ReferenceBusiness Profile suspension
Category misuse
Google's guidelines say to use as few categories as possible to describe the core business, and not to use a category solely as a keyword or to describe an attribute. Categories that pertain to nearby or related businesses are also not allowed. Keep the one or two categories that describe what the business does at its address, and remove keyword-only categories and any that belong to a neighboring business.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The profile's categories, which Google reviews.
- What stops
- Google's guidelines do not say what stops when a category breaks them.
- How serious
- Set by the review of the categories. The page does not state a penalty for each one.
What it means
A category tells Google and customers what the business does. The guidelines are strict that a category describes the business itself, not a keyword the owner wants to match, and not a business next door.
A list of categories chosen to cover every service tends to conflict with the core-business rule. The page asks for the smallest set that describes the core business.
What actually triggers it
A category used as a keyword
A category added to catch searches, such as a word that describes a service in general but is not what the business is. The page says not to use categories solely as keywords.
A category for a neighboring business
A category that describes a business nearby or related to the one on the profile. The page says not to use categories that pertain to other businesses that are nearby or related.
Too many categories
A long list covering every service the business touches. The page asks for as few categories as possible from the list.
Fix it in this order
- Write down, in one sentence, what the business actually does at its address.
- Match that sentence to the categories on the profile, and keep the fewest that describe the core business, as specific as possible but representative of the main business.
- Remove any category used only as a keyword or to describe an attribute of the business.
- Remove any category that describes a nearby or related business.
Often confused with
Business name with extra keywords
Extra keywords in the name are a name problem. A keyword in the category is a category problem. Fix the field the message points to, since each is a rule of its own.