Google Business Profile suspended: what an IV business should do first

Do not make a new profile

This is the instinct that makes things worse. Google's help page on suspended profiles is direct: "Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business." Its guidelines add that "There should only be one profile per business". A second profile gives Google a second problem to look at, and your reviews stay behind on the first one.

Leave the suspended profile alone until you have read the reason, so you change the right thing.

Read the reason Google gives you

Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool and sign in with the Google account that owns the profile. If an old employee or a past vendor set it up, you may need their login or a transfer before you can see anything. Select the profile, then select the decision. Google says the tool shows these details:

• The date of the decision
• The reason for it
• A link to the policy it says you broke
• Whether the decision can be appealed
• Where the decision stands now

Copy the reason and the policy link into a note. Everything you do next answers that one reason.

One different case: if your whole account is restricted, Google says the profiles you manage are suspended and you cannot create or claim others. You appeal the account from your My accounts page first, then appeal the profile once the restriction is lifted.

The rules to check on an IV profile

Compare your profile with the policy the tool named. These are the parts of Google's guidelines that fit how a mobile IV business or lounge is usually set up. Most are easy to break by accident, especially if you built the profile in a hurry while you were also getting the business off the ground.

• Extra words in the business name. "Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile." Google's not acceptable list includes service information, location information and fully capitalized words. LLC and other legal terms stay out unless your signage, cards or invoices show them as part of the name. If your cards, website and invoices say [Your Name] IV, then [Your Name] Mobile IV Hydration Dallas LLC is the version to fix. More on names here.
• A virtual office or mailbox as your address. Google says a rented mailing address you do not operate from "isn't eligible for a Business Profile". P.O. boxes and remote mailboxes are out as well. A co-working office only counts with clear signage, staff there during business hours and customers received there.
• A home address showing while you travel to clients. "If you don't serve customers at your business address, remove your address from your Business Profile." A lounge that takes walk-ins keeps its address, and Google expects permanent signage with your name there.
• More than one profile. A business that travels to clients is allowed one service-area Business Profile. Google allows one per location only when each has its own service area and its own staff. A profile for each town or each nurse in one business is what to clean up. Check other Google accounts for an old duplicate.
• A service area that is too wide. Google allows up to 20 service areas, set by city, postal code or a similar area, and says the overall boundary should stay within about 2 hours of driving time from your base. It also says larger areas may be appropriate for some businesses. If yours runs wider, trim it to the towns you really drive to unless you have a reason to keep the rest.
• Keywords and sales in other fields. Google asks you to use as few categories as possible and not to use them solely as keywords. Your description cannot focus on promotions or prices and cannot hold links.
• A phone or website that points somewhere else. Google wants a phone number your business directly controls. The same section rules out links that redirect people to pages other than the business's own, including pages created on social media sites. If your website field is a social page, that is worth changing.
• Bought or rewarded reviews. Google says it takes fake and incentivized reviews very seriously and can restrict profiles over them. How to earn reviews the allowed way.

Fix it, then line up your documents

Make the change to the profile before you appeal, because "Appeals can only be submitted once." If you can't edit the suspended profile, write down the exact change you will make and say so in the appeal.

Evidence is optional. Google lists these as things that can help:

• Official business registration
• A business license
• Tax certificates
• Utility bills for the business, such as electricity, phone, water or internet

Google's tip is to check that the business name and address match the profile on anything you send. Lay your documents next to the profile and compare them line by line before you upload.

If you cleared your address because you travel to clients, Google's page does not say what to match. Match the business name exactly, then use the text box to say you are a service-area business and which address your documents show.

Home based businesses can hit a snag here. If your LLC is registered at a registered agent's address and your profile uses your home base, the two will not match. Pick the document that shows your real base, or explain the difference in one sentence in the appeal. If your registered name and your trade name differ, include the document that connects them.

File the appeal

1. Open the appeals tool and select the profile and the decision.
2. Upload your documents with Choose file. You can attach more than one.
3. Use the text box to say why the profile should be reinstated.
4. Check that every document is attached, tick the confirmation box and select Submit appeal.

Keep the text short and factual. It should name the reason, name the fix and name the attachments. You can adapt this:

We are a mobile IV therapy business. Nurses travel to clients at their homes and offices, and clients do not come to our location. The profile was suspended on [date] for [reason shown in the tool]. We have changed [field] from [old value] to [new value]. Attached are our [business registration] and [business license], which show the same business name and address as the profile.

Say only what is true, and attach a document for each fact you can back up.

If the appeal is denied

Google sends the decision by email, and the tool shows a status such as Submitted, Approved, Not Approved or Can't be appealed. Google's page does not give a timeline, so plan as if it may take a while.

If the answer is no, you have one more door. Google says that only after a denied request, it may be able to do an additional review, and you can add evidence that was not in your first appeal. Use that chance for something new, like a document you left out or a fix you missed. Sending the same packet again gives Google nothing new to read.

You can also post in the Business Profile help community, where community members answer questions.

Keep bookings coming while you wait

Your website is separate from your profile, so a suspension does not take it down. This is a good week to check a few things:

• Search your business name on your phone and see what a client finds now.
• Make sure your phone number and booking link are at the top of every page of your site.
• Text your regular clients your direct booking link, so they are not searching for you on Maps.
• If your ads show your address or location from the profile, check that they still show the right details.

Our mobile IV website checklist covers what each page needs.

Once you are back, keep it clean

Set a reminder to read your own profile once a quarter, the way a stranger would. Check the name against your cards and your website. Check the address, the service areas, the categories, the phone number and the website link.

Decide who is allowed to edit it, and give anyone who helps their own manager access so nobody shares your login. Before you move, rename or add a town, reread the guidelines for that field, then make the change once. The Business Profile setup guide for mobile IV covers each field in order.

Sources

• Fix suspended or disabled profiles, Google Business Profile Help
• Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help
• Manage your service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses, Google Business Profile Help
• Business Profile restrictions for policy violations, Google Business Profile Help

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