When your Google Business Profile is suspended for suspicious activity or due to policy violation, or for any other reason (for that matter), alarms bells go off. Sometimes you may not even realize that your Google Business Profile has been suspended until you see the following message on your GBP dashboard: “Your access has been suspended because this profile doesn’t follow the guidelines. Edit your business info and learn how to regain access.”

This guide is the most comprehensive you will find to help you reinstate your suspended business profile on Google. I will explore why your Google Business Profile was suspended, common reasons for suspension including main suspicious activities and policy violations, so you know what changes you may need to make, and the steps to fix your Google Business Profile suspension and get reinstated.

If your reinstatement request is denied I show you how to appeal a denial and provide frequently asked questions so that you will know everything you need to know to resolve this issue.

In my experience, 99% of suspended profiles can be reinstated but every suspension is unique. So, if you take a deep breath and follow all the guidance on this page, you should be able to reinstate your Google Business Profile. If you prefer, or if, you are having trouble with the reinstatement, you can check out my affordable Google Business Profile Reinstatement service.

Google Business Profile Suspension Emails and Dashboard Message

Why Was My Google Business Profile Suspended For Suspicious Activity or Due To Policy Violation?

This is the top question people ask, the “why”. It makes sense as we want to know what we did so wrong that Google suspended our Google Business Profile (GBP).

Below are the main actions that led to your Google Business Profile being suspended, and in the next section I’ll go into detail about the most common reasons, suspicious activity, and policy violations.

• Google Algorithm signalized issues with your  profile, most of the time because:
  • Finds conflicting information about your business on the web (directories, social media, your website)
  • Identifies your address as a residential address, co-working space, PO Box, UPS Store, or Virtual address
  • Found one or more duplicate profiles of your business profile
• Editing important profile information (Business name, Address, Service Area Business, Phone number, Primary Category)
• User(s) reported the business profile on Google through the “Suggest an edit” feature – Google AI suspends your business profile if it believes the report is justified
• User(s) reported your business profile through Google’s redressal form – manual suspension by a Google Support Agent
• False positives – Google has a built-in fail-safe that suspends some profiles to maintain the data integrity of Google Maps and Google Search. In some industries where spam is prevalent, Google uses this fail-safe more often to make sure they belong to real locations.
• Several edits were made in one single session
• The owner’s Google User Account was suspended
• Content that violates Google’s policies on deceptive content and behaviour isn’t allowed. Deceptive content intentionally misleads or deceives others.

What suspicious activities/policy violations will get your Google Business Profile suspended?

• Keyword stuffing your business name, you have to use your correct business name.
• Changing to a business address other than the one used for verification.
• Using a P.O. Box or UPS store address, not acceptable by Google.
• If you use a virtual office or a co-working space as your business address, there are specific strict rules that must be followed.
• Your business is a service-area business but your profile is showing a physical address.
• You have an online-only business, not normally eligible.
• You are in a high-risk business category, like lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, locksmiths, electricians, rehab centers, etc.
• Similar business shares the same address.
• You have made a bunch of changes/edits to your Google Business Profile in one go.
• The URL you added to your business profile forwards/redirects to another website or links to a social media page.
• If you changed your profile from a Storefront to a Service Area Business (SAB), by removing the address.
• Your address or hours don’t match what is listed on your website or other online business directories/citations.
• Your business hours are 24/7.
• An owner user (sometimes a manager) on your profile got their user account suspended – so your business profile got suspended because they got suspended.
• You created multiple listings for the same business at the same address (duplicate profiles).
• Photos, Posts, Services, Business Description spammy or against Google’s policies.
• Google AI is not sure if the profiles are eligible, especially new profiles on high-risk categories like lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, locksmiths, electricians, rehab centers, etc.

How To Fix Your Suspended Google Business Profile

1. Check the Google Business Profile guidelines. 
2. Review your profile and make any necessary changes to ensure your profile meets all guidelines. Click on “Edit Info” to make changes to your business information.
3. After making sure your profile meets the guidelines, you submit the reinstatement form.

Video – How To Fix A Google Business Profile Suspension

Watch Video in YouTube»

Notes:

You will need to provide evidence, the very least the business license and utility bill but the amount of evidence and the type of evidence can depend on your business type and location.

