by Greg Milner | Aug 9, 2023 | Latest News
Why Was My Google Business Profile Suspended?
In today’s dynamic digital landscape, maintaining a robust Google presence is essential for businesses striving to succeed online. One invaluable tool in this pursuit is the Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business (GBP). Tailored to cater to businesses engaging with local customers in person, this service empowers you to efficiently manage crucial public information on Google Search and Maps, encompassing vital details like operating hours and contact information.
However, the occasional suspension of your Google business listing is a challenge that many businesses encounter. This situation can arise due to a range of factors, including ineligible addresses, keyword overuse in business names, and complications related to profile types and duplications. Understanding the dynamics of Google Business Profile suspensions is pivotal in effectively addressing and resolving these issues.
Understanding Google Business Profile Suspensions: A Comprehensive Guide
A Google Business Profile suspension entails the removal of your business listing from both Google Maps and search results. While your profile continues to exist, it becomes unsearchable, and the ability to edit or manage it is temporarily revoked.
It’s important to recognise that suspensions are an experience that many businesses share, and they can occur even without deliberate misconduct. Instead of reacting with frustration, let’s delve into the underlying causes of these suspensions and explore viable solutions.
Differentiating Between Suspension Types
Google Business Profile suspensions come in two primary types:
- Hard Suspensions: A hard suspension leads to the complete removal of your business listing. Typically of a permanent nature, resolving hard suspensions often involves appealing directly to Google support for potential reinstatement.
- Soft Suspensions: In a soft suspension scenario, your listing remains searchable but is tagged as “unverified,” restricting content management. Following instructions available on the Google Business Profile help page can lead to the resolution of this type of suspension.
Various factors can lead to the suspension of a Google Business Profile. These include:
- Utilisation of ineligible business addresses
- Excessive insertion of keywords into business names
- Creation of multiple profiles for a single business
- Association with high-risk business categories
- Presence of multiple entities at a single address
- Incorrect selection of profile types
- Designation as an online-only business
- Usage of PO boxes or virtual offices as addresses
- Discrepancies in business information across diverse platforms
- Incorporation of fake reviews within the profile
- Use of fabricated business details
- Misalignment between email and website domains
- Implementation of unverified changes to profile data
- Listing of non-existent business addresses
- Misleading 24/7 business hour claims
- Unnotified transfers of profile ownership
- Impact of suspended profile managers on your profile
Addressing Google Business Profile Challenges
The evolving search index algorithms of Google can introduce unforeseen bugs that impact profile suspensions. These may involve unexplained suspensions or issues related to the visibility of reviews. Around 1% of reinstated profiles may experience reintegration loops, while others could encounter disparities in the services listed.
Navigating Suspension Resolution: Step-by-Step Approach
To reinstate a suspended Google Business Profile, consider the following steps:
- Thoroughly Review Google’s Terms of Service: Carefully examine suspension notification emails for potential insights. If uncertainties persist, refer to Google’s terms to identify potential violations.
- Rectify Compliance Concerns: Make essential adjustments to your profile to ensure compliance with guidelines, particularly focusing on addressing common suspension triggers.
- Initiate Reinstatement Filing: Once your profile is in compliance, submit a reinstatement form. In cases where errors are suspected, consider appealing the decision without making alterations.
- Seek Support: If necessary, reach out to Google Business Profile support, furnishing relevant information for verification.
- Supplementary Measures: Tackle issues related to duplicate listings and adhere to Google’s guidelines, with a focus on maintaining a singular verified listing per business category at each physical location.
Endurance Yields Results
The process of reinstating a suspended Google Business Profile requires patience. During the review period, consider updating your website and online profiles. In instances where challenges persist, the option of appealing decisions or seeking expert assistance remains viable.
It’s crucial to bear in mind that while Google Business Profile suspensions are a commonplace occurrence, proactive measures can lead to reinstatement, fostering continued business growth. For dedicated guidance in overcoming these challenges and reclaiming your Google presence, don’t hesitate to reach out to Worldwide Salon Marketing. Your online success story awaits!
by Greg Milner | May 15, 2015 | Blog, Featured, Latest News
At Worldwide Salon Marketing we’re always looking for ways to add value…and we’re found an absolute beauty here – no pun intended.
