At Kite Media, we work with small, local businesses and understand just how important your Google Business Profile (GBP) is in bringing in customers. Your GBP helps you show up in local searches, on Google Maps, and in front of people actively looking for your services. But it seems like lately, GBP suspensions have been happening a lot. Even legitimate businesses are getting their profiles taken down—sometimes for things that seem minor or that you might not even think about.
Once suspended, getting reinstated can be a long and frustrating process. Lately, it has been taking up to a month, a frustratingly long time for businesses who depend on their GBP to bring in traffic. So, how do you prevent a suspension in the first place?
1. Avoid Unnecessary Edits
Google treats changes to your profile—especially your business name, address, phone number, website, or category—as potential red flags. Even a small tweak can trigger an automatic suspension. When you are setting up your business, triple check everything is correct so you won't have to change it later. If your info is correct, don’t change it.
If you absolutely must update something:
- Expect a suspension.
- Gather proof before making changes (business license, utility bill, etc). This proof needs to reflect the changes you’ve made, so if your address is changed the documents must have your new address.
- Be ready to submit a reinstatement request if needed, and understand it will take time to get reinstated.
2. Follow Google’s Guidelines
GBP has strict rules about what businesses can list and how they should present their information. Common mistakes that lead to suspensions:
- Using a keyword-stuffed business name (Don’t add extra words like “Best SEO Agency in Logan”)
- Creating multiple listings for the same location (Google is clear you can only have one listing per business)
- Using the same information for multiple businesses. (Even if you have different legitimate businesses, try to use different information like phone numbers for each)
- Listing a virtual office or PO Box (Must be a real, staffed location during business hours)
- Showing a home address (you should hide your address in your profile unless customers can visit your business and you have proper signage)
3. Keep Your Info Consistent Everywhere
If Google finds inconsistent business info online (like a different address on Yelp or your website), it may flag your profile as suspicious. Make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) match across all platforms. There are services that can help you manage this, or a good SEO agency will always be on the lookout for potential issues and be proactive in correcting them.
4. Don’t Let Just Anyone Manage Your Profile
A little-known issue that can cause a GBP to be suspended is if the Google account of a profile manager is suspended. Plus, a rouge GBP manager can make edits to your account that can cause it to be suspended. Make sure that you trust everyone who has access to your GBP, and ensure they know how to properly manage the listing and their Google account as a whole. If you work with an agency, make sure they have experience managing GBPs and are trustworthy. Never accept a request to manage your GBP unless you are expecting it and trust the person.
5. If You Get Suspended, Be Prepared
Even if you follow all the rules, suspensions can still happen. If your profile gets taken down:
- Don’t panic— unfortunately, this is common.
- Collect your supporting documents that prove your business is real (or ideally have these ready to go before you get suspended). Make sure your documents exactly match your GBP—your business name, address, and other details must be identical to what’s on your profile. Any discrepancies can lead to rejection.
- Don’t click anything to appeal the suspension until you have your supporting documents. Once you start your appeal, you only have 1 hour to submit your supporting documents.
- Be patient—reinstatements can take days or even weeks. Unfortunately, there is no way to fast-track your appeal. Even established SEO agencies with hundreds of managed legitimate GBPs have to wait in the queue like everyone else.
Stay Ahead of Suspensions with Expert GBP Management
Google Business Profile suspensions can be frustrating and time-consuming, but many can be avoided by following best practices from the beginning. When you work with Kite Media to manage your GBP and the rest of your SEO, you can trust that we follow Google’s guidelines to keep your profile in good standing. While even we cannot guarantee that your profile will never be suspended, we always use best practices in managing your listing and can help guide you through the reinstatement process if needed.