How to Submit a Google Business Profile Reinstatement Request

A suspended Google Business Profile can stop customers from finding your business on Google Search and Maps overnight. Reinstatement is possible, but the process requires more than simply filling out a form – you must identify and correct the policy violation before submitting your appeal, then support the request with documentation that proves your business is legitimate. This guide walks through each step in the correct sequence so your request has the best chance of approval on the first attempt.

Step 1: Identify Why Your Profile Was Suspended

Google sends a suspension notice to the email address linked to your Business Profile. The notification comes from businessprofile-noreply@google.com and typically references a category such as "Deceptive Content," "Quality Issues," or "Policy Violation."

Log in to your Google Business Profile dashboard to review the suspension message. Cross-reference the notice against Google's official Business Profile guidelines to identify which rule your listing violated.

Common suspension triggers include:

• A business name that contains keywords, city names, or service terms beyond your legal trading name
• An address that uses a P.O. box, virtual office, or shared coworking space
• A service-area configuration that does not reflect how the business actually operates
• Duplicate listings registered to the same physical address
• Inconsistent business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across your website and directories
• Sudden or frequent profile edits that activate Google's spam detection

Many African businesses also face suspensions after updating their profiles during a move or rebranding. Even legitimate changes can trigger a review if they occur in quick succession. Understanding the root cause is the most important step – submitting an appeal before fixing the underlying problem is the leading reason reinstatement requests are denied.

Step 2: Fix All Policy Violations in Your Profile

Do not submit your reinstatement request until every violation is corrected. Google reviewers check your live profile against their guidelines during the review. A profile that still shows violations at the time of appeal will almost certainly be rejected.

Work through the following fixes based on what triggered your suspension:

Correct Your Business Name

Your business name on Google must match the name on your official documents and physical signage. Remove any descriptors, service keywords, or city names that are not part of your legal business name. A restaurant called "Lagos Kitchen" should appear as "Lagos Kitchen," not "Lagos Kitchen – Best Suya in Lagos."

Use a Valid Business Address

The address must represent a real, staffed operating location. If you run a service-area business and you do not serve customers at your address, hide the address in your profile settings and configure your service area correctly instead. Virtual offices and coworking addresses that do not have a dedicated physical presence typically violate Google's guidelines.

Resolve Duplicate Listings

Search your business name in Google Maps and identify any duplicate profiles linked to your location. Request removal of duplicates through the Google Business Profile interface before submitting your reinstatement appeal. Multiple active listings for one address send conflicting signals and can result in renewed suspension.

Verify NAP Consistency

Your business name, address, and phone number should match exactly across your website, social media profiles, and local directories. Inconsistent local citation data undermines the trust signals Google uses to verify a business's legitimacy – a detail that matters especially for businesses working to build visibility across African markets.

Remove Policy-Violating Content

Review your photos, business description, services, and posts. Remove any content that makes unverifiable claims, uses keyword stuffing, or does not represent genuine business activity.

Step 3: Gather Supporting Documentation

Once your profile is corrected, assemble documentation that proves your business is real, operational, and located at the address you have listed. Google uses these files to verify your appeal independently of what appears in your profile.

Accepted evidence includes:

• Business registration documents: Certificate of incorporation, business license, or tax registration certificate
• Utility bills: A gas, electricity, water, or internet bill dated within the last 60 days, showing the business name and address (cell phone bills are rarely accepted)
• Physical evidence: A clear photograph of your permanent exterior signage, showing the business name at the registered address
• Operational proof: A short video walkthrough of your premises showing the entrance, interior, and staff at work
• Bank or government correspondence: Any official letter addressed to the business at the registered address

For any document you submit, confirm that the business name and address match the information in your Google Business Profile exactly. Mismatches between your documents and your profile are a common reason appeals fail.

Important: Once you open the evidence upload form during the appeal process, you must submit it within 60 minutes. Prepare all your files before you begin.

Destinali works with businesses across 54 African countries to improve their local search visibility. A common pattern among suspended profiles is that the business information on Google does not match what appears on their website or listing platforms – something worth auditing before you submit.

Step 4: Submit Your Reinstatement Appeal

With your violations fixed and your documents ready, you can submit the formal appeal through the Google Business Profile appeals tool.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool.
2. Sign in to the Google Account associated with your suspended Business Profile.
3. Select Confirm if Google prompts you to verify the account, or select Switch Account to use a different Google Account.
4. Choose the Business Profile you want to reinstate and select Continue.
5. Review the information the appeals tool displays – this includes the suspended profile, the reason for the action, and a link to the violated policy.
6. In the text field, write a concise explanation. State what violation occurred, what you have corrected, and what documents you are attaching. Keep it factual and brief. Example: "We have updated our business name to match our registered company documents and removed keyword terms that violated guidelines. We have attached our business registration certificate and a recent utility bill for verification."
7. Select Submit Appeal.
8. When prompted, select Add Evidence to upload your supporting documents.

Google will send a decision to your email address. Review times vary, but most appeals receive a response within a few days to a few weeks depending on the volume of cases under review.

Step 5: Handle a Restricted Account (If Applicable)

A standard profile suspension and an account restriction are different situations that require separate actions.

An account restriction occurs when a pattern of policy violations leads Google to suspend all Business Profiles managed by a Google Account and revoke the ability to create or claim new profiles. This is more serious than a single profile suspension.

