How to Recover From a Google Business Profile Suspension and Regain Rankings

A Google Business Profile (GBP) suspension is likely to substantially hurt businesses that rely mainly on local search traffic. When a business is suspended, be it for a rule violation or an accidental error, immediate action to remove the suspension is critical.

Let’s discuss how to get GBP back, improve rankings, and make business more discoverable in search.

1. Classify the Suspensions

Google executes two types of suspensions:

• Soft Suspension

It’s the situation when the business is still listed, and the details can’t be altered, as the services and the features will be unavailable.

• Hard Suspension

This happens when the review is no longer on Google Search or Maps. At the same time, it can be deindexed from the list.

Determining the type of suspension helps in finding the right and most effective steps.

2. Analyze Google’s Policies and Regulations

In the majority of cases, suspensions are due to the following reasons:

• Introduction of an inaccurate business name or industry type improperly
• Representing a virtual office instead of a physical location
• Creating multiple business profiles for a business entity
• Adding irrelevant keywords or stuffing keywords in the guide
• Not following Google’s guidelines for content creation

Resolving the exact cause of suspension is the most effective way to solve the problem.

For ongoing challenges, partnering with a map SEO agency can help with reinstatement and search optimization.

3. Address Any Errors

If a possible violation is encountered, you can:

• Ensure the business name and other details conform to the original documentation.
• Avoid duplicating businesses or profiles on different platforms.
• Ensure the physical address provided is verifiable.
• Avoid adding business details that don’t align with the mentioned platforms.

SEO Whitelabel program provides a whole package for a business to address their GBP issues.

4. Apply for Restoration of the Profile 

Once the profile is in total compliance and the rules, the process can be carried out by the GBP Help Center. The following details have to be mentioned:

• A clear but short report of the issue with an explanation of the steps to correct the mistake.
• Verification of documents that confirm business legality effectiveness, such as invoices, business licenses, and address proof representing the physical location.
• Evidence of alterations (screenshots or captured images).

5. Being Persistent and Following up Methodically

Google usually takes a few days to process the reinstating requests, but it can extend to several weeks in some cases.

The most important thing is to be patient and not to send multiple requests, as this may lead to more delays. If one is looking for help, having a conversation with GBP Community can be helpful.

6. Re-establish and Enhance Your Rankings

Once the profile is restored, we need to be careful with the reputation and maximize rankings by:

• Making sure that the data about the business is accurate and updated.
• Keeping potential customers informed of special offers, updates, exclusive events, and discounts.
• Obtaining quality citations from trustworthy local sites and building credible backlinks.
• Hiring an SEO specialist to fix the GBP ranks leads to higher Google Maps performance.
• Linking specific phrases to their respective locations for local search term coverage.

Conclusion

Bouncing back from a GBP suspension demands persistence and a well-thought-out strategy.

Complying with Google’s policies, consistently optimizing your business profile, and opting for affordable pricing packages can help you restore your profile and recover rankings by securing lasting visibility in local search results.