What is an AI visibility audit?

It measures whether AI assistants name your business when a customer asks them who to hire. We ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews thirty buying questions for your category and city, three times each, then report how often you are named, how that compares with up to five competitors, and which sources the engines cite.

How much does the AI Visibility Audit cost?

$500 for a one-time audit when you book by December 31, 2026, and $1,000 after that. Quarterly re-checks take 15% off the audit ($425, then $300 every three months). Monthly re-checks take 25% off ($375, then $150 a month).

How long does it take?

The first audit is back within two business days, reviewed by the Surf Rider Media team, with a 30 minute call to go through it. Every re-check is reviewed too.

Which AI engines does it check?

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews. Perplexity is being added to every audit. Each report states the number of answers each engine returned.

How is this different from an SEO audit?

An SEO audit looks at where your pages rank in Google's results. This audit reads the AI answers themselves: whether you are named, how often compared with your competitors, and which sites the engines rely on in your category. It also checks whether AI crawlers can read your site at all, since two lines in robots.txt can shut them out.

Why doesn't ChatGPT recommend my business?

Common causes: AI crawlers are blocked from your site, few of the sources the engines trust mention you, or your site never says plainly what you do and where. The audit shows which ones apply to you. Our guide on how to get ChatGPT to recommend your business covers the fixes.

What is the difference between the free check and the audit?

The free AI Readiness Check reads your site and scores whether AI engines can find and understand it. The audit asks the engines your customers' questions and shows who they actually name, you or a competitor.

Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend me?

No, and be wary of anyone who does. The engines change their answers from one run to the next. The audit gives you a measured baseline, the sources worth earning a mention from, and fixes reviewed by our team, so you can see whether your work moves the number.

Google Business Profile Suspended? Why It Happens and How to Get It Back

Nov 12

Written by Stew Hang

A Google Business Profile suspended by Google can be reinstated, but only if you fix what broke the rules before you ask. The route back is a single appeal in the Business Profile appeals tool, so the preparation matters more than the form. This guide covers why GBP suspensions happen, what to fix first, how the appeal works today, and the moves that make a suspension worse.

The short answer

A suspension means Google found a guideline problem on the profile or a restriction on the account that manages it. Find the stated reason in the appeals tool, then fix it.
Google says appeals can only be submitted once. Match your business name and address to your evidence, add the documents, and file one complete appeal.
Do not create a new profile for the same business. Google says not to, and it adds a duplicate to your problem.

What a suspended Google Business Profile means

Google's help pages say it "may suspend or disable Business Profiles that don't follow our guidelines." When a profile is removed, the public can't go to it and the owner and managers can't act on it. Reinstating it restores the profile along with its owner and managers.

Google does not publish a rule that separates "suspended" from "disabled," and we will not make one up. The pages do show different triggers:

Suspended. Google's policy page says merchants that set their address at a P.O. box "will have their profile suspended." If a Google Account is restricted, every Business Profile on that account is suspended too.
Disabled. If Google decides your business does not exist at the location you claim, it disables the profile.
Restricted. This label belongs to the account. A pattern of policy violations can restrict a merchant's access.

Review penalties are separate. Under Google's Fake Engagement policy, a profile can lose the ability to get new reviews for a set period. Google emails the owner before applying that restriction, and the owner can appeal.

Why Google suspends a profile

Most Google Business Profile suspensions trace back to a short list in Google's own guidelines, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google." Check your profile against each row.

Cause	What Google's pages say	What to check
A name with extra words	The name should reflect your real-world name as used on your storefront. No taglines, service descriptions, hours, phone numbers, URLs or location details. Unnecessary information "could result in the suspension" of the profile.	Set the name to the one on your sign and invoices. Cut anything added for search.
A P.O. box or remote mailbox	"P.O. boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations aren't acceptable." The P.O. box rule leads to suspension.	Use the physical address where you operate.
A virtual office or shared space	Virtual offices are not eligible. A co-working office needs clear signage, customers in business hours, and your own staff.	Confirm the address passes each test.
Duplicate profiles	There should be one profile per business, and no more than one page per location.	Search your name and address. Fix duplicates before you appeal.
An account problem	A restricted account suspends every profile it manages. A pattern of policy violations can cause the restriction.	Check the account first, not just the profile.

All rows from Google Business Profile Help, checked October 25, 2026.

In our experience, the name is the most common self-inflicted problem. Owners add a city and a service because they heard it helps rankings. Google's guidelines never use the phrase "keyword stuffing," but a name made of extras is what they list as grounds for suspension.

