Guide · Get found & promote
Google Business Profile suspended or won't verify? Start here
Identify the problem, prepare legitimate evidence, and use Google's verification or appeal process without making recovery harder.
Updated 2026-10-04
First record exactly what Google says. “Not verified,” “suspended,” and “account restricted” describe different problems. Changing your address repeatedly or making a replacement listing can complicate recovery.
Use the Google account that owns or manages the profile. Keep a copy of the notice, the business/profile reference, the current business details, and any support or appeal reference. Do not post private documents in a public forum to prove that you run a real business.
These steps apply to eligible businesses in Canada and the United States. The profile’s business location matters when choosing an appeal route. Google’s separate UK/European guidance is not the route to copy for a Canadian or US location.
Match the symptom to the next step
| What you see | Start here |
|---|---|
| A verification request | Check eligibility and details, then use the verification methods Google offers for that profile. |
| A rejected or incomplete video | Compare your recording with Google’s requirements. Correct the specific omission before trying again. |
| A suspended or disabled profile | Review the guidelines, correct genuine violations, prepare evidence, then use the appeal process. |
| A restriction on the managing account | Resolve that restriction first. It can affect multiple profiles. |
| A rejected edit, photograph, or post | For a Canadian or US business, use Google’s Contact us route for rejected edits or media. It is not automatically a whole-profile suspension. |
| Someone else owns the listing | Follow the ownership request process. Do not create a duplicate to bypass the owner. |
The existing Google Business Profile guide covers normal claiming and completion. This guide covers problems that stop that process.
Check eligibility before collecting evidence
Google’s representation guidelines cover businesses that meet customers at a real location or travel to serve them. An online-only business is not eligible merely because it has a website. Use the actual business name, an accurate location or service area, and appropriate categories.
For a business that travels to customers and does not receive them at its home address, use the service-area setup and hide the address from public display. Google may still need the real address for verification. A virtual office or mailbox does not become a staffed storefront because it receives mail. See Google’s address guidance.
Correct inaccurate information before you appeal. Do not invent signage, add keywords to the real-world name, or claim a public shop that customers cannot visit. A legitimate business can still have a profile that needs correction.
If Google asks you to verify
Google decides which verification methods are available. You cannot assume that a postcard, phone call, or different method will appear on request.
If video is offered, read the instructions before recording. Google’s video-verification guide requires an uninterrupted recording made through the profile on a mobile device, at least 30 seconds long. Prepare a route that shows location, the business’s existence, and your authority to operate it. Storefront and service-area businesses use different relevant evidence.
For a fictional mobile repair business, that might mean nearby street identifiers, actual tools or a work vehicle, and evidence that you control the equipment. For a genuine customer-facing shop, it might include permanent business signage and access to areas an ordinary visitor could not unlock. Use the examples in Google’s guide for your business type; there is no magic shot list that guarantees approval.
Avoid exposing faces, bank details, tax identifiers, or other private information in the recording. Record only what supports the verification request. If rejected, read the stated reason and check what the video failed to establish. Repeating the same video without addressing the issue is unlikely to help.
If the profile is suspended
Follow Google’s suspended-profile instructions. Prepare evidence before opening the evidence submission form: Google gives a 60-minute submission window once that form is opened.
Useful evidence may include a business registration, licence, tax certificate, or utility bill. Use legitimate, readable documents whose business name and address support the profile details. Explain genuine differences, such as a trading name, instead of editing documents to make them appear to match.
A concise appeal explanation can say:
[Business] provides [service] in [area]. The profile is configured as [storefront/service-area business]. We corrected [specific inaccurate detail, if any]. The attached [document types] support the current business identity and location. Please review the restriction on profile [reference].
Make only statements you can substantiate. Do not guess what triggered Google’s systems or claim that payment to an intermediary guarantees reinstatement.
While an appeal is being reviewed, do not create another profile for the same business. Keep the appeal reference and check the official status. Wait for the decision before sending duplicate appeals.
For both Canada and the United States, Google’s appeals process uses the appeals tool for a suspended or disabled profile, and Contact us for rejected business-information edits, restricted media, and other content restrictions. Review-removal decisions have a separate reviews-management route. A screenshot of the UK/EEA process can therefore send you to the wrong tool. If reinstatement is denied, follow the additional-review instructions on Google’s suspended-profile page rather than starting a duplicate listing.
Keep customers able to reach you
Put current hours and contact details on your own website. Check that the telephone and enquiry form work. Use existing customer channels for operational updates when appropriate; do not depend on one listing as the only way customers can find you.
If another person manages the profile, confirm that the business retains the right access and that its owner account is secure. The ownership handoff checklist and account-security guide explain the broader checks.
You are finished when: you have identified the restriction, submitted the correct request with genuine evidence, and retained a usable customer contact route. A well-prepared request improves the quality of the review; it does not guarantee reinstatement or a recovery date.