Holyoake had spent years building up his Google Business Profile (GBP), an important asset for local and service-based businesses. Then, one day, it was suspended without warning – and with no reason given.

“You’re simply sent an email saying ‘Your profile has been suspended’, and a link to a labyrinth of policy documentation,” said Holyoake. “It’s up to you to figure out why, and you only have two chances to ‘appeal’ their decision.”

If your GBP has been suspended, you’ll know that it’s a distressing place – and that it can cost your business significantly. You’ll also know that the process of getting your GBP restored can be endlessly frustrating and mysterious.

To find out how Google’s verification process works, and how businesses can have their profiles restored, ISB spoke to SEO specialist and Google Product Expert Pulkit Agrawal.

Why did my Google Business Profile get suspended?

The number one reason for GBP suspension is violation of Google’s policies – the same ones Holyoake described as “a labyrinth”.

“If the business has been suspended, it’s because of policy violations…99 per cent of the time,” said Agrawal.

As to why Google doesn’t give a reason for the violation: it’s not in their financial interest, according to Agrawal. From Google’s point of view, the profiles are a free service – why spend time and money telling business owners what they did wrong? Moreover, helping bad actors to pinpoint what they did wrong is also not in the company’s best interests.

Suspensions are also not doled out by humans generally, but it can happen. Instead, Google’s algorithms trawl profiles for elements that don’t align with policies – and they’re very sensitive, to weed out fraudsters who might be trying to game the system. 

“People are becoming creative, they are using employee addresses to verify different locations,” said Agrawal. “I even know businesses that go around and look for rundown houses… because they want to target multiple locations.”

But as fraudulent businesses get taken down, so do many legitimate ones – like Holyoake’s. If this has happened to you too, here’s what to do.

How can I get my Google Business Profile reinstated?

Once your profile is taken down, you’ll have two chances to appeal the decision.

In Holyoake’s case, both appeals were rejected, even though he provided seemingly substantial evidence to prove his business’ legitimacy: documentation, business information, photos of workers in uniform. But Agrawal said even the most bulletproof evidence of your business’ existence won’t cut it if you’ve somehow violated Google’s policy. 

“The only reason why appeals get rejected is because of policy violations – they go by the book,” he explained.

Agrawal always recommends looking at the policy violations with a fine-toothed comb before you appeal. Once you’ve found the area that your profile doesn’t comply with, fix it up and then appeal. If you don’t think you’ve violated any policies after having a good readthrough – or if your appeal is rejected – the Google Business Profile Help Community is the next place to go.

Google’s help community 

Google’s help community is a forum, but it can be useful in getting your GBP restored, Agrawal said. This community is where Google Product Experts hang out – these are volunteers who are in direct contact with Google and often attend conferences to learn more about their products and services. When Matt Holyoake’s GBP was suspended, it was one of these Product Experts who finally got the profile reinstated.

“If appeals are rejected, your only option is to turn to Google’s support ‘Community’, where a ‘Google Product Expert’ might answer your questions,” said Holyoake. “…When one of Google’s Product Experts somehow got our profile reinstated, no reason was given for the downtime.”

Agrawal is a Google Product Expert. Though he was unable to share how the process works exactly, he said he works with both business owners and Google Support to make sure that policy violations are fixed. He added that false positives, where no policy violations occurred, are “fairly common”.

So, if you engage with these community pages, you may be able to find an expert who can help you: either by liaising with Google or by identifying what policy your GBP might be violating.

Note: Agrawal warned never to give your logins or personal information away to anyone helping you – you shouldn’t need to do this to get a solution.

Google support

Google Product Experts aren’t the only people who handle cases like these; business owners can also reach out to Google’s support via a form online. 

Yes, there is a dedicated support team for GBPs – but it can be a “slow burn” to get help, according to Agrawal. And you may not be assigned a human if your case isn’t deemed worthy of one, or if you don’t provide much detail in your form.

So, in sum – if your GBP is suspended, it can be an arduous process getting it back up. And the damage a missing profile can do to your business is devastating.

What’s more, Google only seems to be getting stricter with its crackdowns. In his opinion piece, Holyoake referenced a recent statement by a Google employee who said that the company took down 12 million fake business profiles in 2024.

“With my recent experience and countless posts on Reddit and Google’s support forums detailing similar experiences, I’m willing to bet a great chunk of those ’12 million fake businesses’ are not fake,” said Holyoake.

As both an SEO specialist and a Product Expert, Agrawal deals with GBP suspensions all the time, to the point that he jokes about them keeping him in business.

