r/GoogleMyBusiness

Hi all my Google account iD 7124904511621224658 recently got suspended for no reason after I requested business change hours so I appealed only to be rejected.

I had 3 reviews on there that I worked hard for.

Any advice pls

Hi everyone,

My Google Business Profile post was recently removed with the following reason:

>

The post was a promotional update about kids circumcision services, which is a normal and widely accepted medical/cultural procedure in my country.

Is this likely why it got removed?

Lately I feel like it’s getting harder to tell what’s actually real; sometimes a business has amazing reviews and it’s great. Other times it feels totally different once you actually deal with them.

As a small business owner, I’m curious how everyone else sees it now.

Do Google reviews still affect your decisions a lot?

I’m currently working in marketing for a newly launched website focused on visa and travel services. We’ve already built the website, but now my manager wants me to get our brand listed on platforms like Trustpilot, Google Reviews, etc., and start collecting positive feedback.

The problem is… I’ve never really worked with these platforms before 😅

Right now we don’t have many users or reviews yet, so I’m a bit stuck on:

• How to get initial reviews without looking fake or forced
• What’s the best way to encourage real customers to leave feedback
• Whether there are other platforms similar to Trustpilot/Google Reviews that I should be using

If anyone here has experience growing reviews for a new business (especially in travel/visa services), I’d really appreciate any advice or strategies.

Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone. Last month I created a GBP for one of my clients and their new location. They are a roofing business in Illinois, but their additional office is in Madison, WI.

I set up the GBP with all of the correct information like service areas around Madison, phone number, website, address, etc. Google then said we can verify by video verification. My client submitted 3 separate video verifications showing the outside of the business, signage, access to the office (by key), everything that was listed as requirements. Each time the videos were declined because they did not correctly show that my client has secure access to the office.

Following this, I submitted a Google Support ticket providing all necessary business documentation/images: business license with the business name and Madison address, utility bill, pictures of the truck they use for work, outside of the building, and all of that stuff. After all of that, Google then suspended the profile. Mind you, it was not visible at all during this.

This is the following timeline of events:
- I submitted an appeal for the suspension
- Contacted Google Support to follow up and request more information
- Suspension was lifted and got a message saying that the GBP needed to be verified
- No options were available for verification, so I contacted support like the message said
- Did not recieve a response from Google, and suddenly the GBP is suspended again

I have tried to contact support various times and provided all documentation to prove this business is licensed and registered. Anytime I do recieve a response from Google, it is the same generic response.

Can anyone help me out with what to do next? This has been going on for a month now and I feel like I just keep getting sent in circles. Any insights would be appreciated.

merhaba herkese, bir ofisim var ve yaklaşık 4 aydır sıklıkla güncelleme atıyorum, fotoğraf paylaşıyorum, makale yazıyorum, hizmetlerim de optimize edilmiş durumda herhangi bir eksiğim de yok. yorum sayım da sıralama olarak üstümde yer alan kişilerden fazla ama ben bir türlü yukarı çıkamıyorum hatta bazen aşağılara da düştüğüm oluyor neden acaba?

Genuinely curious how other restaurant owners handle this.

I've heard some owners spend 20-30 minutes every Monday just copy-pasting review replies. Others ignore reviews entirely (Google says they factor responses into local rankings).

What's your system? Do you respond to every review, just negatives, or skip it entirely?

Hey im trying to get my business profile back to. Except it's currently hidden, we've since changed location, our name & also setup. So bit of a minefield..

What would be best steps to get it reinstated, im thinking best to keep the original name until the account is back then change would make sense.

But any tips for success would help?

Hi, I have had a Google Business profile for a long time and I want to make a gradual rebrand transition.

The business already has an older page/profile, but we recently moved to a new address within the same block/area, and we also want to update the business name progressively.

I’m worried about doing it the wrong way and losing rankings, reviews, or verification status.

What steps would you recommend taking first?

• Should I update the address first and then change the business name later?
• Is it better to do everything at once or in stages?
• Is there a risk that Google could suspend the profile because of multiple changes?
• Should I keep references to the old business name for a while?

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there,

I seem to have 2 Google Business Profiles for the same business.

