Reinstating an Architecture Firm’s Disabled Google Business Profile

Recently, an architecture studio came to us after their Google Business Profile was completely disabled.

Rather than a soft suspension, where a profile is still visible in search results but features like photos, posts, and review requests were restricted, Google actually removed the studio’s listing from Google Maps and Search entirely.

Google cited the following reason:

Business does not exist
To keep data on Google as accurate as possible, Google uses information from different sources such as user reports and licensed content.
If we determine that your business doesn’t exist in the location you claim, Google will disable your profile.

This was understandably frustrating, as their business is most certainly real and has operated from the same location listed on Google for over 5 years. The studio’s reviews, photos, and a significant part of their online visibility had disappeared overnight.

This article explains why the studio’s profile was suspended and how we helped them get it back.

Why (We Think) This Happened

For context, the architecture studio’s office is located in a mixed-use building in a quiet residential neighbourhood, with commercial units at street level and residential units above.

Our best guess is that the profile’s suspension was automated because Google Street View couldn’t clearly identify the business signage, and the unit was incorrectly flagged as residential-only.

What Google Recommends for an Appeal

Appealing a suspended Google Business Profile requires submitting a collection of documents that includes both the business name and address that match the profile you are appealing. Essentially, Google wants evidence that your business exists, it exists where you say it does, and that customers can physically visit the address to meet with you.

According to Google’s Help Center, the following documents are suggested for appeals:

• Official business registration
• A business license
• Tax certificates
• Utility bills for the business, such as:
  • Electricity
  • Phone
  • Water
  • Internet

Additionally, we’ve found the most success in appeals when we include a few extra documents, photos, and videos, including:

• Lease or mortgage agreements
• Invoices from vendors and suppliers
• Video walkthroughs
• Interior and exterior office photos (especially showing permanent signage)

What We Submitted

After collecting, requesting, and compiling various documents from the studio, their landlord, vendors, and even the city, we had about a dozen PDFs, photos, and videos. Keep in mind that all documents had the business name and business address, but any sensitive information was removed.

Here’s what we ultimately submitted in the appeal:

• A signed lease agreement
• The studio’s listing on the Ontario Association of Architects website
• An invoice from an engineering and design firm
• A permit application approval from the City of Toronto
• An annual architectural practice insurance document
• A lighting and home supplier membership
• A design trade show application
• A walkthrough video showing:
  • Permanent signage in the window
  • The studio owners walking from the street and unlocking the office
  • A full interior tour of the office showing desks, computers, awards, mail, and more
• Additional photos of the office interior and from the street showing signage

These were all compiled and submitted in a single ZIP file to show that:

• The business exists
• The business operates from the listed address
• The office is a legitimate, professional space where the studio’s team works and meets with their own clients

Ultimately, the appeal worked out. It was definitely tedious to collect, organize, and request all of these documents. But doing so gave the studio the best possible chance that the appeal would be successful and that the studio would remain visible online and at the location where it had operated for over five years.

Note: Once their profile was back live, they retained the same reviews, photos, business categories, address, and phone number, but their existing Google Posts were not restored.

Timeline of Events

Timelines can vary, but in this case, the total time from suspension to resolution was 22 days.

Here’s the full timeline:

• December 6, 2025: Google emails the architecture studio to say their profile was disabled
• December 7-20, 2025: Collecting documents, requesting forms from insurers, landlords, and associations, and taking videos and photographs of the office
• December 21, 2025: Submit appeal with Google
• December 27, 2025: Google approves the appeal
• December 28, 2025: Google Business Profile is fully live again

While the studio was without a Google Business Profile for a little over three weeks, their profile was approved without further back-and-forth or submitting a second appeal, and everything is now back to normal.

What We Learned

In addition to learning general patience when dealing with algorithms, here are a few additional takeaways/hypotheses from this experience:

• We’re still not 100% sure why their profile was disabled, but it was likely automated
• Permanent signage matters more than we thought. While it needs to be visible to people visiting in person, we are now more confident that it should also be visible on Google Street View.
• Business addresses in mixed-use buildings located in residential areas may be especially vulnerable to automated Google Business Profile suspensions and disabled listings
• Over-documentation in appeals beats under-documentation
• Recording video walkthroughs feels awkward and requires a few takes, but they likely help improve the outcome for appeals