ReferenceBusiness Profile suspension
No new reviews or ratings for a set period
After Google finds fake reviews, it can restrict a profile in three ways: no new reviews or ratings for a set period, existing reviews unpublished for a set period, or a public warning that fake reviews were removed. Google emails the owner before it applies a restriction. The page gives no length for any of them, so stop the requests that caused the findings first.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- On the profile, and in an email to the owner that comes before a restriction is applied.
- What stops
- New reviews or ratings, or the reviews already on the profile, for a set period.
- How serious
- Serious for a business that depends on new reviews. The page gives no length for any restriction.
What it means
Google's page lists three restrictions for profiles found to have fake reviews. The profile may not receive new reviews or ratings for a set period. Existing reviews or ratings may be unpublished for a set period. The profile may show a public warning that fake reviews were removed.
The page does not say which combination applies, how long each lasts, or the exact text of the warning. The clear signal for the owner is the email, and the cause is the same as in the fake engagement and rating manipulation pages.
What actually triggers it
Fake engagement found on the profile
The restriction follows findings of fake engagement and rating manipulation under the contribution policy. The owner gets the email first, which is how to tell a restriction is coming.
Fake reviews already removed
The warning banner says fake reviews were removed. A profile can show it after the removal, so the warning is the visible trace of an earlier finding.
Fix it in this order
- Read the email from Google, if one arrived. It names the restriction Google plans to apply.
- Check the profile for each of the three restrictions: whether new reviews are blocked, whether existing reviews are missing, and whether a warning banner shows.
- Stop the requests and offers that produced the removed reviews, using the fake engagement and rating manipulation pages as the checklist.
- Do not replace the profile or create another one to get around the restriction. Google says not to create a new Business Profile for the same business.
The page does not describe how a restriction is lifted or how long one lasts. Keep the request practices stopped and watch for further email from Google.
Often confused with
Account restricted from Business Profile activity
A different restriction. It sits on the Google Account after repeated violations and suspends every profile that account manages, not only the reviews.
Fake Engagement
The finding that leads to these restrictions. The removal is of the reviews, and the restriction is the period that follows.