What to fix before you appeal

You get one appeal, so the work before you file decides the outcome. We take it in this order:

Read the reasonThe appeals tool shows the decision date, the reason, a link to the policy and whether it can be appealed.
Fix the causeName, address, duplicates. Make the profile follow every guideline.
Clear the accountIf the account is restricted, appeal that first, then the profile.
Gather proofRegistration, license, tax certificate, utility bill.

Confirm the profile follows all the guidelines. Google says to do this before you appeal. Use the same name and address your sign, website and invoices use.

Lift an account restriction first. Google says to appeal the account restriction, and only after it is lifted appeal the profile suspension.

Collect evidence. Google's examples are official business registration, a business license, tax certificates, and utility bills for the business: electricity, phone, water or internet. The name and address on each document should match the profile. Evidence is optional in the tool, but we would treat it as required. One appeal is no place to find out what a reviewer needed.

How the Google Business Profile appeal works

These steps come from Google's "Fix suspended or disabled profiles" page. You file in the Business Profile appeals tool.

Sign in. Use the Google Account tied to the profile, or switch accounts in the tool.
Pick the profile, then the decision you want to appeal.
Add evidence and an explanation. Upload your documents if you have them and say why the profile should be reinstated.
Confirm and submit. Google reviews the appeal and emails you the decision.

Google notes that appeals can only be submitted once. If the request is denied, it says it may be able to do an additional review. Treat that as a second chance you cannot count on. Content decisions such as removed reviews are a separate appeal, and the profile must be reinstated before you can appeal those.

How long it takes, and what not to do

Google gives no timeframe on its help page. It says it will review the appeal and email you. The tool shows a status: Submitted, Approved, Not Approved, Can't be appealed, or Eligible for appeal. Treat any quoted number of days as a guess.

Four moves that make it worse

Making a new profile. Google says not to create a new Business Profile for the same business. Its guidelines also allow one profile per business.
Appealing again while you wait. Google says not to send multiple appeals for the same issue before it decides.
Keeping a stuffed name. "Joe's Plumbing | Best Plumber Seattle 24/7" is the extra information the guidelines say can lead to suspension. Appeal with the name fixed.
Paying for a guarantee. Google makes the decision. No one outside Google can promise a result.

Once the profile is back, build on it. Our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps covers the profile work that follows. If the profile is fine and it is your website that does not show up, read why your website is not showing up on Google.

Where to start this week

Today: open the Business Profile appeals tool and write down the decision date, the reason and whether it can be appealed.
This week: fix the cause. Correct the name and address, merge or remove duplicates, and sort out any account restriction.
When it is clean: collect your registration, license or tax certificate and a utility bill, check that names and addresses match, then file one appeal.

Local SEO

Suspended, and not sure why?

Tell us what you are working on. We review every request, and the ones that are a fit get a link to book a call.

Tell us what you are working on

Rather skip the conversation? The AI Visibility Audit is $500 when booked by December 31, 2026 (checked October 25, 2026) and shows who AI engines name for thirty of your buyers' questions.

Common questions

Why is my Google Business Profile suspended?

Google suspends or disables profiles that do not follow its guidelines. The causes Google names include a business name stuffed with extra information, a P.O. box or virtual office address, a business that does not exist at the location it lists, duplicate profiles, and a restricted Google Account, which suspends every profile on it. The appeals tool shows the reason and a link to the policy for your decision.

What is the difference between a suspended and a disabled Google Business Profile?

Google's help pages say it may suspend or disable profiles that break its guidelines, and they do not publish a rule that separates the two words. The triggers differ: a P.O. box address or a restricted account leads to suspension, while a business Google decides does not exist at its listed location is disabled. Both go through the same appeals tool.

How do I get a suspended Google Business Profile reinstated?

Fix what broke the guidelines, then open the Business Profile appeals tool, sign in with the Google Account tied to the profile, pick the decision to appeal, add evidence such as a business license or utility bill if you have it, and submit. Google emails you the decision. Appeals can only be submitted once, so prepare before you file.

How long does Google Business Profile reinstatement take?

Google does not publish a timeframe. Its help page says it will review your appeal and email you the decision. The appeals tool shows a status for each decision: Submitted, Approved, Not Approved, Can't be appealed or Eligible for appeal. Check there instead of filing again.

Can I just make a new Google Business Profile if mine is suspended?

No. Google's help page says not to create a new Business Profile for the same business, and its guidelines allow one profile per business. A second profile can add a duplicate-profile problem to the one you already have.

Sources

Google Business Profile Help, Fix suspended or disabled profiles
Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google
Google Business Profile Help, Overview of Google Business Profile policies
Google Business Profile Help, Appeal Business Profile content and profile restrictions and Business Profile restrictions for policy violations, all checked October 25, 2026

Stew Hang