Yo, GMB Gorilla! How long does a Google suspension last?
You’re on probation from Google – now what?
Howdy reader! So, you’ve been suspended and you’re scrambling to fix it. You want to break free from the Google’s virtual prison. It makes sense.
If you’re using Google My Business (GMB), you know it plays a huge role in generating leads and sale. When your Google My Business profile is suspended or inaccessible, it will negatively impact your company in more ways than one. Losing online exposure means you’re losing potential customers. Not cool.
GMB Gorilla is here to help clean up the mess. Let’s dig a little deeper into the forest, shall we?
How Google Business Profile suspensions work
Suspensions come in all different shapes and sizes. Let GMB Gorilla guide you on this one.
Finding out your account has been suspended is extremely frustrating, especially when you don’t know why it happened in the first place. That one time you were suspended from school isn’t quite the same as Google’s definition.
Google Business Profile suspensions are a fair warning for users to stop violating its Terms of Service or Community Guidelines. If you have violated Google’s rules and regulations, they will issue a suspension at some point (yes, some get away with rules infractions, but usually not for long).
To get your profile reinstated, you’ll have to fix your profile and then get in touch with Google directly. This process can be frustrating and time consuming if you haven’t done it before or don’t know what is wrong with your Google Business Profile.
What’s worse is that Google will not tell you what is wrong. You have to figure out for yourself.
To make things even more interesting, there isn’t just one form of suspension. In fact, there are two. Google has developed a system where there are different levels of punishment when a user repeatedly violates their community rules.
Luckily for you, GMB Gorilla knows all about Google’s different suspension types.
Soft suspensions vs. Hard suspensions
A soft suspension means that your company’s Knowledge Panel is still visible online, but you won’t be able to manage or update your listing while on suspension.Though other users can still find your listing on search results, a soft suspension leaves you vulnerable to anyone who might post inaccurate information to your profile.
Soft suspensions typically happen when your profile violates Google’s Terms of Service for one of the following fields:
- Address
- Business Name
- Primary Category
- Website URL
A hard suspension is a bit more serious. With a hard suspension your profile will not be visible when you search for what you do and or your business name. You also will not to be able to push any edits or updates live.
Since a hard suspension removes your profile from search and maps, fixing issues related to it are important to restore your rankings, traffic, calls, and leads. Hard suspensions often occur after repeated Terms of Service violations or if Google deems your profile to really be a service area business posing as a physical address business.
Account suspensions vs Profile suspensions
It’s important to note that you Google Business Profile could also be suspended because the ownership account associated with it has been suspended. We have seen cases were Google accounts that were hacked or participating in spammy actions get suspended and take down their Google Business Profile as well.
How long does a Google suspension last?
Less panicking, more reading.
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that a suspension only lasts as long as the violation remains on your profile. The bad news is that a suspension may last forever if Google deems your business ineligible for reinstatement.
So, what factors affect the length of your account’s suspension? The extent of your suspensions ultimately depends on the severity of your case.
You can file a reinstatement with Google in an attempt to re-verify your profile. You will usually get an initial response with 5-7 business days.
You could receive good news on the first contact, or Google may require you to submit more information in order for them to reinstate the profile.
In general, we tell everyone to expect the process to take 2-3 weeks.
Going bananas over your Google Suspension? Let GMB Gorilla show you the ropes
If you’ve been beating your head instead of your chest and don’t want to deal with the rest of the mess, let GMB Gorilla help. With our Google My Business Suspension Service, one of our awesome experts will restore your online presence at just $500.
Learn more and sign-up for our Google My Business Suspension Service today.
