A free 2-minute self-check for your Google Business Profile. Tick every statement that's true for your profile and you'll see which of Google's published guidelines it may break, why that matters, and what to fix, with links to step-by-step guides.
Honest limits: this is not affiliated with Google and it can't predict Google's decisions. It only flags common guideline problems so you can fix them yourself. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you tick is stored or sent anywhere.
Your results
Tick the statements that are true for your profile to see your results.
Higher risk ()
Things Google's guidelines say are not allowed and that commonly come up with suspended or disabled profiles. Fix these first.
My business name on Google includes words that aren't on my signage: a city or area, a service keyword (like “Plumber” or “Dentist”), a tagline, “best”, “#1”, “24/7”, “near me” or a phone number.
Why it matters: Google's guidelines say your name should match your real-world name, as used on your signage, website and stationery, and that including unnecessary information in the name isn't permitted and could result in suspension.
What to do: Rename the profile to exactly the name on your signage and invoices. Put the city in your address or service areas and the services in categories and the Services list. A name change after verification may ask you to verify again.
Free guide: Google Business Profile name rules (and why keyword-stuffing gets profiles suspended)
Google's help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
The address on my profile is a virtual office, PO box, mailbox or shipping-store box (e.g. a UPS Store box), or a co-working desk with no permanent signage or staff.
Why it matters: Google says virtual offices, mailboxes and co-working desks without permanent signage and staff aren't eligible addresses for a Business Profile.
What to do: If customers don't visit you there, remove the address and set the profile up as a service-area business. If you do serve customers at a real, staffed location with your sign on it, use that address.
Free guide: Service-area business vs storefront: hide your address or show it? · Google Business Profile suspended or disabled: what to do
Google's help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google · Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses
I go to my customers (they don't come to me), but my profile shows a street or home address.
Why it matters: Google's rules for service-area businesses: if you don't serve customers at your address, hide it and list the areas you serve instead.
What to do: Edit profile → Location: remove the address and add up to 20 service areas (cities or postal codes). One profile covers the whole area.
Free guide: Service-area business vs storefront: hide your address or show it?
Google's help: Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses · Guidelines for representing your business on Google
There's more than one Google listing for my business (for example an old one and a new one at the same address, or one per service or department).
Why it matters: Google allows one Business Profile per business and says a profile considered a duplicate won't show on Search or Maps.
What to do: Keep the verified profile with your reviews, remove duplicates you created, and request a merge on Google Maps for ones you don't control.
Free guide: Duplicate Google Business Profiles: how to clean them up
Google's help: Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues
I created separate listings for different towns or service areas of the same business, or added an address just to appear in another city.
Why it matters: Google says a service-area business gets one profile for its whole service area, and an address must be a real location where you serve customers with permanent signage.
What to do: Keep one profile, remove the extra ones, and list the towns you really serve as service areas (up to 20).
Free guide: Duplicate Google Business Profiles: how to clean them up · Service-area business vs storefront: hide your address or show it?
Google's help: Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses · Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues
My profile was suspended or disabled and I created (or I'm about to create) a new listing instead of reclaiming or appealing the old one.
Why it matters: Google's suspended-profile help says not to create a new Business Profile for the same business. The new one is a duplicate and doesn't fix the original.
What to do: Remove or stop the new listing, fix the original profile, collect evidence, then use Google's appeals tool. Google says an appeal can only be submitted once, so prepare before you submit.
Free guide: Google Business Profile suspended or disabled: what to do
Google's help: Fix suspended or disabled profiles · Business Profile restrictions for policy violations
Medium risk ()
Against Google's rules or eligibility requirements, but more often leads to rejected edits, re-verification, removed content or restrictions than to suspension on its own.
My name is in ALL CAPS on Google, or uses ™/® symbols or special characters, but my signage doesn't write it that way.
Why it matters: Google's name rules list fully capitalised words (unless that's really how the name is written, such as an acronym) and trademark or registered signs as not allowed. Special characters and legal terms (LLC, Ltd, &) need real-world proof such as signage or invoices.
What to do: Write the name the way it appears in the real world. Keep photos of signage, business cards or invoices in case Google asks.
Free guide: Google Business Profile name rules (and why keyword-stuffing gets profiles suspended)
Google's help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
My profile shows an address customers can visit, but there's no permanent sign with my business name at that location.
Why it matters: Google says a business without permanent on-site signage isn't eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business.
What to do: Put up permanent signage with the same name as the profile, or switch to a service-area set-up if customers don't really come to you.
