What to do when your profile is suspended

What kind of restriction is on your profile?

Owners say "suspended" for several different problems, and each one has a different fix. Find out which one you have before you change anything. Google describes these statuses on its status page for bulk-uploaded profiles and in its appeals guide. For the full profile setup, start with our Google Business Profile guide for carpet cleaners. This post covers only what to do once something has gone wrong.

The fastest way to see what happened is Google's Business Profile appeals tool. Google's guide to fixing suspended or disabled profiles says the tool shows the date of the decision, the reason, a link to the policy you broke, whether you can appeal, and the decision's status.

Read the linked policy before you touch the profile. It tells you which rule to fix, so you aren't guessing and changing things that were fine.

Common reasons carpet cleaning profiles get suspended

The rules below come from Google's guidelines for representing your business. Our Google Business Profile guide lists these as common triggers for carpet cleaners. Most carpet cleaners are service-area businesses, meaning you go to the customer's home instead of the customer coming to you.

Showing an address customers don't visit

Google's rule is direct: "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers." If you run the company from your house, the guidelines say to clear that address from the profile. A home address showing as a storefront is the first thing to check.

Using a rented address you don't work from

A virtual office is a mailing address you rent but don't operate from, and Google says that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile. Google also says P.O. boxes or mailboxes at remote locations aren't acceptable. If you rented a mailbox to look local in a bigger town nearby, that address has to come off.

Extra words in the business name

Google says your name "should reflect your business's real-world name," as used on your storefront, website and stationery. For you, that is also the name on your truck and invoices. Its list of things to leave out includes service information, location information, marketing taglines, phone numbers and business hours. Google warns that unnecessary information in the name could result in suspension.

Duplicate listings

Google says, "There should only be one profile per business." It also says not to create more than one page for each location, whether in one account or several. A separate profile for every town you serve breaks that rule. So does an old profile for the same business that nobody closed.

Why edits can put your profile back under review

Every change you make is checked. Google says, "Edits that you make to your verified Business Profile are reviewed to ensure they follow our guidelines." Some edits also bring back verification, which is Google's process for confirming your business is real and that you manage it.

• Name change: Google says if you change your business name after it's verified, you might need to verify again.
• Moving: If you move to a new address after verification, Google says you must verify again.
• Re-verification requests: Google says a request for more information to re-verify is likely because some of your business details were recently updated.
• Edits during verification: Google says not to edit your business name, address or category while a code is on the way, or the code won't work.

The Google help pages on edits and verification don't say that edits alone cause suspensions, and we won't claim they do. They do show that name and address changes get checked, and sometimes the profile has to be verified again. Our advice is to make one change at a time, make it match your truck and website, and wait until it goes live before making the next one.

If Google asks for a video, its verification guide asks you to show branded equipment, marketing materials or the tools you use to serve customers. For a carpet cleaner, that means the lettered van, the truck-mount and your wands. To show you manage the business, Google suggests showing employee-only areas or non-sensitive business documents.

How to appeal a suspended Google Business Profile

Fix the problem first, then appeal. Google's first instruction is, "Make sure your profile follows all the guidelines." Google also says, "Appeals can only be submitted once," so send it only when the profile is clean and your evidence is ready.

If your whole account is restricted, start there. Google says you can "provide a reason and submit an appeal for your account on your My accounts page." Once that restriction lifts, appeal the profile itself.

1. Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool, which is linked from Google's guide to suspended profiles.
2. If you're signed in to the Google account tied to the profile, select Confirm.
3. Select the Business Profile you want to appeal, then select Continue.
4. Select the decision you want to appeal, then select Continue.
5. Add a short explanation and attach your evidence. Google calls this step optional, but appeals can only be submitted once, so attach everything now.
6. Check the box confirming you're ready and that all supporting evidence is attached, then select Submit appeal.

Google says appeal reviews and decisions can take up to 5 business days, and the appeals tool shows your appeal's status. If the appeal is denied, you may still have a path. Google says, "Only if your reinstatement request is denied, we may be able to do an additional review to prove your eligibility." You can add evidence that wasn't in your first appeal.

What evidence should you gather for the appeal?

Google lists the documents that can help your appeal. Gather them before you open the tool. Google also tells you to check that the business name and address on them match the profile you're appealing.

• Official business registration, such as your state filing for the company
• A business license
• Tax certificates
• A utility bill for the business, such as electricity, phone, water or internet

Check the names before you check anything else. Google's name rules say to leave irrelevant legal terms like LLC out of the profile name. Your license can say "Smith's Carpet Care LLC" while the profile says "Smith's Carpet Care." Mention that difference in your note. If the names differ in any other way, fix the difference before you appeal.

Google says evidence that helps an appeal "includes" these items, so it isn't a closed list. Keep clear photos of your lettered van and equipment ready too. Google's video verification asks for the same kind of proof.

What not to do while you wait for a decision

• Don't make a new profile. Google's guide says, "Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business." A second profile also breaks the one-profile rule.
• Don't send repeat appeals. Google says, "Do not submit multiple appeals for the same issue before receiving a decision."
• Don't make unrelated edits. You can still edit a suspended profile, but limit changes to what the policy link points to.
• Don't put the extra words back in your name after you're reinstated. The rule that suspended you still applies.

Keep the phone ringing in the meantime. Your past-customer list still works while the profile is down, so this is a good week for a reminder text to last spring's customers. See our guide to repeat customers. Paid channels are another option, covered in carpet cleaning paid ads, and your website still answers searches.

After you're reinstated, check the profile every month. Google says, "If we receive reports that your business info isn't accurate, we might update your profile." A monthly check catches a changed name or address before it turns into another problem.