Suspended Google Business Profile: How Home Inspectors Recover

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the free Google listing that shows your inspection company in Google Maps searches and the local map pack. Google's help page on suspended profiles says it "may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don't follow our guidelines." You recover from both the same way: find the reason, fix it, then appeal. For setup and upkeep, start with our Google Business Profile guide for home inspectors. This post covers only the recovery.

The same Google page explains what happens when Google removes a profile or an account. These rules decide which Google Account you need to work from.

• A removed profile: the public can't go to it, and the owner and managers can't act on it. They can ask Google to reinstate it.
• A removed owner account: Google removes every location that account owns. If Google reinstates the account, it also reinstates those locations.
• A removed manager account: the manager is suspended on the profiles they manage. They regain access if Google reinstates their account.

If more than one person has access to your profile, such as an office manager or a past marketing vendor, list who owns it and who manages it before you do anything else. Note whose account received Google's notice.

Don't guess at the cause. Google's page on appealing profile restrictions says the appeals tool shows details about each decision, including:

• The date of the initial decision
• The reason for the decision
• A link to the violated policy

Open that policy link and read it before you edit anything. Google also tells owners, "Before you submit an appeal, check your verification status." Doing both first keeps you from fixing the wrong problem.

When the whole account is restricted

Sometimes the problem sits with your Google Account, not the profile. Google says your account "may be restricted when you violate our policy," and a restriction suspends the Business Profiles you manage. Google also says you won't be able to create or claim other profiles.

In that case, the order matters. Appeal the account restriction first on your My accounts page. After Google lifts it, appeal each suspended profile.

Google's help page says to "make sure your profile follows all the guidelines" before you appeal. The full guidelines for representing your business on Google are long. The rules below apply directly to a service-area business like an inspection company, where you travel to the house.

Fix every problem you find before you file. Google says "Appeals can only be submitted once," so file only after the profile matches the rules.

Evidence is optional in Google's appeal form, but it gives the reviewer something to check. Google lists these documents as evidence that can help strengthen an appeal:

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

Google says to "make sure the business name and address match the details on your Business Profile" for every document you submit. Take extra care here if your company has an LLC name and a shorter brand name. If your profile shows the brand, include the trade name (DBA) filing that ties it to the LLC.

If your state licenses home inspectors, check whether the license shows the company name and address before you attach it.

Google's help pages lay out the appeal as a short sequence. Save your documents as files before you start.

1. Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool. If you're signed in to the Google Account tied to the profile, select Confirm.
2. Select the Business Profile you want to appeal, then select Continue.
3. Select the decision you want to appeal, then select Continue. Read the date, the reason and the policy link.
4. Upload your evidence and explain why the profile should be reinstated. Google marks this information as optional.
5. Check the box confirming you're ready to submit and that all optional supporting evidence is attached. Then select Submit appeal.

Per Google, "Appeal reviews and decisions can take up to 5 business days," and Google sends the decision by email. While you wait, Google asks you not to "submit multiple appeals for the same issue before receiving a decision." It also says, "Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business."

A denial does not always end the process. Google says, "Only if your reinstatement request is denied, we may be able to do an additional review to prove your eligibility." For that review, you can "provide additional evidence that wasn't added with your original appeal."

• Reread the reason and the policy link in the appeals tool.
• Check whether the profile still breaks any rule from the table above.
• Find a document you didn't send the first time, such as a different registration record or utility bill.
• Follow the instructions on Google's suspended profiles help page to request the additional review.

While you wait, put more effort into the channels you control: your website, the agents who refer you and your past clients. Our guides to building a home inspector website and working with real estate agents cover the first two.

Reviews deserve the same care as the profile itself. Google's prohibited and restricted content policy bans "Reviews or ratings that have been paid for, directly or in kind." It also bars businesses from offering incentives "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services," and from trying to "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers."

The Federal Trade Commission points the same way. The FTC's final rule on fake reviews, announced August 14, 2024, "prohibits businesses from providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews" that express a particular sentiment.

• Ask every client the same way, after the report is delivered.
• Send a direct link to your Google review form by text or email, or share a QR code.
• Never ask employees or family members to review the company.
• Reply to every review professionally, including the critical ones.

Treat later profile edits the same way. Check a new name, address, service area or category against the guidelines before you save it. Our reviews and reputation guide covers the review side in more depth, and our Local Search service includes Google Business Profile optimization.