Important: This process will be deprecated in the coming weeks/months. New Google Business Profile Appeals Tool Reinstatement Process»

Expert Google Business Profile Reinstatement Help

Unfortunately, Google Support cannot help you reinstate your suspended business listing because Google is afraid of inadvertently helping spammers. But I can help you!

I am a Google Business Profile Product Expert and a specialist in reinstating suspended/disabled profiles and having reinstated over 700 listings in the last 12 years.

Even when Google denies your reinstatement request advising your profile is not eligible, I can help you. Through my years of experience, I know all the issues that prevent your profile from being reinstated and what we need to provide Google Support Team to reinstate your profile.

How long it takes for Google to review your reinstatement request and reinstate your suspend business profile

Google advises in their help articles that they will review and respond to your reinstatement request within 2 weeks.

First-time requests take an average of 24-72 hours. It depends on how busy Google Business Profile Support is, if your profile is still out of compliance, and if you need to appeal after your reinstatement is denied. Google was supposed to review and respond within 3 days, but with the long delays that have happened in the past, they changed the wording to “within 2 weeks”.

How To Appeal A Denied Reinstatement Of A Suspended Google Business Profile

Appeal Process:

• Double-check your suspended business profile against the guidelines and correct any issues.
• Reply to the denial email:
  • Request to appeal
  • Describe your business operations
  • Attach photos of your business front or vehicle

You be able to find more on this article about the appeal process.

You should receive a response to your appeal within 24-72 hours, sometimes they will reply by asking you to contact the specialist team.

Google Business Profile Suspension Types

There are 2 types of suspension: soft suspension and hard suspension.

Soft suspension: it is called this because your profile is still visible, but you cannot manage/edit it, so you cannot reply to reviews, post, receive messages, change business information, etc. So you can still receive leads but you cannot control the profile. Typically, this type of suspension happens when the business is well known locally and Google believes it’s real but has violated policies.

Hard suspension: In this case, the profile isn’t visible, it’s the worst case scenario, meaning either the violation was very serious, multiple violations, or Google isn’t sure your business is real.

Does Google advise the reasons why your business was suspended for suspicious activity?

Part of the anxiety of a Google Business Profile suspension is that Google doesn’t tell you why your profile was suspended. Even if you contact support asking for the reasons.

They tell you to go through the guidelines and try to figure out by yourself the why:

What not to do if your Google Business profile is suspended

Even though the reinstatement process can be very frustrating, you should never:

• remove the profile from the dashboard (you will lose all the reviews);
• create a new profile (high chances of getting suspended, even if Google support tells you to do it);
• Submit multiple reinstatements yourself (will only delay your case).

Difference Between Google Business Profile Suspended for suspicious activity and Suspended due to Quality issues

If your Google Business Profile is suspended for suspicious activity, Google does not trust your business profile to be a real business, the edit you made is highly suspicious, or the owner(s) have been suspended. If you are suspended for quality issues, your profile is probably in violation of one or more of Google’s policies, I say probably because it is possible to be a false positive as Google has a built-in fail-safe that suspends some profiles to maintain the data integrity of Google Maps and Google Search. This does not mean that if you are suspended for suspicious activity, your profile is compliant.

Difference Between Google Business Profile Suspended for suspicious activity and Suspended due To Policy Violation

If you have been suspended due to policy violation, your business profile is not 100% compliant with the guidelines; it is important to read the Google Business Profile Guidelines to correct any violations, and also the Content Guidelines, as posts and photos can in rare cases cause Google to suspend your profile. If your Google Business Profile is suspended due to suspicious activity, it’s because you’ve edited something on the profile, your user account has been suspended, or Google believes your business isn’t real.

How long does a Google Business Profile suspension last?

Forever, if you don’t request reinstatement. Even if you edit the business information to comply with the guidelines, you still need to apply for reinstatement.

How to Prevent Future Google Business Profile Suspensions

These are my tips to avoid future suspensions of your Google Business Profile:

• Avoid making changes to your business name, primary business category, and address unless absolutely necessary
• Only give manager access to third parties like employees and agencies
• Don’t use a premium phone number
• Protect your website
• Make sure the content you upload (photos, videos) or post is within the content policies
• If you want to report your competitors, use a different Google account that is not associated with your profile

Google Business Profile Suspended FAQ

Main Support Pages

Google Business Profile

https://support.google.com/business/answer/13762416

https://support.google.com/business/troubleshooter/2690129?hl=en