Website URL not approved on GBP and won't show in a branded search

[sd1111]

We are working with a client who recently changed her domain. She is having trouble replacing her old website with her new one on her Google Business Profile ("not approved" error)

She has had multiple exchanges with GBP support where they have told her the following:

• Her website is not an “official website” and to pick something else.
• They claimed this was because she didn't have contact information on her site.
  • She has her name and email address on the site
  • Her email is in her footer
  • Her old contact page is redirecting to her new contact page
• They told her that she needed to reach out to her webmaster and "create an official website."

For privacy, I have put the business information (name, URL, GBP URL, Case ID) in this Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JpWpJVlDwLfTrpMONTSaX5JrmX3JT1Y0uG_-LzRsYNI/edit?usp=sharing

Action we have taken:

• Google Search Console is set up, new site is indexed, home page URL "URL is on Google"
• Change of Address submitted and in progress

Has anyone seen this issue before? Any idea what we can do to get this fixed?

 

[hannahmoen]

The reason it links to lotusdentalspa.com is because that's all it will take and it at least redirects to the site currently. The client was growing frustrated that there was nothing in this space at all so it was a bandaid fix.

Any time we try to submit the correct URL either as a Page Owner or a User, it is denied.

This also has never been an issue prior with all of our Delmain configured sites, we have launched hundreds under this format without issue. So that feels like a generalization targeted at the website builds -- but I digress...!

Here is the Sitemap. https://lotusdentalstudio.com/sitemap.xml

 

[fisicx]

The more I look at this more it seems to be a problem with the Demain configuration. The code is really bad (and Google doesn't like poorly set up sites) but that shouldn't cause the whole domain to be missing from the SERPs.

Which points to Delmain being the root cause. A block on the domain maybe?

 

[hannahmoen]

We’ve audited both the site configuration and the domain setup in detail:

• Server config, redirects, HTTPS, and canonical tags are all clean and consistent.
• robots.txt and meta directives allow crawling; there’s no noindex or X-Robots exclusion.
• No manual actions in GSC, and pages are indexed when checked directly (site: queries).
• Crawl logs and header traces show no errors or unexpected responses.
• We even had our Host company audit the Server side

If there’s a specific element in the code or config you believe is triggering this that would be more helpful.

A block would show in GSC, and we’re not seeing that, so think that makes that theory’s a non-starter.

 

[hannahmoen]

Let me also add that we did not impose the 'bandaid' of the old URL immediately, we let the Google Business Profile sit without a website URL for 2.5 weeks as we went through Google Support. That still did not resolve the issue of it not accepting the new site.

Thanks for all the brainstorming here -- it is appreciated.

 

[fisicx]

Create a simple one page site with the details of the practice using the lotus URL. Host this on your own server and change the nameservers on GoDaddy.

Once the nameservers have promulgated wait for Google to index the new page and see if it shows in the SERPs. If it does the problem is likely with Delmain. If it doesn't it could be a GoDaddy problem.

It might also be a redirect problem because you have multiple domain all pointing to lotus - Google could be getting in a loop from which it can't escape. Remove all the redirects and see what happens.

Go right back to basics and get something showing and work from there.

 

[hannahmoen]

Respectfully, I will not be doing that as that is extremely unrecommended by every trusted Dev and SEO specialist I have spoken to -- as well as Googles bot, Gemini.

In case you're curious why Gemini objectively rejects your suggestion:

---

The suggestion to take down all content and replace it with a single page is a form of SEO sabotage that would likely make the situation worse. Here are the objective reasons why it's a bad idea:

1. De-indexing and Authority Loss: Your website's authority, or E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), is tied directly to its content and the internal links that connect it. By removing all your pages, you're telling Google that this content no longer exists. This could cause Google to de-index those pages, effectively erasing the signals of trust you've built and setting your SEO progress back to zero.
2. Redirecting Multiple Domains is Standard Practice: His theory about redirect loops is incorrect. It's a very common and accepted SEO practice to redirect old domains to a new, central one. Google's crawlers are designed to follow these 301 (Permanent) redirects without issue and to pass on the link equity from the old sites to the new one.
3. Revenue and User Experience: Taking down your site would remove vital information for potential patients, such as your services, doctors' bios, and contact information. This would not only confuse visitors but also lead to a complete stop in patient inquiries and revenue.

---

I appreciate the back and forth but you are suggesting things that are not recommended and things I have already stated are not issues (ex. redirect loops, not an issue...)

I will look into the latency of the redirects themselves, however.

 

[keyserholiday]

Post in the help forum.

 

[hannahmoen]

Post in the help forum.

We have! https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/363820361

I just didn't share because I didn't want it to look like I was searching for an escalation

 

[sd1111]

I'd like to revive this old thread instead of making a new one. 2 months later and I am experiencing this issue with 2 sites, one is a brand new business domain and the other is a domain change from two previously trusted websites.

Here's a summary of what I've checked so far:

• Indexing: Google Search Console shows the sites are indexed. (site:thedentllounge.com/, site:lotusdentalstudio.com)
• Safety: Google Search Console reports the sites as safe.
• robots.txt: The robots.txt file are not blocking any important pages.
• Manual Actions: There are no manual actions against the sites.

Obviously per the LSF rules we are not meant to request assistance on a thread -- so how are you all moving things along after you have posted in the Google Help forum? If they seem to never be circling back around to close out like the linked here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/363820361

Here to be the bearer of bad news, I guess. 2 1/2 months later, my client's site still won't show on a branded search on Google. She even redesigned it. Signed up for all the listings. No change.

The site appears and everything looks fine on searches on Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo... It's definitely a Google problem, and I can't figure out what it is or how to fix it.

 

[fisicx]

Respectfully, I will not be doing that as that is extremely unrecommended by every trusted Dev and SEO specialist I have spoken to -- as well as Googles bot, Gemini.

It's a temporary fix. Right now you have zero search traffic from google to the site (because it's not in the SERPs).

If you create the test page you will be able to see if the domain appear in the SERPs. If it does you know the issue is with Delmain or GoDaddy.

Of course Gemini will give that advice because it's answering the wrong question. This is a test to try and identify where the problem lies.

You could also export the site to a new host and see if that fixes things. You can also change to a new registrar. The site isn't the problem. It's something fundamental with the server config.

Or it's just that the Google index is broken. Which is why you need to change things to do the tests.