ReferenceBusiness Profile suspension
Photo or video removed under the content policy
Google applies its prohibited and restricted content policies to Business Profile photos and videos, and they must also meet additional criteria in a separate Maps media page. Those criteria favor camera images where the place is the subject, and warn against stock photos, screenshots, collages, heavy filters, added text and blurry shots. Replace the removed image rather than appealing, since quality removals cannot be appealed.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- On the profile's photos and videos.
- What stops
- The photo or video, which is removed from the profile.
- How serious
- Set by the image. The pages describe removal of the media, not a penalty on the profile.
What it means
Photos and videos on a Business Profile are held to two sets of rules: the prohibited and restricted content policies, and the additional criteria on Google's Maps page of tips for posting media. The profile policy page links to the second without listing it.
The criteria are about whether the image shows the place clearly and as it is. Google says low-quality media may be removed and that quality removals cannot be appealed, so the fix is a better image, not an argument.
What actually triggers it
Stock photos, screenshots, GIFs or collages
Images bought from a library, screenshots of a website or a social post, and collages made in an app. Google's media tips say to avoid all four and to upload media of the place captured with a camera.
Text, borders or logos added on top
A price, a slogan or a frame laid over the photo. Google says to avoid adding borders, text or collaged images, and to make any superimposed content relevant rather than distracting.
Heavy filters, dark or rotated images
Filters are allowed only while the image still gives a clear, accurate picture of the place. Google also warns against excessively dark or rotated images.
Blurry photos or shaky videos
Out-of-focus shots, and videos that are shaky, distorted or corrupted. Google lists these as media to avoid, and this is the kind of quality removal that cannot be appealed.
The place is not the subject
Selfies and group shots that center the people rather than the business. Google says the location should be the primary subject.
Content the prohibited content policy covers
An image that shows something the prohibited or restricted content policies cover. Google's profile policy applies those policies to photos and videos as well as to text.
Fix it in this order
- Look at the removed image and decide whether the problem is quality or content.
- For a quality removal, take a new photo or video of the place with a camera, in focus, with the place as the subject and nothing laid over it.
- For a content removal, check the image against the prohibited and restricted content policies before choosing a replacement.
- Upload the replacement and check that it shows on the profile.
When to appeal
Google's media tips say quality removals cannot be appealed. For a blurry, filtered or stock image, the only route back is a new image.
Often confused with
Posts with unverified contact information
A post removed for the contact details it carries. This page is about a photo or video removed for its content or quality.