Have you ever logged into your Google My Business account only to see a big red “Suspended” banner at the top of the page?  Well, it happens, and if it happens to you it can be challenging to figure out exactly why your site was suspended.  You see, a Google employee will almost never tell you why your account was suspended, mostly because Google doesn’t want to help rule-breakers get better at cheating. Instead, the Google My Business guidelines spell out a very detailed list of things you shouldn’t do, with some offenses being much more serious than others.

According to Search Engine Land Columnist Joy Hawkins, Google imposes what she calls “soft suspensions” and “hard suspensions,” depending on the severity of the offense.  A soft suspension will block your ability to log in and manage your business listing, however, your business will still show up in Google and on Google Maps.  In this case, your listing would basically be “unverified” because you broke a guideline. This type of suspension can generally be resolved with a little clean-up work and a re-verification with Google.

A “hard suspension” is a far more serious penalty, and results in your entire listing being removed from Google and Google Maps, including reviews, photos, business details, and other data tied to your account.

Whether it’s a “soft” or “hard” suspension depends on which guideline(s) you broke in Google. Although there are multiple reasons for suspensions, here are five common mistakes that could get your business suspended:

1.        Your website address contains a forwarding URL.  If your business uses a vanity URL that forwards to a different domain, this can result in a soft suspension.  Google’s guidelines state “Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or ‘refer’ users to landing pages.”

2.       You added keywords to your business name.  If the name of your business is “Mary’s Bar & Grill”, don’t change it by adding keywords (e.g., “Mary’s Bar & Grill in Brighton, MI)

3.       You have multiple verified listings for the same business.  Google says, “do not create more than one page for each location of your business.” Both listings (the real one and the duplicate you created) will be suspended.

4.       You created a listing at a virtual office or P.O. box.  Having a virtual office in multiple cities will not help your business rank in these locations; instead, it will cause a hard suspension if you are caught. This means your business listing, information, reviews, photos, etc. will all be removed from Google and Google Maps.

5.       You created a listing for an online business without a brick and mortar storefront.  Google requires that to be eligible for Local Listings, business must make in-person contact with their customers. Since online businesses do not do this, Google specifies that they are not supposed to create a Local page, but should use a G+ brand page instead.  Online stores are not considered local businesses and do not rank in Google’s Local 3-pack or on Google Maps.

Of course, there are lots of reasons why Google suspends accounts, so make sure you play by Google’s rules when it comes to local listings.  If your account is currently suspended in Google, you should immediately review Google’s Guidelines and make sure that you are in full compliance with everything on that list.  Like it or not, playing by Google’s rules ultimately benefits your business, and may even save you from search engine oblivion.

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