To resolve an account restriction:

1. Visit your Google My Account page.
2. Locate the account restriction notice and submit an appeal for the account, explaining why the restriction should be lifted.
3. Once Google lifts the account restriction, return to the Business Profile appeals tool and submit a separate appeal for each suspended profile.

If you manage more than ten suspended profiles, the appeals tool will ask whether your appeal covers more than ten profiles. Select Yes, then attach a spreadsheet listing the Business Profile ID and supporting evidence for each profile. Note that the tool only updates the status of the profile you selected – you will receive one email with the decision, which applies to all profiles in the submission.

Step 6: Request an Additional Review If Your Appeal Is Denied

If Google denies your reinstatement request, the process is not necessarily over. Google allows a secondary review for denied appeals, where you can submit additional evidence that was not included in the original request.

To request an additional review:

1. Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool and select the profile for the denied appeal.
2. Check the status – it will show Not Approved.
3. Select the option to request an additional review and upload any new supporting documents you have.

Use this opportunity to strengthen your evidence package. If your first submission included only a utility bill, add your business registration certificate, a photo of your signage, and a video walkthrough of your premises.

Businesses located in European Economic Area (EEA) member states or territories have additional redress options available. For most African businesses, the additional review is the primary recourse after a denial.

Step 7: Monitor Your Appeal Status and Restore Your Profile

You can check the status of your appeal at any time through the Google Business Profile appeals tool. The tool shows one of five statuses:

• Submitted – your appeal is under review
• Approved – your profile has been reinstated
• Not Approved – your appeal was denied
• Can't Be Appealed – the profile is not eligible for reinstatement
• Eligible for Appeal – the profile can be appealed but no submission has been made yet

Once your profile is reinstated, confirm that it appears correctly in Google Search and Maps. It may take several hours or up to a few days for the profile to become fully visible again – this is a normal processing delay, not an indication that the reinstatement failed.

After reinstatement, invest time in strengthening your profile. A well-optimized profile that includes accurate business content that ranks locally is less likely to trigger future suspensions because it presents consistent, verifiable signals to Google's systems.

What to Do After Reinstatement

Once your profile is live again, take preventive steps to protect it:

• Keep your business name, address, phone number, and hours consistent across every platform where your business appears
• Make profile edits gradually – avoid changing multiple fields at once
• Respond to customer reviews regularly, as engagement signals contribute to profile health
• Rank higher on Google Maps by completing every section of your profile, adding current photos, and maintaining accurate categories
• Never create a duplicate listing for the same business address
• Review Google's Business Profile guidelines periodically, as policies are updated

FAQ

What Is the Difference Between a Soft Suspension and a Hard Suspension?

A soft suspension removes your ability to edit your profile but keeps it visible to customers on Google Search and Maps. A hard suspension removes the profile from public view entirely, so customers cannot find it when searching. Both types require you to fix the underlying policy violation before submitting a reinstatement appeal, but hard suspensions are more urgent because they eliminate your business's visibility completely.

How Long Does the Google Business Profile Reinstatement Process Take?

Google does not publish a fixed timeline. Most appeals receive a response within a few days to two weeks, though complex cases or those requiring additional document verification can take up to four weeks. The timeline depends on the severity of the violation, the completeness of your evidence, and Google's current review volume.

Can I Create a New Business Profile While My Appeal Is Pending?

No. Google explicitly prohibits creating a new Business Profile for the same business while a reinstatement appeal is under review. Doing so can result in both profiles being suspended and may reduce your chances of a successful outcome.

What Documents Does Google Accept as Evidence for Reinstatement?

Google accepts utility bills (electricity, water, gas, or internet) dated within the last 60 days, business registration certificates, articles of incorporation, tax registration documents, photos of physical signage, and video walkthroughs of the business premises. All documents must show the same business name and address as the profile you are appealing.

What Happens If My Reinstatement Request Is Rejected Twice?

If a second appeal is denied, you can escalate the case by requesting a manual review through a Google Business Profile Product Expert via the Google Business Profile Help Community. This escalation path is not guaranteed, but it provides an additional opportunity to present your case to a human reviewer who can override automated decisions.

Why Is My Profile Not Showing in Search After Being Reinstated?

A reinstated profile can take several hours or a few days to reappear in Google Search and Maps results due to standard indexing and processing times. If the profile remains invisible after 72 hours, check for any remaining compliance issues or conflicting profiles registered to the same address, as these can delay full restoration of visibility.

Does Fixing My Profile Guarantee Reinstatement?

Correcting your profile violations significantly improves your chances but does not guarantee approval. Google reviews each appeal individually and makes decisions based on the totality of evidence provided. A complete, well-documented appeal that demonstrates compliance is far more likely to succeed than one submitted without supporting documents.

What to Do Now

Work through the steps above in sequence: identify the violation, fix it completely, gather your documents, then submit. Skipping straight to the appeal form – before correcting the underlying issues – is the most common reason reinstatement requests fail.

Once your profile is back, keep it active and consistent. An up-to-date, well-maintained profile is the most reliable protection against future suspensions. African businesses looking to extend their online visibility beyond a single platform can create a free business listing on Destinali and be found across the search platforms and AI tools that customers in their city are using today.