A suspended profile disappears from Maps, often during your busiest season, and reinstatement can take weeks. Most suspensions of dental listings come from a short list of avoidable mistakes.
Mistakes to avoid
- Keywords in the business name that aren’t on your signage.
- Duplicate profiles for the same practice at the same address.
- Addresses you don’t staff: virtual offices, mailboxes or a second “location” that is only a room you rent occasionally.
- Frequent changes to the name, address or categories, especially many at once. Make changes deliberately.
- Letting an agency or employee own the profile, so nobody at the practice can act when something goes wrong.
- Buying reviews or review “services,” which can remove reviews in bulk or worse.
If the profile is suspended
- Don’t create a new profile. That makes it worse.
- Read Google’s guidelines and fix whatever may have caused it, such as the name or a duplicate.
- Use Google’s reinstatement appeal from your Business Profile, and include proof the practice is real and operating at the address: a photo of exterior signage, a business license, a utility bill or your state dental license information.
- Keep a record of what you submitted and when, and be patient. Repeated appeals don’t speed things up.
Your checklist
The free Google Business Profile checklist covers every item in this guide on one page. Work through it now, then once a quarter.