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This blog post was created in September 2024
Creating and managing a Business Profile on Google can significantly enhance your visibility and engagement with potential customers. However, it's essential to understand that not all businesses qualify for a Business Profile. This article will outline the eligibility and ownership guidelines to help you determine if your business qualifies and ensure that you adhere to all the necessary requirements.
To be eligible for a Business Profile, your business must engage in direct, in-person interactions with customers during its stated hours. While this rule applies to most businesses, there are notable exceptions:
1. Automated Services: ATMs, video-rental kiosks, and express mail drop boxes are eligible for a Business Profile. However, it's crucial to include contact information to assist customers who may need help.
2. Seasonal Businesses: Seasonal businesses, like an ice-skating rink that operates only during the winter months. These businesses must display permanent signage at their location throughout the year to qualify however.
3. Delivery Only Food Services: Delivery only food services can also create a Business Profile, provided they meet certain conditions. For more details, look into the guidelines specific to Virtual Food brands.
Not every business type qualifies for a Business Profile. Here are some examples of ineligible businesses:
1. Rental or For-Sale Properties: Properties that are for sale or rent, like holiday homes, model homes, or vacant flats, do not qualify. However, sales or leasing offices are eligible for verification.
2. Temporary Services or Classes: Any ongoing service, class, or meeting hosted at a location you don’t own or don't have the authority to represent is ineligible.
3. Lead Generation Services: Lead generation companies or agents are not eligible.
4. Online Only Entities: Brands, organisations, artists, and other online-only businesses cannot create a Business Profile.
5. PO Boxes and Remote Mailboxes: Businesses with addresses listed as PO boxes or remote mailboxes cannot use them as a Business Profile address.
Only business owners or authorised representatives may verify and manage their business information on a Business Profile. If you need to share management access with others, you can add them as managers. It's important to adhere to these guidelines to maintain control and accuracy of your Business Profile:
1. Ownership Retention: Failure to sign into your account regularly, confirmation from the business that you’re no longer authorised, unresponsive communication, deletion of your profile, or suspension of another related Google product can result in ownership being revoked.
2. Recovering Ownership: If ownership is revoked, you can attempt to reverify your business or request ownership from the new business owner by following the steps outlined in the Resolve Owner Conflicts section.
An authorised representative is an individual or company that manages business information for a Business Profile they don’t own. This could include third party SEO/SEM companies, friends of the business owner, online ordering or scheduling providers, and affiliate network providers.
Authorised representatives must adhere to several guidelines to ensure they manage Business Profiles correctly:
1. Claiming Profiles: Never claim a Business Profile without express consent from the business owner.
2. Honesty: Avoid making false, misleading, or unrealistic claims.
3. Customer Relations: Refrain from using harassing, abusive, or untrustworthy tactics with potential or existing customers.
4. Verification: Always work directly with the business owner to complete verification.
5. Education: Ensure the business owner understands what a Business Profile on Google is and where the data is used. Share resources like the Business Profile Manager, About Google Business Profile, and editing guides.
6. Transparency: Keep the business owner informed about all actions taken on the Business Profile.
7. Guidelines Adherence: Follow the Guidelines for representing your business on Google, especially concerning phone number and website verification. The business owner must be able to verify the authenticity of this information.
8. Responsiveness: Respond promptly to management access requests and transfer Business Profile ownership to the business owner immediately upon request. Whenever possible, encourage the business owner to create their own account, own the Business Profile and then add authorised representatives as managers.
Failure to adhere to these policies may result in the suspension of the Business Profile and/or the associated Google Account. Please note that if the profile or account is suspended due to policy violations, subsequent contributions will be blocked.
These changes now mean that the self employed, working-from-home, cottage industries are likely no longer allowed to have a Google Business Profile. This shift could alter the effectiveness of awareness and sales for these businesses and they will have to find an alternative way to be found in search / online.
By following these guidelines, both business owners and authorised representatives can ensure that their Business Profiles on Google are accurate, helpful, and compliant with Google's standards. Not only does this help maintain a trustworthy online presence, but it also maximizes the benefits that a well-managed Business Profile can bring to your business. For more detailed instructions and support, refer to Google's official resources and guidelines.
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