Ask the SEO Wizard
Dear O Mighty SEO Wizard (please hurry),
Google suspended my auto body shop's profile. What now?
— an owner of an auto body shop in Milwaukie, adapted from a question on r/localseo
Asked
Google suspended my profile because the auto body category needs a storefront with permanent signage, and I can't put a sign up yet. I know I can't just switch to a service-area business either. What should I focus on in the meantime?
The Wizard answers
You’re reading the situation right. Customers bring cars to you, so you’re a storefront, and switching to a service-area business to dodge the signage rule would just get you suspended again.
So the real fix is the sign. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to be permanent and professional: mounted on the building, with your business name exactly as it appears on your profile. Then appeal with evidence. Photos of the sign and the shop, your business license, and a utility bill or lease at that address. Google may ask for a video. Walk from the street to the sign to the bays in one take.
In the meantime:
- Claim your other maps. Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, and Yelp. Plenty of people find body shops through Apple Maps on their iPhone.
- Get your website in shape. Services, insurance companies you work with, photos of finished work, and your phone number on every page.
- Lean on insurance relationships. For body shops, insurer referral programs often matter more than Google. If you’re not on any, start there.
- Ask for reviews anyway. Collect them on Yelp now, and once your profile is back, send your best customers to Google.
Suspensions feel permanent. They usually aren’t, if you fix the actual reason.