The verified one has no reviews, whereas the one requiring verification has 24 reviews. The confusing part is that the one with all the reviews is live on Search and Maps!

Is there a way to merge both profiles, or do they both have to be verified first?

I own a studio florist business called BloomsbyVisaka and I recently found out from Flower Network that my Google Business Profile may not be showing properly because the profile was previously suspended and later reinstated/verified.

The confusing part is:

- The business is verified now

- Sometimes I can find it by exact business name

- But it barely appears in local florist searches or Google Maps results

- Visibility and calls have dropped significantly

Important context:

I operate as a studio florist, not a walk-in retail flower shop. Most of my work is custom orders, wedding florals, garlands, cultural florals, and event work.

I’ve contacted support multiple times and keep getting different explanations. One person says the profile is active and fine, while another suggested that previously suspended listings can sometimes have lingering visibility/trust issues even after reinstatement.

Has anyone here experienced this with a reinstated Google Business Profile, especially as a studio/home-based florist?

Did rankings eventually recover?

How long did recovery take?

Did you need to start over with a new listing or website/domain?

Were there specific things that helped regain visibility?

At this point I’m just trying to understand whether this is temporary or if the profile is permanently affected.

Would really appreciate feedback from anyone who has dealt with this before.

My friend owns an old Google Business Profile, but he lost access to the original Gmail account connected to it. To help recover it, I claimed ownership of the profile and after the 3-day waiting period, I successfully got Primary Owner access.

Google then said they would send a physical postcard verification code within 14 days, but it has already been a few weeks and nothing has arrived. Honestly, I’m not even sure postcard verification works reliably in South Asia anymore.

What’s more concerning is that the profile status now says “Duplicate,” even though this is the original and legitimate business listing. Claiming the profile seems to have made things more complicated instead of solving the issue.

The business is real, operational, and already has reviews/history on Google. We just need verification so we can continue editing and properly managing the profile.

Has anyone dealt with this before?
Any suggestions on:
• how to get the profile verified,
• fix the “Duplicate” status,
• or contact Google for manual/video verification?

Would really appreciate any advice or experience from others. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I have a question regarding Google Guaranteed / Local Services Ads for an HVAC business.

Does a CGC license (Certified General Contractor) qualify for opening Google Guaranteed in the HVAC category, or does Google specifically require an HVAC contractor license?

I’m located in Florida and trying to understand if anyone here was successfully approved for HVAC with only a CGC license.

Would really appreciate hearing from people with real experience, especially recent approvals in 2025–2026.

Thanks!

I have to change the Primary Category of my client in Google My Business, when I am entering that it says “No such Primary Category”.

Anything I need to be aware of before changing?
Client is based in India.

We’re a small local beauty salon and someone messaged our business on WhatsApp saying another person hired him for $700 to post negative reviews against us. He also said he could lower ratings and remove/suspend businesses from Google.

A few hours later, 38 of our legitimate positive Google reviews disappeared. Then he messaged us saying, “38 positive reviews remove from your business.” He also threatened that if we don’t answer, more will come.

We have screenshots, timestamps, and the WhatsApp conversation.

What’s the best way to handle this situation?

TIA!

One thing I find fascinating is how AI-generated answers may create winners and losers online much faster than traditional search engines ever did. If an AI system repeatedly recommends certain brands, those companies could gain massive visibility almost overnight. Meanwhile, businesses with weak online authority may slowly disappear from conversations completely. This could push companies to invest more in credibility, educational content, and consistent digital presence rather than only focusing on ads. Do you think future businesses will compete more for AI recognition than for search engine rankings?

Has anyone else experienced the "enshitification" of everything they touch? My personal experience has been that Google has metastasized into a company that makes so much money on services that small businesses are dependent on (which should be an antitrust case) that they literally do whatever they want with impunity as business owners have no other options if they want to remain in business (owns over 90% of search). Google can take/misuse your personal information, flip a switch and essentially delete your legitimate business without cause, promote self-serving content above legit, helpful information that doesn't benefit the user etc... All the services that helped grow its user base have gotten progressively worse while at the same time becoming more expensive. "Do no evil" was removed as were the employees who believed in it because it didn't juice the quarterly numbers. They cared when they needed us, now you see their true character.