No business owner wants to go to their Google My Business listing to realize that it’s been suspended. You may ask yourself, but it was fine yesterday, what happened?
This happens more frequently than you may imagine. The strange part is that Google will not give you a direct answer as to why your listing was suspended. Also, they will not notify you that it has been suspended. You need to regularly monitor your listing to see if it’s accurate. When you’re doing this you will notice it has been suspended if that it is the case.
What Happens When my Google My Business Listing is Suspended?
When your listing is suspended, people won’t be able to see your listing when they search businesses like yours. Everyone else’s will pop up, just not yours. This means you are missing out on viable customers and website hits. That’s why it’s important to spot this problem as soon as possible.
After you notice your listing has been suspended, you need to figure out what type of suspension you’re dealing with. If your listing has only become unverified, you’re just dealing with a “soft suspension”. You’re still able to log into your account and see your listing. It also still shows up on Google and Google Maps, which is a huge plus, but you no longer have the ability to update it.
If you’re dealing with what’s called a “hard suspension” your entire listing has been removed. If you want to get it back, you have to ask Google to do it.
A “listing suspension” is when the public can no longer access your listing. The listing’s owner can’t take actions, but they can still make changes to the listing. The owner needs to appeal to Google to have the listing reinstated.
If your Google account is suspended, you’re listing will be removed. If Google reinstates your account, your listing will pop up once again.
Reasons Why Google Would Suspend Your Listing
You thought you were doing everything right, but your Google My Business listing is no longer there. Google decides to remove listings that may not be 100% trustworthy or accurate. They want their users to have the best experience and get the most accurate information. When they see listings that don’t live up to this expectation, they go on the chopping block.
Here are some other common reasons why your Google My Business Listing was suddenly removed.
- You share the same address as another business.
- The website address doesn’t match.
- Other info on your listing like your phone number or address doesn’t match other listings where your business is mentioned.
- You’ve added extra keywords to your business name.
- Your business name isn’t consistent across the web.
- You have a virtual or P.O. box address.
- Your business’ primary category is one that Google consider high-risk.
- There are multiple listings for the same business or address.
- You have violated Google’s content and conduct guidelines.
- Your listing contains tracking numbers or forwarding links.
- You have no in-person contact (this is required for a Google My Business listing)
- Google thinks your business is “spammy”.
If Google thinks your business is “spammy” or has taken part in deceptive practices, your listing will be immediately removed. Google is extremely vigilant about spam and deceptive business dealings.
There may be other reasons why Google decides to suspend your listing. But, if you suspect your listing falls into one of these categories, it’s time to take the next step.
What to do When Google Suspends your Listing
Whether you think you’ve figured out why Google suspended your listing or not, it’s time to reach out to them. You need to get things up and running again so people can find your business.
Once Google gets to your request, they’ll likely ask you for information so they can get the ball rolling. This information can include:
- Visual proof of your physical address on your building
- A bill with your business’ address on it
- Document with tax information for business’ with service areas only
Even if Google re-verifies your business, they may also ask you to take certain steps to get your listing back. These can include:
- Making sure the name on your Google My Business listing matches the signage on your business
- Remove any account managers who have been involved in business Google deems as “spam-related”
The best way to reach out to Google is through an online form. Here you can appeal to have your listing re-instated. It may take some time for them to get back to you because there have been many listing suspensions lately.
If you’ve tried to get in touch with Google about your listing and haven’t had any success, it may be time to hire a marketing agency to get the job done. Marketing agencies have experience with Google My Business listings and can get things moving faster.
At Portside Marketing, we can help you to get your Google My Business listing reinstated. Because we’ve dealt with these issues before, we can help identify why your listing was removed and fix the problem promptly. It’s important to have someone on your team with Google experience because when your listing is missing, you are missing out on profits. If people can’t find you, they can’t do business with you.
Call Portside Marketing today at (972) 979-9316 and let us get your Google My Business listing up and running once again.