Is Your Google My Business Listing Suspended? Here’s What You Need to Know

As a local business owner, managing your online presence with Google My Business (GMB) is critical. You’ll find it’s one of the most important tools in your marketing toolbox. (If you don’t have a Google My Business listing, stop and read this .)

Not only does your GMB listing help local consumers find you, it also provides valuable information to those consumers, including your location, business hours, and reviews. But like its other applications and platforms, Google has a defined set of regulations that govern GMB listings. And sometimes, you can fall outside those regulations, resulting in a suspension.

In the past, the only way a business owner would know their listing had been suspended was by logging into their GMB dashboard. This was not ideal, since many business owners don’t log into their dashboards on a daily basis.

However, Google recently added an email feature to notify business owners when their account has been suspended. Don’t look for a super detailed email message, though. These notifications emails are seriously vague, telling you simply that your GMB listing has been suspended. No further explanation. That’s okay though, because simply finding out about the suspension is the important part. Your next step will be logging into your GMB dashboard for more information.

There are a variety of reasons your GMB listing could get suspended. But before we dive into that, let’s first take a look at the different kinds of suspensions. There are two – a soft suspension and a hard suspension. As you might imagine, one is a little more serious than the other.

A soft suspension is considered the lesser of the two, because it still allows your listing to show up in search results.

A hard suspension is a bit more serious, because your business’s listing will be removed from all search results.

Unfortunately , Google is not always straightforward with exactly why your listing was suspended . Instead, they’ll tell you the steps you need to take to get reinstated.

There are some fairly standard reasons for suspension, though. Such as:

• Your business name, address, or phone number are inconsistent
• Changes to your business website’s URL
• Management or ownership changes
• High-risk business categories, such as home services or locksmiths
• Address that violates Google's policies, such as PO Boxes or mail forwarding services

The headache and inconvenience of a suspended GMB listing can sometimes make it hard to see the bigger picture. Google is strict when it comes to their GMB rules for several reasons. First, because they want the most accurate information for consumers . But perhaps more importantly, strictly enforcing their regulations helps Google combat fraudulent GMB listings, which are a problem for both consumers and local business owners.

The first step in reactivating your listing is contacting Google My Busines Support, which you can do through your GMB dashboard. The support staff can explain the specific actions you need to take to lift the suspens ion.

This might include submitting your business license, providing proof of your address , or sending verification of your location. It’s important you follow Google’s instructions very closely, because any hitch in the p rocess will result in a delay in your listing’s reinstatement .

If you’re running into trouble with your listing or you’re just not sure how to get started with Google My Business, consider hiring a professional. Here at Locallogy, we’re experts at Google My Business and can guide you through the process of claiming your listing and setting it up for the best chance of success. We’ll even maintain your listing to reduce the chance that you’ll get suspended.

If your listing is already suspended and you're not sure where to turn, a team like Locallogy can help with that, too.

So your GMB listing is suspended. Yes, it’s a hassle and yes, it will require some work on your side. But it’s not as bad as you might think. Contact Google, follow their instructions, and you’ ll be back up and running in no time.