Guide
Your Google account is restricted
An account restriction is bigger than a profile suspension. Google says a policy violation can restrict your account, which suspends the profiles you manage and blocks you from creating or claiming other profiles. Multi-location businesses and anyone who let a vendor build profiles for them see this most.
Common causes
- Profiles that are not real, staffed locations. A vendor created extra profiles in nearby towns to "rank" there.
- A flagged user on the account. A former agency or lead-gen vendor whose other clients were spam.
- Many profiles created quickly from one account.
- Shared logins used by several people or companies.
Recovering a restricted account
Account restrictions take the longest to clear. Every profile on the account has to hold up, the people with access matter as much as the profiles do, and Google asks businesses with 10 or more locations to file through its bulk process with a spreadsheet of profile IDs. Sometimes the realistic path is to rebuild the real locations under a clean account, which has to be done in the right order to avoid creating duplicates.
Sources
- Fix a suspended Business Profile and appeals, Google Business Profile Help
- Appeal a Business Profile decision, Google Business Profile Help
Common questions
- What is the difference between a restricted account and a suspended profile?
- A suspended profile is one listing with a problem. A restricted account is a problem with the Google account itself, which suspends every profile it manages and blocks it from creating or claiming new ones.
- Does a manager's suspension affect my profile?
- Google says suspending a manager's account does not affect the locations. Removing an owner's account, however, removes all the locations that owner owns.