ReferenceBusiness Profile suspension
Unauthorized profile access
Google revokes access for unauthorized users when it determines that another merchant is the authorized owner of the Business Profile. Google's page lists no fix steps for this case. Confirm who the business owner is and who holds access, then use the owner-conflict route, the Resolve owner conflicts article that Google's ownership page links to.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- On the profile, as the access of an unauthorized user being removed.
- What stops
- Access for the user Google found unauthorized.
- How serious
- Set by ownership, not by content. The page gives no steps for this case.
What it means
Google's page says that when a different merchant is determined to be the authorized owner, access for other unauthorized users is revoked. The decision is about who the owner is, so editing the listing does not settle it.
This is the result of an ownership conflict. Two people, or a person and a former representative, each hold access to the same profile, and Google decides which party is the owner.
What actually triggers it
A former representative that still holds access
A marketing firm or former employee who set up the profile and never handed it over. Google's guidance says authorized representatives must transfer ownership to the owner immediately on request.
Two people who each believe they own the profile
Two people set up the same business and each has access. Google decides which party is the authorized owner.
Fix it in this order
- Confirm who the business owner is, using the business's own records and the sign-in email on the account.
- List every account that holds access to the profile, and check whether any of them is a representative that should have transferred ownership.
- If another party is holding ownership, use the owner-conflict route, the Resolve owner conflicts article that Google's ownership page links to.
- Do not change the listing to settle the conflict, since the decision is about ownership, not content.
Often confused with
The list of reasons for losing ownership, such as no recent sign-in, unanswered emails, or a representative no longer authorized. This page is the case where another party is found to hold the rightful ownership.