Google Sometimes PERMANENTLY Bans Google+ Local Listings

[Linda Buquet]

I had never heard of a permanent Google+ Local ban before - meaning a business is blocked from ever having a listing again. It makes sense Google would do this to spammy listings, I'd just never heard them come out and say it before.

So wanted to alert you to a post from the Google Business forum.

In this thread: Why does my google + business page keeps getting rejected?
Abby, a Google employee said:

It appears your account has violated our guidelines with previous listings. This may cause your account to be ineligible for Google Places for Business.

So most of you that have been doing this for awhile know about the various penalty levels, but I'll list them here in the order of severity: Pending review, rejected, ranking penalty (can be subtle and hard to identify as such) do not support location error (normal on new listings, on mature listings can be a bug, guideline penalty or totally deleted listing), suspended and purgatory.

With suspended accounts Google says you have to start over with a new listing. With purgatory, the account is dead and starting over is the only option.

But based on Abby's comment above... there is also a PERMANENT BAN for repeat offenders.

Again, makes sense. Just news because I've never heard them come right out and say it.

So if you know anyone that's pushing the boundaries and has violated and been penalized more than once AND has not learned their lesson. Send them to this thread. Google won't allow spammy listings to just start over and spam again.

Which I think is great! Those spammy players hurt the entire industry and make everything harder for honest businesses.

One more good reason to play by the rules and keep your listings in good standing with Google!

PS semi related... There is also a thread suggesting that service area businesses that were deleted for not hiding address, then restored are under permanent RANKING penalty. This person believes that even after the listings are restored they are doomed to a ranking penalty and won't ever rank again. I'll try to post that one later and have some thoughts on that topic.

 

[Charles]

This is somewhat surprising given that Matt Cutts has often stated that all penalties have a remedy in time. I have a simple, and probably ignorant question: what is Google going to permanently attach the penalty to? The account? If it's the account, and the business opens up another account, will the penalty "follow" other pieces of data such as the domain or NAP or a combination of both?

 

[Linda Buquet]

PS semi related... There is also a thread suggesting that service area businesses that were deleted for not hiding address, then restored are under permanent RANKING penalty. This person believes that even after the listings are restored they are doomed to a ranking penalty and won't ever rank again. I'll try to post that one later and have some thoughts on that topic.

Here's that post, just finished it:
http://localsearchforum.catalystema...e-permanently-sandbox-deleted-restored-g.html