“Business profile violations are how we break our bread,” he said. “But it’s really hard. I really pity the business owners.”

The post Why your Google Business Profile was suspended – and how to get it back appeared first on Inside Small Business.

If I walked down Lygon Street and threw a brick through the window of every business I passed, there would be repercussions. But somehow, Google can get away with doing far more damage to far more businesses at a far greater scale. 

I’m referring to the automated suspension of Google Business Profiles, which has increased at an alarming rate in recent months. Search Engine Journal recorded that posts to Google’s support forums complaining about suspended Business Profiles more than doubled from December 2025 to February 2025.

But shouldn’t Google be able to do what they like with their own platform? After all, Google Business Profiles are a free service, right?

I don’t think so. 

If you’re a local business, being findable on Google isn’t optional. There’s no comparable platform you can run to if you’re not happy with Google. No businesses live or die by their presence on Apple Maps. 

Because of this, businesses spend years building their Google Business Profiles. They add photos, keep contact details up to date, and ask their customers to leave reviews. All of this information and user engagement help Google dominate the intersection of local search, reviews, and maps. Google then sells this market dominance back to us in the form of ads.

This exchange is as much Google providing you with a “free service” as your employer provides you with “free money”. 

Google’s bureaucratic support maze

When Google suspends your Google Business Profile they do so without notice, and without reason. You’re simply sent an email saying “Your profile has been suspended”, and a link to a labyrinth of policy documentation. It’s up to you to figure out why, and you only have two chances to “appeal” their decision. 

I went through this recently with my workspace cleaning business. At Google’s request, we submitted several government communications showing our business name, ABN, and business address. Nonetheless, both of our appeals were rejected. Even with years of legitimate reviews, photos of staff in uniform doing commercial cleaning work, and submitting several documents proving we’re a real business, we still weren’t real enough for Google. 

If appeals are rejected, your only option is to turn to Google’s support “Community”, where a “Google Product Expert” might answer your questions.  This “Expert” isn’t a Google employee. They’re unpaid “everyday Google users who love using Google products”. Basically, Google figured out how to trick their users – paying them with ‘Points’ and ‘Status’ levels – into providing support to other users, rather than funding a real support service.

When one of Google’s Product Experts somehow got our profile reinstated, no reason was given for the downtime. One of our business’ most valuable tools was taken offline for several weeks with no explanation, no human intervention, and no accountability. 

In his book ‘The Unaccountability Machine’, Dan Davies introduces the concept of Accountability Sinks, where responsibility for decisions is obscured within complex systems and automated processes. Google’s suspension and support process for Google Business Profiles is a textbook Accountability Sink. 

If this were any other platform, I’d simply move on, but this is Google. Millions of local businesses rely only on their platform. But Google has designed it in a way that they are completely irresponsible and unaccountable for the damage they can cause these businesses. 

Terrorising small businesses at scale

In a post to Google’s Blog in April, Google’s Director of Product Management for User Generated Content boasts about implementing AI to block “more than 12 million fake Business Profiles”. With my recent experience and countless posts on Reddit and Google’s support forums detailing similar experiences, I’m willing to bet a great chunk of those “12 million fake businesses” are not fake. 

Google has built a nightmare system that terrorises small businesses at a previously impossible scale. An obfuscated implementation of AI suspends and disables thousands or millions of Google Business Profiles at a time. While likely removing many fake business profiles, legitimate businesses are also impacted.  Those businesses are then dropped into Google’s bureaucratic support maze, with no support and no reason for the suspension. For these businesses, the damage is immediate and measurable. 

Should Google be regulated to better protect small businesses? 

While I’m hesitant to recommend more regulation, there are three reasons I believe this is called for in the way Google manages businesses using their platform:

1. There is no alternative to Google for local businesses.
2. There is immediate and measurable economic damage to a business when their profile is suspended
3. Google has proven that it will indiscriminately harm small businesses at an enormous scale without providing sufficient notice or support.

A few changes would go a long way to helping protect small businesses from Google, or any other future platform that may accumulate the power to damage them at such a significant scale:  

1. Businesses shouldn’t be delisted without sufficient notice.
2. If businesses are delisted, they need a specific reason for doing so and the means to fix it.
3. Businesses need access to a real support service, not just a “community forum”.

The post Has your Google Business Profile been disabled? You’re not alone appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Maintaining a robust online presence is crucial for businesses in our increasingly digital world. With Google phasing out websites created through Google Business Profiles, it’s imperative for businesses affected by this change to act swiftly.

