#1: Inconsistent business details online.
The business name, address and phone number must be consistent across the entire internet, not just the GBP and website. The services/products, brick & mortar vs SAB, hours, etc all need to be consistent as well. Conduct a brand search and ensure that social profiles, key citations and directories have consistent info.
***The most important are website, social profiles, Yelp, Bing, FourSquare, and especially BBB.org. If applicable, Apple Maps, MapQuest, Angi, Houzz, and high authority niche-specific directories, eg realtor dot com, AVVO, etc. Low value, low authority citations are of less concern. Do not submit an appeal until inconsistencies are fixed.
Falls under “Deceptive content”
#2: Inconsistencies in “proof” photos or documents submitted to Google.
If your business is a brick & mortar or a hybrid, the business name and address that is displayed on the profile needs to be exactly the same as the documents and photos that you submit as evidence when you verify the profile and/or appeal a suspension. If your business is an SAB, your documents and photos need to exactly match the address that you used when verifying the profile.
Falls under “Deceptive content”
#3: Displaying an address when the business is an SAB.
Google has pre-conceived ideas as to which niches typically have a physical location and which are typically service area businesses. Yes, there are exceptions but if your niche is typically an SAB and you happen to have a legitimate physical office, the burden of proof is on you.
Per Google’s terms of service, to display an address the location must have:
public-facing signage
must be staffed during business hours
must have interior space where customers are served
If your business does not meet those 3 criteria, you cannot display the address.
Falls under “Deceptive content”
#4: Service area is larger than allowed by Google’s terms of service.
The service area cannot exceed a 2 hour driving radius from the address that was used for profile verification.
Falls under “Business is not eligible for a GBP”
#5: Poor quality:
If the profile is incomplete, uses stock images, or content is spammy, Google will suspend the profile.
Falls under “quality does not adhere to standards”.
#6: User has been flagged by Google:
If any gmail that is associated with the profile has been flagged by Google for spammy or suspicious behavior, any/all GBPs attached to that gmail account will be suspended. The spammy or suspicious behavior does not necessarily have to relate to the GBP in question. Remove the offending gmail from the GBP and file an appeal.
Falls under “Suspicious activity”
#7: Google does not trust the business:
This usually happens when the business is new and/or does not yet have much of an online presence. It could be a new domain, lack of socials, lack of key citations, or it can also be that the business recently rebranded or moved and hasn’t updated the rest of their digital assets yet. At the very least, create or update the key citations listed in #1, above before attempting to verify a profile or appeal a suspension.
Falls under “Deceptive content” or “business is ineligible”
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