Bearing in mind that we\u2019re all having to operate without full transparency from Google<\/strong> on this serious issue, today\u2019s column will provide you with the common industry wisdom surrounding the different types of states and penalties so that you know what steps are open to you for recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Complete details on the different statuses are explained below, but here’s a quick reference chart for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don\u2019t follow our guidelines. If you believe your profile should be reinstated, you can submit an appeal.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The above quote is the opening statement in the Fix Suspended or Disabled Profiles<\/a> article in the Google Business Profile Help Center, and it signals the beginning of confusion, because Google never goes on to define what difference, if any, there is between a \u201csuspended\u201d or \u201cdisabled\u201d GBP in this document. The article subsequently explains that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google then proceeds to define what happens if they \u201cremove\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1.<\/strong> A Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Google removes a profile, it cannot be seen by the public or acted upon by the listing\u2019s owner or managers. The owner and managers must request reinstatement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. The Owner\u2019s Google Account<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Google removes an owner\u2019s Google account, all locations\/listings owned by that user will also be removed. If the Google account is reinstated, Google claims that they will also reinstate the locations\/listings owned by that account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. A Manager\u2019s Google Account<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If a manager\u2019s account is suspended, Google states that this should not affect the locations\/listings. If the manager\u2019s Google account is reinstated, they should regain access to the locations\/listings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the above seems fairly straightforward, but as threads in local SEO forums and Google\u2019s own help community show<\/a>, both the causes of penalties and the actual timeline of a response from Google vary widely. Apart from the lack of definition of a \u201csuspended\u201d vs. a \u201cdisabled\u201d profile, the concept of a listing, account, or manager being \u201cremoved\u201d or \u201crestricted\u201d is not defined. We have to go to a separate document relating to bulk uploads<\/a> to begin accessing some further definitions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n By this definition, it appears that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. A disabled profile is one that has been disabled for quality violations. <\/strong>You must edit it to comply with the guidelines and have your appeal granted. Note that the above definition refers solely to locations (meaning listings). It does not refer to accounts. Google does not state that profiles in this state are inaccessible to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. A suspended profile or account cannot be seen by the public, but you can still make edits to your profile (meaning listing) and appeal to be reinstated.<\/strong> The definition does not mention what to do if it is your account (instead of your listing) that has been suspended. You would need to access the My accounts page<\/a> referenced above to fix a suspended account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, according to this definition, both listings and accounts can be suspended<\/em>, but only listings can be disabled<\/em>. It would be great to feel that we\u2019ve nailed this down, but other Google documentation makes it clear that accounts can definitely be disabled<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are we to do with this morass of undefined terms being thrown around and even seemingly contradicted across multiple Google documents? One thing we know for certain is that Google issues two separate messages when a listing is suspended vs. disabled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite there being two distinct messages, both of them state that the penalty has occurred because \u201cthis profile doesn\u2019t follow the guidelines\u201d. Bearing all this in mind, let\u2019s codify some strong working definitions of the different profile states and outline how to fix each problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In its simplest form, a brand new GBP is unverified until you verify it for the first time, meaning that you are letting Google know that you are authorized to represent the business and control its listing. This basic activity is standard, and not the subject of today\u2019s column. Instead, owners of existing GBPs may discover that their listings have suddenly become unverified and that Google is requiring re-verification via one of the methodologies outlined in this Google article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These days, you are most likely to be offered video verification as your re-verification method and Darren Shaw will walk you through the many steps you need to take to succeed in getting your listing re-verified:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/features-2-1024x746.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFirst, a look at Google\u2019s own documentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Where Things Start to Get Confusing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXedEkYYtHjBJFim3oVseGVGh9rYXYijakNTFBKwF_A8yrw7LszbHJc64VAbBLLSPHlyR0pJAC-hMq7iRNBytj__XIRydlmkCcac0XpLodynw_xmuwpU7jCCGc4bzbMpNDv_jNcWwC1PbvBtw-I4nufUs8ku?key=t1Wu2GeeoT_fpDfQoeYTiw\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/google-messages-1024x554.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA Working Definition of Unverified GBPs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A listing can abruptly become unverified for any of the following reasons:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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While a listing is unverified:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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