So Google has suspended your business profile? 😞 What now?

Is your Google business profile suspended? Or is it about to be? Google is suspending profiles (Google Business Profiles, formerly known as Google My Business or GMB) that belong to businesses who don’t have physical locations and/or don’t serve customers face to face. This may happen to you without any warning at all. You may be wondering what to do now if this was an important source of traffic and credibility.

Here’s what it means for your SEO strategy, and what to do about getting reviews.

Why is it happening?

Essentially, you are required to have a valid address in order to set up a profile. This is explained in the article, Why Your Google Profile Got Suspended (and How to Fix It) by GoSite Team. As stated in Google’s terms of eligibility: In order to prove to Google that your business is legitimate, you need to have signage visible from the street, and you cannot be online only. So yes, sadly, if your business is in your home and entirely virtual, you won’t be able to appear on Google Maps (and by extension, Google Business Profiles).

What should you do if your Google business profile is suspended?

Unfortunately, if you don’t meet eligibility you won’t be able to get your profile back.

However, that doesn’t mean SEO won’t work for you. It means you may have to employ different tactics in order to show up in searches that include your local geographic area or “near me”.

You may also lose your reviews as well, if you haven’t taken screenshots of them. Whether or not your profile has been suspended, it’s a good idea to diversify where your reviews are generated. For example, ask your customers to record a video, or give you a written testimonial via email. Also, if your business isn’t eligible for a Google profile, it still should be okay to have a Facebook or Instagram presence! (And you can get reviews on Facebook.)

If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email! Unfortunately, I can’t help you reinstate a suspended profile, but I can answer your questions about SEO.