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What’s a business without visibility? Every business owner understands the need to be in the faces of your customers and ultimately guides their buying decisions. One of the ways you achieve this goal is through google profile optimization. With your google profile, they can explicitly state how other google users view them. You can also include links to your blog, online photos, and other profiles such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.
A Google business profile sets your business on the right path and ensures you are visible to people that matter. However, what happens when your account is suspended and you stand the risk of losing sales? Understanding the probable reasons for an account suspension will help you determine where you are getting it wrong and fix things.
If you are struggling with a suspended Google account and wondering why such drastic action was taken, continue reading this article to find out the reasons why your account may be suspended and how to fix it.
Your Google profile: A Key Advantage
Google Business Profile is an easy-to-use tool for businesses and companies to manage their online presence across Google. It helps you manage information other Google users find when they search for your business or product offering. When they search for your business on Google Maps, they can find information like your working hours, website, and street address. To assist customers in finding your business, you can verify your business and edit your business information.
With this tool, you can also read and respond to customers’ reviews or add photos that highlight the nature of your business. Businesses that add photos to their Business Profiles receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps, and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t.
This review will help provide insights to learn how customers search for your business and their locations. You can also discover information like the number of people calling your business directly from the phone number displayed on local search results in Search and Maps.
Getting to the root: Why your Google profile was suspended.
In cases where your Google Business Profile gets suspended or disabled, Google doesn’t inform you why they took down your business. The onus lies on you as the business owner to understand Google guidelines and examine where you must have done wrong. There are often subtle updates made to these guidelines, and you have to stay abreast of recent changes.
Here are some key reasons why your Google profile could be suspended.
- Your business is in the high-risk category: Some businesses are placed under scrutiny owing to the high volume of spammy activities within the category. If your business is in this category, you might get affected in a spam sweep and end up having your profile suspended, despite being genuine. If you belong to this category, it’s best to stick to the guidelines to avoid getting suspended. Some examples of businesses in this category include Plumbers, Locksmiths, Real estate, Insurance, Lawyers, Pest control, and others.
- You have two businesses sharing one address: This is a red flag and can cause suspension of your profile. This can happen as a result of running two different businesses from one central location. To avoid this dilemma, try creating a central business that covers both of them and use your categories to explain the services you offer. According to the laid down guidelines, “Service-area businesses, or businesses that serve customers at their locations, should have one profile for the central office or location with a designated service area.”
- You have an Online-only business: One of the key elements of the Google business profile is that it is exclusively for businesses with physical locations or deals with local customers. In their words, “Brands, organizations, artists and other online-only businesses aren’t eligible for Business Profiles.” So before setting up your profile, be sure you are not running a strictly online business.
- You run a service-based business (SAB) and your address is displayed on your profile: As a service-based business, Google expects you to hide your business address on Google Maps. This is because there is no need for your clients to drive down for their service. Aptly put, “If you’re a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers. For example, if you’re a carpenter and run your business from your residential address, you need to clear the address from your Business Profile.”
- Your business name is stuffed with Keywords: This is another reason your profile might get suspended. Google guidelines clearly state that “To help customers find your business online, accurately represent your business name. Your name should reflect your business’s real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers.” adding unnecessary information to your business name will get you in trouble.
- The URL you add to your profile redirects to another website or links to a social media page.
- You list your working hours as 24/7.
How to Fix a Suspended Google Profile
For some reason, your profile has been suspended, what is the next step to fixing this problem and getting your business back on track. A suspension happens when your GMB listing is no longer visible on Google and Google Maps or you have lost control of your listing.
A suspension can either be soft or hard. A soft suspension is when your business’ ‘Knowledge Panel’ still shows up online and you can access it in your dashboard, but it looks as if it hasn’t been verified and you can’t manage or update your listing. While a hard suspension is when you search your company’s name and city and your Knowledge Panel doesn’t show up online.
Here’s a simple process you can follow to fix your suspension.
- Don’t rush to create a new profile. Carefully read through the guidelines and fix the problems that caused the suspension.
- Fill out the reinstatement form. You will be asked a series of questions to answer. The way you answer a question determines the next question you are asked. You must answer all the questions completely and honestly. You may also need to provide additional proof at this stage.
- After submitting the reinstatement form, wait for Google to review and reinstate your profile.
Wrapping up
The success and continuity of your business depend on many factors, one of which is visibility. Google Business Profile provides an opportunity for you to share your service and product offerings with the world. However, you should be mindful of the established Google guidelines to ensure you don’t act inappropriately and get your profile suspended.
Having your account suspended is not the end of your business, as long as you proactively handle it and fix the issues promptly. Are you confused about the next step to take after your profile suspension? Do you want to know why your profile was suspended by Google? You are in the right place, Monster Rose is here to assist businesses with their online brand issues. We can help you reposition your brand by driving web and foot traffic. Get a free consultation today, talk to us in Melbourne – 0420 232 154.