How to Handle a Google My Business Suspension

Google My Business (GMB) is a significant marketing tool. Because it is free for businesses to use, it is sometimes the only marketing tool that small businesses rely on. Therefore, a suspension from GMB can be cause for sheer panic.

The first thing to do if you receive the dreaded suspension email or see a notification on your account is to remain calm. You can take a few simple steps to find out why your account was suspended and ask for reinstatement.

What Does It Mean to Be Suspended From GMB?

When you receive a GMB suspension, it means that your business may or may not be visible in search results, depending on the type of suspension. You might also lose control of managing your listing.

Soft Suspension

A soft suspension means that your listing is marked as suspended, but it still appears in search results. However, you still can’t manage your listing.

Hard Suspension

A hard suspension is when GMB removes your listing from search results entirely.

Suspensions happen for various reasons, but the good news is that you can get your listing back on track by taking a few simple steps.

What to Do if You Receive a Suspension

When your GMB account is suspended, you may receive an email notifying you, or you will see the notification on your account. While Google won’t tell you exactly why your account is suspended, you can click on the notification, which will show you the guidelines for GMB.

Be sure that you thoroughly review the guidelines to make sure your business complies. You can also contact GMB support to help determine what you need to do to reinstate your account.

Typically, you will need to provide one or more of these things to get your account reinstated:

• State business license
• Proof of occupancy of your physical address
• Tax identification
• Video verification

Do not create a new listing, as it will just complicate things. Do correct your errors before submitting a reinstatement form.

Once you’ve submitted your reinstatement form, be patient. Rushing the process may raise more red flags for Google and prolong your suspension.

Remember, you must be an eligible business to use GMB, so review the guidelines. Also, be sure that you’ve listed a physical address. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not acceptable.

If you’re working with a marketing company, they can do the heavy lifting and help you get your GMB account reinstated as soon as possible.