My Google Listing Has Been Suspended; What Can I Do to Restore It?

When your business's Google listing is taken down, it might be a little unnerving. If your listing has been suspended, we'll explain why and what you can do to get it back.Before we answer these questions, though, we need to figure out what kind of suspension occurred.

There are two kinds of suspension: a "soft" suspension and a "hard" suspension.

A "soft" suspension marks your business as suspended, but you still show up in search results. It typically requires reclaiming and reverifying the listing with a new Google account. These suspensions are becoming less common.

A "hard" suspension will remove your business listing from search results. To pull your listing out of a hard suspension, you must follow Google’s protocol and be very patient. We will discuss this process later.

Why Is Your Google Listing Suspended?

When Google decides to suspend a business listing, they are responding to any number of red flags, suspicious activity, or suspected policy violations. While Google will not officially disclose the reason a listing has been suspended, there are some common events that tend to result in suspended listings:

• Information within your listing has changed. primary or secondary categories.
• Changes to the business name, address, phone number, and website URL or ownership transfers, especially when login locations change.
• Changing to a service area with a hidden address (after operating with a visible address) The primarcategory is a high-risk industry.
• Locksmiths
• HVAC (heating and cooling)
• Plumbing
• Other home services businesses
• The address violates Google policy.
• P.O. Box, virtual address, FedEx or UPS Store boxes
• Forwarding URL
• Phone number forwarding
• Multiple listings for the same business/location

The listing is for an online-only business. You do not have the authority to claim that the address listed belongs to your business.

While these are not the only things that may cause Google to suspend your business listing, they are very common and may help you find out why your listing was flagged and suspended.

How Does a Suspended Listing Affect Your Business?

A suspended listing is nothing to stress about. While a hard suspension does remove your listing from search results, these suspensions do not always mean your business is doomed. As long as you follow their protocols, Google will provide you with solutions to reinstate your business’s listing.

• When Google suspends a listing, they are acting in the best interests of your business, your industry, your customers, and Google itself.
• With an increase in fraudulent listings over the last few years, Google has used listing suspension to filter out illegitimate businesses and show honest, legitimate businesses to searchers. A legitimate business will have very little trouble getting out of suspension.

 How Can I Fix My Suspended Google Listing?

In order to get your listing back from suspension, Google may require you to provide proof that you are a legitimate business. Here are a few examples of the kind of proof you’ll need to provide:

• State business licence (if required by the state)
• Professional licencing (if required by law)
• Proof of occupancy of the location
• Utility bills
• Rental agreements and deeds
• Photos of the business location
• The street's business logo is clearly visible.
• address of the building/suite numbers on the door
• Vehicles with company logos parked in front of the building
• Tax identification papers.
• Video verification
• To find out exactly what you need to provide, though, contact Google My Business Support.

There may be some cases in which Google will lift the suspension via alternative methods such as video or phone verification. Google will determine if your business qualifies for these less-intensive solutions. No matter what process Google uses to reinstate your listing, it is absolutely crucial to follow their instructions quickly and thoroughly. You’ll also need to be patient with Google. Trying to rush the process can raise additional red flags and may lead to your business being permanently blacklisted.