspended, your listing is no longer visible to potential customers. This means that your GMB listing is no longer visible either on google searches or Google Maps.
You may also be suffering from a loss of control of your listing too. This is usually a result of an ‘unverified’ listing which means that you will be unable to make any changes to your profile.
The biggest problem is Google doesn’t give a specific reason as to why this has happened.
You will receive an email from google notifying yourself of the suspension, however, there, unfortunately, won’t be a specific reason attached to this notification.
Oftentimes, the business owner or marketer is guessing what may have caused this suspension and how to fix it.
However, there usually is a solid- and most likely very common- reason why your Google My Business Listing gets suspended.
Below is a list of a few common reasons why your Google My Business Listing gets suspended.
Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended: Address Problems
Sometimes, your GMB profile can have a simple address problem. However, there are a few reasons why your profile may be having a problem with its address such as:
- Multiple GMB profiles with the same address
- Using a PO Box/ shared workspace address
- An address near a UPS store
- Your business runs a service in a building you don’t own. For example, a yoga class taught in a school.
- You have changed your address recently
- You have a service area business that displays its a residential address
Although it may seem like there are many problems to do with the address you may have to look into, it can be quite easy to figure out what’s wrong with your GMB address.
With a little bit of investigation, you can easily figure out an address problem with your GMB profile. Simply tick off each problem above until you find the one that is causing the issue.
Can My Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended for Too Many Edits?
Simple answer: yes.
Unfortunately, making too many edits on your GMB profile within a specific amount of time may create a suspension of your profile. This is simply because Google may be suspicious of all the updates happening to your GMB profile.
However, making bulk edits with Vicinus will not trigger this. Vicinus works to simultaneously refine business listing information across multiple platforms.
This helps you to remove inconsistencies and keep business listings updated by making quick edits all at once.
For more information about bulk editing, please contact us here or visit our website.
Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended: Flukes, Bugs, Blog, and Google Sweeps
Sometimes, for no reason at all, bugs with GMB listings can happen. These can be for no reason at all, or simply because Google has made small changes to the GMB listing profiles and the dashboard has triggered a suspension.
When these types of GMB suspensions happen, it’s best to quickly check over Google My Business Guidelines. This is just to make sure there’s nothing wrong with your individual profile and that it is a GMB problem, not yours.
Filling out a reinstatement request usually takes approximately 72 hours.
Online-Only Businesses
As GMB is specifically designed for local businesses, Online-only businesses do not qualify for Google My Business listings.
If your business does not work with customers directly (whether from a store-front or as a result of being a service area business) your business should not have a GMB listing.
This means that if your business operates Online-only, your GMB listing will be suspended as a result of this.
Violating GMB Guidelines/Terms of Service
This is definitely a GMB no-no. Google My Business Guidelines affect everyone. This means that it’s best to check these guidelines to make sure policies haven’t changed and that your business isn’t violating any of these rules.
Although GMB guidelines can be a bit vague in places, try to figure out their overall meaning and your business shouldn’t be suspended if you keep updated with them.
Other Reasons Why Your Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended
There can be many other reasons why your GMB profile is suspended. Below is an almost fully-comprehensive list.
- Your GMB profile has been reported for violating GMB Terms of Service
- The individual who had ‘manager’ rights on your GMB profile has violated GMB Terms of Service
- You have keyword-stuffed your business name
- Business name differs from your legal/legitimate business name
- Website URL links to a social media page
- Your profile has been reported using Google User Report on Google Maps marked as ‘spam’ or ‘doesn’t exist’
- ‘Spammy’ edits using Google Maps. These can either be because you have edited your GMB listing too much.
What Do I Do If My Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended?
There are a few resources you can use below that will help aid you if your Google My Business Listing Gets Suspended:
