How to Maintain a Google Business Profile After Successful Reinstatement
Congratulations on your successful Google Business Profile (GBP) reinstatement! Getting your profile back up and running is a significant achievement, but the real challenge lies in maintaining it to avoid future suspensions. Your GBP is an essential tool for ensuring local visibility and driving potential customers to your business. To protect your profile and keep it compliant with Google’s guidelines, there are several important steps you should take after reinstatement.
Let’s go through some of the best post-reinstatement best practices, including how to verify your reinstatement, review your information, avoid immediate changes, and keep your profile consistent across platforms.
Step 1: Confirm the Reinstatement
After receiving the good news that your Google Business Profile has been reinstated, the first thing you should do is confirm that the reinstatement has been fully processed.
Check Your Reinstatement Results: Google typically sends a confirmation email once your GBP has been reinstated. It’s essential to thoroughly review this email to ensure all details are correct and the suspension is completely lifted. Sometimes there may still be lingering issues, so logging into your GBP dashboard and verifying the reinstatement status is a must.
Familiarize Yourself with Google Guidelines: If your profile was suspended, it is likely because there were violations of Google’s guidelines. After reinstatement, take the time to carefully go over Google’s business listing guidelines again. This ensures that you are aligned with their requirements and helps avoid mistakes that could lead to future suspensions. Keep these guidelines bookmarked for future reference, as Google occasionally updates their policies.
Step 2: Review Your GBP Information
Once reinstated, it is critical to review every detail of your Google Business Profile to ensure nothing was altered during the suspension or reinstatement process.
Inspect Your Profile Details: Double-check your business name, address, phone number (NAP), hours of operation, business category, and services offered. Sometimes, during the suspension or reinstatement process, Google may alter or remove information. Catching these changes early can prevent potential customer confusion and ensure your business remains accurate across search results.
Cross-Check With Your Website: Make sure that all the information on your Google Business Profile matches what’s listed on your website. Any discrepancies between the two can create confusion for customers and negatively impact your SEO. Consistency across all platforms is crucial to maintaining credibility and improving your local search rankings.
Verify Accuracy: Consistency is key when it comes to local search rankings. Any errors in your business information, such as an incorrect phone number or outdated address, could harm your credibility with potential customers and with Google itself. Additionally, inaccurate information can negatively impact your search engine rankings, making it harder for local customers to find you. Make sure all your business information, especially NAP, is correct and consistent.
Check for Missing Content: If you had reviews, photos, or posts associated with your profile prior to the suspension, make sure none of this content has been removed. Reviews, in particular, are crucial as they provide social proof and influence potential customers’ purchasing decisions. Reviews will generally return within 72 hours of reinstatement.
Step 3: Avoid Immediate Changes
After your GBP is reinstated, you may be tempted to update certain details, especially if your business has undergone changes during the suspension. However, making significant changes too soon after reinstatement can raise red flags with Google and potentially lead to another suspension and headache.
Wait Before Making Updates: It’s essential to avoid making any updates to your listing for at least a few days following the reinstatement. This includes changing your business name, address, phone number (NAP), categories, or descriptions. Abrupt changes to these core details can trigger Google’s spam filters and therefore lead to your listing being flagged for suspicious activity.
Follow Google's Guidelines Closely: Adhere strictly to Google’s rules for GBP listings, particularly when it comes to prohibited words, special characters, or misrepresentations of your business. For example, avoid adding words like “best” or “#1” in your business name, as this violates Google’s guidelines. Keep your listing simple and factual to avoid future issues.
Step 4: Verify Consistency Across All Platforms
Consistency is key not only for Google Business Profiles but for your overall online presence. Google looks for consistency in your business information across various online platforms, so you’ll want to ensure all details match across the board.
Cross-Check Your Information: After confirming your reinstatement, go through every online platform where your business appears, including Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook, and other local directories. Ensure that your NAP, business hours, website URL, and other information is consistent across all platforms. Even minor discrepancies, such as having “Street” abbreviated on one platform but written out on another, can confuse search engines and unfortunately hurt your local SEO ranking.
Audit Your Citations: Local citations—mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across the web—play a role in your local SEO.
Common Mistakes to Avoid After Reinstatement
Maintaining a reinstated profile involves not only keeping it accurate but also avoiding common issues that could lead one suspension after another. Here are some critical mistakes to steer clear of:
Don’t Accept Public Edits Immediately: Google allows users to suggest edits to your GBP, but accepting these edits without review can be dangerous. It is best to closely monitor these suggestions and review them before making any sudden changes. Some edits might be incorrect or could violate Google’s guidelines, which could risk your freshly reinstated profile.
Avoid Making Hasty Profile Changes: Any drastic changes, especially to core business information like your NAP, business name, or category, should be approached with caution. If you must update something, make sure to do so gradually and after a grace period following reinstatement.
Addressing Issues That Violate Google’s Policy
Your business profile was likely suspended due to a violation of Google’s policies, so after reinstatement, it's crucial to ensure you don’t repeat these mistakes. Here are some common issues to be aware of:
Ineligible Addresses: Google does not allow businesses to list P.O. Boxes, virtual addresses, or FedEx/UPS store boxes as their primary address. Ensure your listed address is a legitimate, physical location where customers can interact with your business.
Forwarding URLs and Phone Numbers: Never use forwarding URLs or phone numbers in your listing. These practices are against Google’s guidelines and can lead to a suspension.
Duplicate Listings: If your business has multiple GBP listings for the same location, it is important to remove duplicates. Duplicate listings can confuse customers and cause issues within Google’s algorithm.
Service Area Businesses: If you run a service area business (SAB), make sure you have your settings properly configured. SABs should not display an address if customers do not visit the location. Mismanaging this can lead to a violation.
Additional Tips for Long-Term GBP Maintenance
To keep your Google Business Profile in top shape after reinstatement, regular maintenance and attention to detail are essential.
Public Edits: Regularly review and monitor public edits. Accept them only if they align with your business details and Google’s policies.
Business Title: Your business title should be simple and free from unnecessary designations like LLC, PVT, or LTD. Avoid adding any special characters to your business name. Stick to the basics and capitalize only the first word unless it’s part of a brand name.
Service Area Adjustments: If your business operates as a service area business without a physical storefront, ensure your address isn’t publicly displayed on your profile.
Category Selection: Make sure you are using the most relevant business categories. Categories are crucial for helping customers find your business, so choose wisely, focusing on your primary business area.
Maintaining your Google Business Profile after reinstatement is extremely valuable when it comes to keeping your business visible and thriving online. Follow these steps so you can avoid future suspensions and ensure your profile remains compliant with Google’s policies. From confirming the reinstatement to maintaining consistency across platforms, each action plays a different yet very important role in protecting and optimizing your profile for long-term success! If you ever need assistance with a suspended or recently reinstated Google Business Profile, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Reinstate Labs. Feel free to email us at reinstatelabs@gmail.com or call us at (516) 206-2297. We’re here to help!
