For entrepreneurs, having a Google My Business (GMB) account is necessary to increase brand visibility and improve search engine rankings. It allows online consumers to view local businesses based on their service and location for easier access. Although GMB pages are free to make, it’s still a service under Google’s jurisdiction and management. This means you need to follow specific rules and regulations unless you want to receive a page suspension penalty.
What’s the difference between soft and hard suspensions?
When you receive a GMB page suspension, you need to identify if you have a hard or soft suspension. Soft suspensions allow you to still show up on Google search results and have users contact your business by clicking your phone number. In contrast, hard suspensions prohibit your page from being searchable to others, making you invisible to matches for your service in search engine queries.
The most common reason for soft suspensions is improper formatting of contact details, such as using abbreviations for your addresses. However, hard suspensions can be more complicated.
Why would my GMB page receive a hard suspension?
Like soft suspensions, you can get a hard suspension due to contact details. It counts as a hard suspension if you’re using a rented mailbox as your business’s address. Additionally, if you attempt to display a physical address and service area to boost your SEO, it’s enough grounds to get you a hard suspension.
Similar to a social media platform, GMB pages can allow multiple people to use your page to manage and edit information and interactions. However, this means that Google will oversee if you’re using your GMB page according to its guidelines. For example, you can get a hard suspension if Google’s moderators can flag your content as spam due to recent activities. You can also get flagged by attribution to users violating these rules.
On the other hand, if one of your page admins gets suspended, removing access to that user and appealing to Google can revoke your hard suspension.
What should I do after getting a hard suspension on my GMB page?
After identifying the cause of your suspension, you can appeal for your page’s status by finding the cause and remedying it. Some problems above may be more complicated to handle than others. However, it’s necessary to make an initiative to show as proof when submitting your appeal. Once your profile meets the acceptable criteria for revoking the suspension, press the “learn more” button at your profile’s red suspension box and submit your appeal.
You can remedy the offenses above to reclaim access to your GMB page up again. However, you’ll lose more than just the unavailability of your site for a few days. All your listed photos, ratings, and reviews will no longer be recoverable, even after getting approval from your appeal. This is why it’s necessary to avoid the potential causes of a hard suspension as much as possible.
Conclusion
Maintaining your business’s visibility is a crucial contributor to your success. Since more and more consumers are dependent on online interactions and interfaces, losing access to your GMB account can deal a blow to your sales margins. This is why you need to be cautious about running your digital platforms to grow your online presence.
We offer online reputation services allowing you to be secure in knowing that your business’s online visibility remains on the positive end for consumers. Our team can handle your business’s GMB reinstatement services, SEO writing, and more. Contact us today, and we’ll ensure to keep your online presence clean!