DIGITAL MARKETING INSIDER SECRETS | GOOGLE CAN SUSPEND YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS ACCOUNT
If you receive this message from Google, “Your business profile on Google has been unfortunately suspended, and the reason for the suspension normally is only “due to quality issues” or “suspicious activity”, if you are on Google Business Profile Manager, or “this profile doesn’t follow the guidelines” if you are on Google Search Dashboard,” Google has suspended your account.
Let’s know more about the “Suspended” alert messages from Google and the most common reasons for a profile suspension.
Main Suspended Messages from Google:
Suspended for suspicious activity:
- “Your listing has been suspended because it was flagged for suspicious activity”
- “This location has been suspended because it was flagged for suspicious activity”
- or “Your Business profile on Google has been suspended because it was flagged for suspicious activity”
Suspended due to quality issues:
- “Your listing has been suspended due to quality issues”
- “This location has been suspended due to quality issues”
- “Your profile has been suspended due to quality issues”
Suspended because this profile doesn’t follow the guidelines:
- “Your business is not visible” followed by “Your access has been suspended because this profile doesn’t follow the guidelines. Edit your business info and learn how to regain access”
Want to know what that means?
Your Business Profile Listing has been suspended because it was flagged for suspicious activity.
Why was your Google Business Profile flagged for suspicious activity?
Normally this type of suspension is due to:
Certain Profile Edits (Business name, Address, Service Area Business, Phone number, Category)
Several edits were made in one single section, and it does not matter which edits were
The owner’s Google Account was suspended
Your Business Profile Listing has been suspended due to quality issues or doesn’t follow the guidelines.
Why was your Google Business Profile suspended due to quality issues?
Normally, this type of suspension is due to:
- Google Algorithm signalized issues with your profile, most of the time because:
- Finds conflicting information about your business on the web (directories, Social Networks, your website)
- Identifies your address as a residential address, co-working space, PO Box, UPS Store, Virtual address
- Found duplicates (How to find and remove duplicates)
- User(s) reported the listing on Google through the “Suggest an edit” feature – Algorithm suspension if it thinks reporting is justified
- User(s) reported through redressal form – Manual suspension by a Support Agent
Here are the Main Reasons That Get Your Google Business Profile Suspended:
- Keyword stuffing your business name.
- Using a P.O. Box or UPS store address.
- You set up your listing at a virtual office or co-working space address.
- You have a service-area business and are displaying a physical address.
- You have an online-only business.
- You are in a high-risk business category, like lawyers, plumbers, HVAC, locksmiths, rehab centers, etc.
- If another business shares the same address.
- You have made a bunch of changes/edits to your GMB profile in one sitting.
- The URL you add to your GMB profile forwards/redirects to another website or links to a social media page.
- If you change your listing from a Storefront to a Service Area Business (SAB).
- Your address or hours don’t match what is listed on your website or other online business directories/citations.
- You list your business hours as 24/7.
- An owner user (sometimes a manager) on your profile got their Account suspended – so your listing got suspended because they got suspended.
- You created multiple listings for the same business at the same address (duplicate listings).
- Photos, Posts, Services, and Business descriptions are spammy or against Google’s policies.
The thing you need to worry about is Google doesn’t tell you the reasons why your business account was suspended.
Yes, Google doesn’t tell the business owners about the reasons why their profile was suspended. Even if you contact support asking for the reasons, they just tell you to go through the guidelines and try to figure out by yourself the why.
Google’s advice on how to resolve the business profile suspension issue
Google Business Profile’s support article only advises:
- Review the Google Business Profile guidelines.
- Ensure your profile follows the guidelines.
- After your profile meets the guidelines, you can ask for reinstatement
And if it is denied, you can appeal; but it does not tell you how.
Note: Even though the reinstatement process can be very frustrating, please note 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); or submit multiple reinstatements yourself (will only delay your case).
Is your listing suspended? Get in touch with our team to get it unsuspended!
Many business owners and SEO experts had a baffling afternoon on 23rd September, Friday. The reason being the roll out of a fix for the bug that caused a number of businesses to experience a drop in local rankings in the last month.
A local search expert uploaded a post on Twitter about this.
Referred to as the “Kansas” bug, it has been dropping some service area businesses in the middle of the USA — in Independence, Kansas in Google Maps / Google My Business.
However, thanks to the recent fix rolled out by Google, some of the businesses have recovered their local rankings, albeit not as they were before the shakeup.
Why this matters — It’s always nice to know it wasn’t you when it was them.
See How You Can Improve Your SEO!
Your meta descriptions are important for your website’s SEO. Make sure they are clear and concise so potential viewers will be able to get a good idea of what your page is about before clicking through to it. In addition, high-quality descriptions can be displayed on SERPs, and can also help improve the quality & quantity of your website’s search traffic.
Let’s dive into some examples to get better at writing meta descriptions
| DETAILS INCLUDED | BAD WAY OF WRITING | GOOD WAY OF WRITING |
| Keywords |
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| Description for articles |
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| Summary of the page |
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| Length of the description |
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Lastly, your descriptions should be easy for people to read and understand and should also be diverse, so potential customers can get a good sense of what your product or service can offer them.
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