Business Profile restrictions for policy violations

Reviews and ratings can help consumers choose a business for their needs. That’s why we take fake and/or incentivized reviews and ratings on businesses very seriously.

Businesses that violate our Fake Engagement policy may be subject to certain restrictions if we determine violative activity on their profile(s). For more information about our Fake Engagement policy, see our list of Prohibited and restricted content.

Potential restrictions on Business Profiles

If we determine that a business owner has violated our Fake Engagement policy, we might place restrictions on their Business Profile (in addition to removing the violative reviews). Examples of possible restrictions include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Business Profile will not be able to receive new reviews or ratings for set period of time
  • Business Profile’s existing reviews or ratings will be unpublished for set period of time
  • Business Profile will display a warning to let consumers know that fake reviews were removed

We will notify business owners via email if we plan to apply a restriction to their profile.

Appeal your Business Profile restriction

Businesses have the ability to appeal our decision. Once submitted, we will re-review the profile and any additional context the business provides in the appeal. We will share the status of our review once we determine whether the restrictions should be removed. If you believe we incorrectly evaluated your Business Profile, please submit an appeal here.

 
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Get help from Small Business Advisors

Want to receive one-on-one guidance and tailored recommendations on how to make the most out of your Business Profile? Try booking an appointment with Small Business Advisors.


Important: This service cannot troubleshoot issues, including Business Profile verification or suspension, or Google Ads billing.

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