We’ve been working for months behind the scenes with a Nationally Accredited RTO to bring you a great opportunity to build value into your salon. That opportunity is to allow you to get on a Cert2 Nationally Accredited Makeup Course – SIBXFA201A – Design and apply make-up.
And it’s going to be happening in Australia in the Sydney CBD!
Makeup MasterClass Sydney This is the most amazing value for money Nationally Accredited Makeup Course in Australia today. (By clicking the link you will be put in a list of interested Salon Owners and receive more information from our partner, Makeup Masterclass Sydney Pty Ltd)
Note: There are only 87 spots available at this amazing price Of $799 – these courses are normally over $1,888!
You can pay a deposit to secure your seat and pay in full nearer the course date your choose.
There will be a cap on the amount of student places available.
Opportunities like this don’t come along all that often.
We believe this opportunity will help your salon by
- Offering wedding makeup and hair
- Add more value to your salon
- Retain more clients in the future
- Help increase salon profits
- Rid yourself of expensive and unreliable freelancers
PS as always with our offers there is a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!!!
by Greg Milner | Oct 16, 2013 | About Us, Latest News, Marketing Superstars
Eric – our new Salon Marketing Superhero
I’ve often been asked by salon owners if I could help them “find somebody who can do all my salon marketing for me.” Write all the advertising copy, arrange all the promotions, do all the blogging, social media, video production and editing, search engine optimization, website changes, reputation management and a hundred other highly-skilled tasks that go into a comprehensive marketing plan.
The bad news: there IS no such person on the planet with all the skills required. They just don’t exist. And if they did, they’d be so in-demand you couldn’t possibly afford to pay their salary. But there IS an option. It’s far cheaper than hiring a full-time marketing ‘guru’. And far, far more accomplished.
Meet Eric. He’s our new Salon Marketing Superhero. For established salons & spas who want ALL their marketing done for them – online and offline – Eric is the one who gets it done.
Only TEN salons will be accepted into the Superhero program. Check it out here.
by Greg Milner | Jul 8, 2013 | Blog, Featured, Latest News, The Smell of Success
The Sales Prevention Department is one of my favourite departments in any business.
All businesses have one, some more finely tuned than others. A stand-out in my neck of the woods is a local premium car dealer. Not once, but twice has this dealer missed out on a lucrative sale because their SPD did such an extraordinary job.
Most recently, Michelle and I decided to trade her Audi TT two-seater roadster for something a little more practical, if not quite so much fun. Her elderly parents have been finding it increasingly difficult to lower themselves into the convertible (and she can only carry one of them at a time) and besides, there’s nowhere for her very hairy dog, except the passenger seat.
So we trundled down to the local Audi dealer the other day to see what was on offer. After the obligatory tour of the showroom’s bright-shiny new models, the sales manager instructed his rookie young salesman to call me during the week and arrange a trade-in valuation on the roadster. He duly wrote down my number and promised to call me on Wednesday.
With thanks to the Audi dealer’s Sales Prevention Department, Michelle ends up with a VW Polo isntead
And then…and then…nothing happened. This did not really surprise me. Three years ago I’d visited this same dealer, ticked a bunch of option boxes on a new Audi Q5 SUV, asked the salesman to add it all up and give me a call, and went home. I never heard from him again. Four days later, I bought a new Range Rover Sport instead.
This time, I waited more than a week. I refused to call him and do his job for him. I’m a stubborn guy, but eventually his disdain for my money wore me down. I gave up waiting, drove down to a neighbouring yard where they sell Audi’s sister cars, VW, and bought a new Polo GTI there and then.
Now, you don’t sell expensive cars. You sell hair & beauty services, of one kind or another. But I bet you have a well-tuned SPD too. Answer the following questions with a Yes or a No.
- When a first-time walk-in or phone caller inquires about an appointment, prices, services or anything else, do you
a) have a process in place to obtain her name and contact details on the spot, in exchange for a small gift voucher to use on her first booking? Or…
b) do you simply let them walk out of your shop with a wave and a smile, never to be seen again?
- Assuming you don’t have a full-time receptionist, and have to let some calls go through to your answering machine, do you
a) Check the answering machine at frequent intervals during the day, and return sales inquiries instantly, or
b) check the machine at the end of the day, and make a mental to note to get back to them tomorrow…or maybe the day after…or next week…?