In our most recent State of Small Business report, Localsearch found 78 per cent of small businesses are using websites as a key tool in their marketing strategy, and a quarter (24.5 per cent) have expanded their online presence to reach wider audiences and connect with communities. Responding to this phase-out accordingly is just one way to stay ahead of the curve.

With limited time, resources, and budget, it can be challenging for small businesses to execute big changes to marketing operations. The same can be said for responding swiftly to major disruptions to their day-to-day functioning. At Localsearch, we work with over 28,000+ Australian small businesses to maximise their digital presence. We recommend following these simple steps to make a smooth transition for you and your business.

What to do if you have a website made by a Google Business Profile

All impacted websites should have already received email communications from Google, to the email address linked to the website. To ensure your online presence remains uninterrupted, there are some quick and simple steps businesses can take:

Select an alternative website solution

When selecting a new website provider, it’s important to consider ease of use, cost, integration with marketing tools, security features, search-engine compatibility, and the provider’s track record for reliability.

Update your Google Business Profile and other online platforms

Once your new website is ready, update your Google Business Profile, Localsearch Business Profile, social media and any other online presence profiles you may have with the new site address. This should be done before the deadline to avoid any disruption to your online presence.

Adjust your ad campaigns

If you have any Google Ads or social media campaigns linking to your Google Business Profile website, update the URLs in your ads to the new website. This should be done before 1 March to prevent any impact on your ad performance.

Inform your customers

Communicate with your customers about the change in your website address so they know where to find you online. It’s a good idea to include links in bios on social media accounts, and to either send a newsletter and/or post about the website change to keep your base informed.

What will happen to ad campaigns linked to a website from Google Business Profile?

If your Ads campaign is linked to a website from Google Business Profile, you should change the link before 1 March to keep your ads running. Alternatively, you can choose to pause your campaigns until your new website is up and running. 

What happens to my website after 1 March?

Your website will be turned off on 1 March, and customers attempting to visit your website will be redirected to your Business Profile until 10 June. After that they will encounter a “page not found” error.

The post Google to shut down business profiles websites in March appeared first on Inside Small Business.

1. If you don’t have an online presence, get one

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to assume you already have a website, Facebook Business Profile, Google Business Profile and Google Analytics setup. If you don’t, this is your first tip…get it all! The wider your online footprint is, the more people your business will reach.

2. Check your NAP and citations

NAP is marketing lingo for your business’s name, address and phone number. A citation is simply the name for anywhere your NAP is shown online. It’s important to check your NAP and citations because search engines use your NAP to confirm they’re looking at your business whenever they find a citation. So, your NAP should be the exact same anywhere it’s shown online to ensure you’re reaping the benefits of some of your search engine optimisation (SEO) activities.

Here are a few places to check your NAP is consistent:

• Your website (including your header, footer, contact page and location pages).
• Your online listings (including your Localsearch.com.au business profile).
• Social media pages (including Facebook).
• Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).

3. Start your paid ad campaigns

If you want to generate sales or enquiries over the Christmas period, it’s time to start your paid ad campaigns now.

For those planning to run Facebook Ads, you’ll want to run a brand awareness campaign for at least two months before you run any customer-led campaigns because the Facebook ads platform takes time to learn about your audience, and who the ads should be targeting. In failing to do this, you’ll waste precious marketing dollars while the platform learns who best to push your ads to.

Google Ads is a similar platform. However the campaign types differ to Facebook. To put your business in the best position over the holiday season, you want to start your ads as early as possible to give the Google Ads platform time to learn about you, your website and your audience.

4. Ensure you have an optimised Google Business Profile

One in two Australians who perform a search on Google for a local service or product provider will visit or contact a business that day. Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to get in front of these people.

It’s important to get on top of your Google Business Profile now to ensure it has time to assess your updates and adjust your rankings to suit. Updates include:

• Ensuring your NAP is consistent.
• Complete the information and feature section.
• Respond to any new reviews.
• Answer all FAQ.
• Set up messaging.
• Post regularly.

5. Build up your email database

Email marketing is great for sharing information or generating customer interest at scale over the holiday season, if you have the audience. Building an email marketing list takes time so we recommend you start at least three months before Christmas.

If you use a customer management system (CMS) like Salesforce, you should already have a database of your past and current clients. But if you don’t, you can create an email database in a program like Mailchimp or HubSpot and start building your database through subscription links on your website.

By building your online presence and beginning your holiday marketing strategy as early as possible, you can ensure that your small business is in the best position possible to have a very merry holiday season.

The post How to prepare your small business and maximise sales for the silly season appeared first on Inside Small Business.