Has your Google My Business listing has been suspended? Maureen McCullough LLC has helped hundreds of businesses large and small and we can help YOU get reinstated too! Don’t panic. We’ve been in the reputation management business for over 20+ years.

There is a right way and a wrong way to go about this. Let us handle this for you. We know how devastating this can be for a small business – actually, for any business. It happened to us years ago. A competitor marked our business as closed.

Call or text us at 201.753.1677 and let us help you. Or, get immediate education and help HERE.

The following guide is provided to show you why it happens, how to fix it and the proper steps that need to be taken.

Why Google My Business listings get suspended:

Editing key elements such as your listing name, category, website URL or address
You have made several changes or edits to your GMB profile at one sitting
Keyword stuffing your business name or the info section
Using a virtual address such as a virtual office, a P.O. Box, or UPS store address
Type of business you have such as an online only business, or a service area business but you are displaying a physical address
You changes your listing from a brick and mortar to a service area business
Another business shares your same address
You created what is known as duplicate listings – multiple listings for the same business at the same address
Your address or hours don’t match what is listed on your website or other online business directories
Business hours are listed as 24/7 – the hours you list on your GMB profile should be the hours that you have employees at your business location to meet with customers
The URL you add to your GMB profile forwards or /redirects to another website or links to a social media page
A manager on your listing got their account suspended – so your listing got suspended because they got suspended
You hired a less than reputable PPC or SEO company
A user reported your listing on Google Maps using the Suggest an Edit feature. Their suggestion to remove the business listing or make negative edits could take effect almost immediately.
Reported by a competitor or a disgruntled employee
Guideline violation – you unknowingly or knowingly committed violations
False positives

Hard Suspension

You do a search for your company’s name and city and your knowledge panel doesn’t show up online. Potential customers won’t be able to find your GMB listing on Google Maps or search results.

Soft Suspension

Your knowledge panel still shows up online and you can access it in your GMB dashboard, but it looks as if it hasn’t been verified and you can’t manage or update your listing.

With soft suspensions, your GMB profile can be affected by user suggested edits more easily – making it more vulnerable to incorrect changes and wrong information being displayed.

Fix Your GMB Profile Problems BEFORE You Fill Out The Reinstatement Form

Seeing that suspension notice will probably cause you to go into a tailspin
Do NOT fill out the reinstatement form right away
Before you can apply for reinstatement, you need to fix what’s wrong with your listing
Do NOT create a new listing – this is a knee jerk reaction to seeing your original listing suspended
Carefully read the Google My Business Guidelines to make sure you didn’t violate any of those rules
Look at the info section of your Google My Business Profile. Check every field to see what may be in violation
If you have a duplicate listing issue or have set up more than one business at the same address this needs to be addressed
Fix the duplicate issue before you try to get your listing reinstated – you cannot have more than one business at the same address, especially if residential

Before you fill out the reinstatement form, go to the Google My Business Help Forum and post the details of your suspension there and ask for a second opinion of what may be the cause of your suspension and how you fixed it.

To help the volunteer moderators on the forum, please provide details on exactly what the situation is, why you think you may have been suspended and provide the following information:

The Google Local Page URL
Full legal business name
Address used to verify your listing even if you are a service-based business
Your website URL
Screenshot of your info section from your GMB dashboard
Provide images of permanent signage or other images of proof of your business name and address such as a business license or tax documentation from your State
Explain what you changed right before your listing was suspended
Fill Out the Google My Business Reinstatement Form

You Have Fixed the Issues, Now You Can Apply For Reinstatement

You will be asked a series of questions to answer. How you answer each question determines the next question you are asked. You must answer all the questions completely and truthfully.

In order to prove that you are a legitimate business, you need to provide photos or screenshots showing proof that you are a valid business and proof of your address if you have a storefront.

Your storefront as seen from the street or the front of your building
Permanent signage inside and outside of your building
The inside of your business as customers see it when they walk into your place of business
If available, a link showing the Google Street View image of the street or neighborhood where your business is
A business license or proof of the business registration with your state
Pictures of your logo on your company vehicle
An office walk-through video.
Picture of the office building’s directory with your name on it.

Once you submit your appeal for reinstatement, Google will review the information you submitted and determine if your business profile should be reinstated. What’s Next?

Google will email you about the status of your reinstatement request
Reply to that same email if you have more questions or if Google needs more information from you
Do NOT file multiple reinstatement requests or reach out to the Google My Business team about the same issue through different Google My Business support channels
It can take two to four weeks for Google to review your reinstatement request
Google will need to confirm that you actually own the account you are writing in about so be prepared to furnish them with proof
You can always log in to the suspended business listing in your Google My Business dashboard and copy the URL
If your business gets reinstated, you may find that your reviews have disappeared. Keep in mind that it can take longer for your reviews to re-appear after reinstatement. Reach out to the support team if your reviews do not appear within 6-8 weeks

What NOT To Do:

Remove the dashboard listing, if it has photos, reviews, posts or ranking history you will lose everything
Do NOT create a NEW listing. Rather than listen to incorrect guidance, consult someone with expertise.
Do NOT contact support multiple times if they are not replying
Submitting multiple reinstatements either by yourself or by someone is not an expert will result in an email that says to directs you to maintain one line of communication. This type of tactic will delay your reinstatement for a very long time.
Always read the guidelines and make sure you are in compliance.Then submit a reinstatement form.
Apply for reinstatement from your mobile device. You will not be able to get your dashboard URL or attach a zip file if needed.

CALL OR TEXT: 201.753.1677 or 201.523.4332