- When you place an ad, distribute a mailbox flyer, email an offer or post a special promotion on your Facebook page/website, do you
a) divert your salon phone to a mobile to make sure that prospects reading your offer after business hours can actually call and buy your offer right away, or
b) not bother, assuming they’ll leave a message on the answering machine that you or your staff check sometimes…if you/they remember?
If you answered ‘b’ to any of these questions, congratulations – your Sales Prevention Department is in good shape. But it can always be fine-tuned further. For example,
- When a client is at reception paying their bill, do you
a) ask her an open question such as “Now Mary, just looking ahead four weeks, we have a spot available on Tuesday the 14th at 10am or Thursday the 16th at 3pm, which of those two would suit your best?” Or do you
b) Simply ask a lazy “Would you like to re-book?” – to which there is only a yes or no answer, and of course 90% of people will say ‘no, but thanks.’
- You’ve spent hours, days, weeks preparing your special offer, you’ve spent more time and money printing, buying newspaper space, do you
a) spend an equal amount of time training the staff on exactly how to respond to the phone calls generated from the marketing campaign, right down to the exact words to say to upsell to a higher-value package. Or do you
b) run the ad or distribute the flyer, having neglected to actually tell the staff you’re doing it.
Again, if you answered ‘b’ to those as well, your Sales Prevention Department is working a treat. After all, business is so much easier when you don’t have all those pesky customers, nagging you to take their money.
Get the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit – and KILL your Sales Prevention Department! The original and still the best marketing & sales system in the hair & beauty industry, the Toolkit is the foundation of the world’s only complete ONLINE & OFFLINE system designed ONLY for salons & spas.
Click here to watch the video – and get $100 worth of FREE ADVERTISING on Google!
by Greg Milner | May 30, 2013 | Featured, Latest News, The Right Mindset, The Smell of Success
At school, everyone gets a prize. In real life? Not so much…
At last, a glimmer of light in the dark and murky corners of political correctness. An up-market private girls school in my part of the world has admitted that the ‘everybody gets a prize’ mentality that’s infected our education system for decades might not be actually doing our young people any good after all.
St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls (The West Australian, May 25) has written to parents explaining why it has decided to minimize praise (like “well done Angela, you failed, but you tried, that‘s the main thing!”), reduce reward stickers for participation (eg “here’s your certificate for actually coming to school, even though you tanked at everything.”) and setting deliberately difficult work so students could experience failure.
Eureka! Hurrah! Finally, an admission from green-tinged academics, the corduroy-jacket-and-leather-elbow-patches brigade, that constantly telling kids they’re wonderful, special, all-time winners just so their precious little self-esteem gets puffed up like a poisoned cat could just possibly be setting them up for a rude shock when they suddenly arrive in the real world.
A world that rewards people who actually get things done, not merely make a feeble attempt and give up. A world that punishes failure and praises success, not ATTEMPT. A world that has few leaders, and many followers. A world that is full of obstacles, pitfalls, challenges and tall buildings that can’t leaped in a single bound by a pimply teenager in a Superman suit, aided by a teacher whispering ‘wow, you’re really great. You failed, but you’re really great all the same.’
And out in the real world, nothing is less forgiving of failure than business. Particularly the world of small business, the one you and I inhabit. You may have noticed that customers who give you their money do not gently pat you on the head and whisper ‘good try!’ when you fail to deliver what they’ve paid for. To the ears of those molly-coddled through school any time in the last thirty years, it may sound harsh when suppliers you haven’t paid send the bailiff in to take your furniture.
And when you employ some youngster straight out of school (beauty school, particularly) is it any wonder they look like startled deer caught in the headlights when you (too gently) suggest to them they might like to actually work instead of Facebooking their friends till they’re blue in the face?
To quote the bleeding obvious from Primary Schools Association president Stephen Breen, who acknowledged that schools and parents had probably (the italics are mine) gone too far in puffing up children’s self-esteem by praising everything. “As a consequence, a lot of kids don’t accept criticism.”
Maybe, just maybe, kids might be better educated with some harsh reality right from the get go. Had the Allies lost the Second World War, it’s difficult to imagine Churchill gently admonishing Montgomery with “Well old chap, you gave it your best shot, that’s all that matters!”
I re-post from last year a short lesson in life for young people – and grown-ups who still think life should be just like it was in school.
