There has been a recent uptick in Google My Business (GMB) suspensions for making single edits to business profiles. If that sounds crazy to you, jump on-board because we didn’t believe at first either.
We have noticed several threads in our Local Search Forum and on our blog talking about the issue. We began noticing these new Google suspensions about a month ago. I triggered a suspension on one of our clients for adding a website link to their new GMB profile in early September. We were able to get the listing reinstated a few weeks later after going through the process of proving the location is real, providing photos, videos, and showing staff members at the location.
This thread in the Local Search Forum shows the frustration of triggering a suspension simply from adding categories to GMB. Theo1313 shares, “I updated a category in our GMB. I added the “Water Softening” category and less than a minute later our GMB got suspended.” The business was reinstated after a few days, though the business owner was admittedly a bit freaked out.
In the thread, Joy mentions GMB suspensions are on the rise due to all the fake listings being generated currently in GMB. She also mentions she has noticed listings which get suspended when several fields are updated at once, though that was not the issue with this business.
On the Sterling Sky Blog, another business owner complained about triggering a suspension by updating a phone number. Once again, Joy jumped in to respond saying, “…GMB suspensions are a bit insane right now. I’m hearing stories of people making a single edit and causing a suspension.”
We have reached out to Google for a comment and are awaiting a response. This blog will be updated once Google responds.
Have you noticed clients or businesses being suspended for making GMB edits? Discuss with us by joining LocalSearchForum.com – it’s free!
