Google Business has become an essential tool by small businesses to gain visibility with customers for calls and website visits to drive sales. When it comes time for you to update your Google Business Profile, one of the most difficult updates to make is when changing locations. Not because of it being hard to do, but because if not done correctly your Google business profile will be suspended.
Whether your company is moving or simply updating its service areas; you can run into problems and be penalized by Google with a business listing suspension. This is why Citypeak Marketing has listed in detail a 5-step process for making a location settings update without being flagged by Google. If you follow our guidance and take the correct steps in sequence - your listing should be fine.
Google Business Management for Small Companies
As a small business owner in the USA, you must be aware that having your Google Business accounts suspended is very easy. This occurs often among businesses when making an location update to an address or service areas. Whether you are moving your business from across the street to across the country, you need to know the policies Google has created and tread carefully. At Citypeak marketing we have worked with dozens of small businesses who appreciate our services with Google Business Management. This is a feature in all our low-cost SEO packages.
Why Did My Google Business Profile Get Suspended?
Over the past decade, Google has become increasingly concerned with manipulation tactics of “ghost businesses” or “satellite companies.” This is when a profile is made for an area that a business has no physical location to gain easy exposure locally. Due to this growing concern within Google to keep their system in the best standing for offering accurate information to users, they have tightened security and are require difficult steps if your Google Business profile is flagged. Following Google’s business policies is an ongoing challenge from the frequent updates to technical wording of the updates. We will go over in detail what to do when updating your profile address and if anything goes wrong or you want experts to manage your Google Profile then please reach out to us. At Citypeak Marketing, we are experts at navigating the technical difficulties to keep your business profile “live” and in good standing.
How to Fix My Google Business Profile Suspension?
As a business owner you may eventually ask yourself, “how do I update my Google Business location without being suspended?” We will guide you through the process Google takes and know exactly which steps to take with a specific order to help avoid suspension. If you quickly update everything in your profile to reflect a move with a new location, you will likely be suspended instantly. We will go through a 5-step process to help mitigate this risk and give you a smooth transition. This way you can keep your business profile live and avoid the difficulties of reinstatement or re-verification. Also, please reach out to us at Citypeak Marketing to help with your Google Business Profile as well as other marketing you may need such as Pay-Per-Click advertising with Google, email marketing, SEO, or website design. Our team is full of marketing professionals located on the East Coast, USA and we never use outsourcing, ever. Citypeak ensures that our quality of work is top-notch and we give our clients huge wins to promote their businesses with digital marketing services. Now let us get into the 5-step location update process!
5-Step Google Location Update Process
Step 1: Update your website to reflect the new address. This includes a new number with the appropriate area code, new office location if listed in your footer or contact page, etc.
Step 2: Select “Edit Profile” and update your business phone number within the Google Business Profile. Wait for change to be accepted before moving to Step 3 (10-15 minutes wait on average).
Step 3: Select “Locations and areas” to then uncheck the option with “Show my physical address”. We will turn this back on later. Again, wait for update to be accepted before moving to Step 4.
Step 4: Remove all the old service locations in the “Service area” section within “Edit profile”. Then add 2 or 3 cities within your new service location. You may ask, how many Google locations can I add to be serviced? The answer is 20, so pick carefully! Lastly, wait for the update to be accepted before moving to Step 5.
Step 5: Once these changes have been accepted you can re-check the option for “Show my physical address” and then add more service areas (20 max). After this update is accepted you will be all set with your new location!
Congratulations! You have updated your Google Business Profile location, and hopefully with success. If your account does become “temporarily suspended”, then reach out to us at Citypeak Marketing and we will be glad to help. You can call us at (864) 415-0656 or fill out a contact form “here”. Also, if it does stay live, we would be happy to help your business with Google Ads expertise as our team is certified. We will make sure every $1 spent brings in $3 or $5 sales with our PPC Packages.
How to Avoid a Google Business Account Suspension
It is important to keep in mind “slow and steady.” This means it is important to update only one thing at a time when making changes to your Google account, especially location settings. It is well-known that Google is a lot more lenient if you make a few minor edits, versus one big update doing everything at once. Also, this will help you pinpoint the error made so that you can fix it and go Live again on Google. Just remember, if you are patient now, then it will save you time in the long run.
It is rare your business will be flagged for any edits to the account other than the location and business name. If you are ever considering updating your profile or moving locations, it is good to have our experts at Citypeak help manage the process. However, if you do decide to do it on your own you may become suspended and take months to resolve alone.
How to Fix My Google Business Account Suspension
If the worst should happen and your account is suspended then reach out to Citypeak Marketing immediately. Having your business profile down will drastically reduce your sales volume and it will not be fixed by itself. If your profile goes down, then you need help to get it back as live as soon as possible since it can take between 10 and 20 days on average to resolve. If you do not have our help, your business profile may never be live again. The sooner you contact Citypeak Marketing then the quicker you can get your Google Business Profile live and in good standing.
There are 2 options can be taken if your Google Business is suspended:
A – Submit a reinstatement request: This is done within the Business Google Profile. You will see a “Reinstatement Request” button to begin the process. Make sure to submit the company documents that Google requests. Also, provide a short but detailed explanation of the update being made that caused the issue. Do not submit more than one reinstatement request per business. Also, here is a link to the Google reinstatement request.
B – Re-verify your business: This is a last resort, if the reinstatement request fails. You can track the reinstatement request online. Also, if it has been over 14 business days then the request has likely failed. If the reinstatement has failed, then you must go through a re-verification. This option is not preferred, but it is critical to get your Google Business Profile live immediately. At Citypeak Marketing we offer affordable services to get your profile live if you would like assistance.
Google My Business Profile Overview
In conclusion, Google Business can provide a lot of benefits to small businesses in the United States and worldwide. It is a key tool in gaining online visibility in your local market to reach customers. Whether you are looking to create, update, resolve an issue, or re-verify your business then we can help your business. At Citypeak Marketing we are experts at navigating the technical challenges of Google Business Profiles. Then when your business is ready, we can assist you with Google Ads as our team has certified members who create big results for small businesses.