ReferenceBusiness Profile suspension
Authorized representative rules broken
Google's rules for authorized representatives, the firms and people who manage a profile they do not own, say a representative must never claim a profile without the owner's consent, never make false or unrealistic claims, and always transfer ownership immediately on request. Get ownership back into the owner's name, correct the claims the representative made, and keep the owner informed of every change.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- On the profile, in its ownership and in its description, posts and photos.
- What stops
- Changes by the representative, and the owner's control of the profile until ownership is restored.
- How serious
- Google says failure to follow these rules may result in a suspension for the Business Profile and/or Google Account.
What it means
The guidelines define an authorized representative as anyone who manages business information for a Business Profile they do not own. The page's examples include a third-party SEO or SEM company, a friend of the business owner, and booking or ordering providers.
The rules run toward the owner too. The representative must respond to management access requests promptly and transfer ownership on request, so an owner who asks for the profile back has a right to it under these rules.
What actually triggers it
A firm that claims the profile in its own name
A representative that claims the profile without the owner's consent. Google's rules say representatives must never claim a profile without express consent from the business owner.
Claims in posts or descriptions that are not true
Promises, rankings or results that the representative added and the business cannot back. The rules say never to make false, misleading or unrealistic claims.
Ownership not handed over when asked
The owner asks for the profile back and the representative delays. The rules say to transfer ownership immediately upon request.
Fix it in this order
- Ask the representative in writing to transfer ownership to the owner's account, citing the transfer rule.
- Review the profile's description, posts and photos for claims the business did not approve, and remove them.
- Keep the business owner informed of each change, since the rules require the representative to do so.
- If the representative will not transfer ownership, use the ownership and owner-conflict routes on the related pages.
Once ownership is in the owner's name, check the profile's access list so the representative no longer holds access it should not have.
Often confused with
Unauthorized access is about which party is the owner. A representative violation is about how a representative behaved, even when it holds access legitimately.