Free guide: Service-area business vs storefront: hide your address or show it?
Google's help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
My primary category doesn't describe what my business mostly is. I picked it because it seemed more popular or got more searches.
Why it matters: Google asks you to choose the category that describes your business as a whole (what it is, not what it has). Google also says category edits can trigger re-verification.
What to do: Pick the most specific category that's true for most of your work, change it once, and put the other services in your Services list.
Free guide: How to change your Google Business Profile category
Google's help: Manage your business category
I offer discounts or freebies for reviews, ask only happy customers, or have staff, family or friends review the business.
Why it matters: Google's content policy doesn't allow incentivised reviews, selectively asking only happy customers, or reviews from people with a conflict of interest. Google says that besides removing those reviews it may restrict a profile, for example blocking new reviews for a while or showing a warning to customers.
What to do: Stop incentives and gating. Ask every customer the same way, with no reward. Don't ask staff or family to review.
Free guide: How to report a fake or unfair Google review (and when it can be removed) · Google reviews disappeared or not showing: why, and what you can do
Google's help: Business Profile restrictions for policy violations · Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy)
Lower risk ()
Worth tidying up: usually the specific content is rejected or removed rather than the whole profile.
I added a category for every service, or for a separately run business inside mine (like a café inside a gym).
Why it matters: Google says to use as few categories as needed to describe your core business, and a separately owned business inside yours needs its own profile.
What to do: Remove categories that describe a single service or department; list those services instead.
Free guide: How to change your Google Business Profile category
Google's help: Manage your business category
My description or my Services/Products list is mostly keywords or city names, or contains links, prices or promotions.
Why it matters: Google's description rules don't allow links, promotions, prices or content unrelated to the business, and edits containing them can be rejected.
What to do: Rewrite it for customers: what you do, for whom, why you, how to get in touch. Max 750 characters, no links or offers.
Free guide: Writing your Google Business Profile description (750-character limit)
Google's help: Edit your Business Profile
Some of my photos are stock images, photos of a different business or location, or heavily filtered or edited.
Why it matters: Google's photo guidelines say images should represent reality, with no significant alterations or excessive filters, and all media must follow Google's content policy. Media that breaks policy can be marked “Not approved” and won't show.
What to do: Replace them with your own recent photos of your premises, signage, team, vehicles and real work.
Google's help: Manage your Business Profile photos & videos (photo guidelines) · Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy)
I've changed my business name, address or category several times recently.
Why it matters: Google says edits to name, address or category can lead to a review or a request to verify again.
What to do: Settle on the correct details, make the change once, then leave them alone while Google reviews it.
Free guide: Your Google Business Profile edits aren't showing (or Google changed them) · Google Business Profile verification pending or stuck
Google's help: Edit your Business Profile · Verify your business on Google
How the risk levels work
Higher: Google's guidelines say it isn't allowed or isn't eligible, and it's a common problem on suspended profiles. Medium: against the rules, but more often leads to rejected edits, re-verification, removed content or restrictions. Lower: usually only the specific content is rejected. These levels are our plain-English grouping, not a score from Google, and no checklist can rule out a suspension.
Google's official help
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Fix suspended or disabled profiles (Google Business Profile Help)
- Business Profile restrictions for policy violations (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses (Google Business Profile Help)
- Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues (Google Business Profile Help)
Common questions
Can this checker tell me if Google will suspend my profile?
No. Google alone decides suspensions and it doesn't publish a scoring formula. This checker only flags things that Google's own published guidelines say aren't allowed or aren't eligible, so you can fix them yourself.
Is my answer saved or sent anywhere?
No. The checker runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you tick is stored, sent or tracked; closing or reloading the page clears it. The only outside request on this page is a small anonymous page-view counter image in the footer.
My profile is already suspended. What should I do first?
Don't create a new listing. Read the notice, fix what breaks the guidelines, gather evidence whose name and address match the profile, then use Google's appeals tool. Google says an appeal can only be submitted once. Our free suspended-profile guide walks through the steps.
Is this tool made by Google?
No. It's an independent free tool based on Google's public Business Profile help pages, which are linked on this page. It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google.
Honest note: This page summarises Google's own public help articles (linked above) plus common-sense checks. We are not Google and can't see inside your account, so we can't promise any outcome: Google alone decides suspensions, appeals, verification and rankings. Google changes its tools and wording often, so if anything here differs from what you see, follow Google's current help page.