Shortnames causing suspensions: could it be because of Google's proposed shortname?

[LilyRayNYC]

I received a suspension for a listing that is 100% legitimate, a company that has been around for years and was doing absolutely nothing spammy with its GMB profile. The only thing we changed was adding the shortname. Now, I don't even have the ability to edit or remove the shortname - that feature entirely disappeared.

I just asked for help on Twitter and was contacted by another user who says 4 out of 44 of her listings were suspended, and all of them contained underscores (as recommended by Google) in the shortname. After she removed the shortname, they came back.



(I can't remember if mine used an underscore or not, but it was the one Google recommended)

1) Can anyone help me figure out where to edit my shortname? It seems to have disappeared (See attached image)
2) Could underscores be causing these suspensions!?!?

 

[Annika Neudecker]

You can view your short name and edit it by going to the Info tab within the store's GMB dashboard. It's the third item down on the left side menu. Then scroll down on the Info page and you'll see the short name listed under the phone number. Please report back if there are any underscores!

 

[LilyRayNYC]

No joke, but the shortname feature entirely disappeared for this business.

 

[Cordell Crowley]

So is this issue with shortnames related specifically to underscores/hyphens/etc. then? I personally haven't had a client be suspended for the shortname yet (we've only put it on 6 or 7 thus far) and none of ours have used any special characters- just letters.

 

[djbaxter]

Google says shortnames bug resolved, local listings restored
Search Engine Land
July 15, 2019

The problem that was causing Google My Business (GMB) listings to disappear when shortnames were added has apparently been resolved, according to Google. A spokesperson informed us last night that all missing listings have been restored.

Over the past week or so, local SEOs who had been trying to add Google shortnames to their clients’ GMB profiles found listings and, in some cases reviews, were disappearing.

Status of missing reviews unclear. We don’t have independent verification that the issues are all resolved from anyone whose accounts were affected. Also, Google did not specifically comment on the issue of disappearing reviews, which several SEOs said was also happening after adding shortnames. Previously, Google said disappearing reviews was a distinct technical issue unrelated to shortnames.

Read more...

 

[Jac]

Let me check what they updated. Thanks @djbaxter