Previously referred to as Google My Business, Google Business Profile is an online tool that enables you to manage and optimize your business’s profile on the search engine. The permanently closed meaning on Google Business Profile is important to understand if you want to keep your business relevant and searchable online. This is especially true if the business in question isn’t even closed. As an SEO agency that utilizes GMB listings to support our clients’ rankings, it’s important to stay on top of problems such as a business marked as permanently closed.
What Does Permanently Closed Mean on Google Business Profile?
If you’re wondering why does Google say my business is permanently closed? Know that you aren’t the only one who’s experienced this error. Unfortunately, this issue is relatively common and can happen to anyone as a result of errors in the system that moderates businesses in the SERPs (search engine results pages.) A business showing as closed could be the result of several different issues. If left unattended, the status could stay that way as it is registered as closed.
- Possible reasons why Google says your business is closed include:
- Someone accidentally marked it as closed: Someone might have marked the location this way accidentally or unknowingly. It’s easy for someone to set the business to “closed permanently” when they meant to select “temporarily.”
- Misinformation from government agencies: Sometimes, information from government agencies can cause a business to be marked as closed on Google. This occurs more rarely, but it might have been done in place of doing a deeper dive to confirm the business exists.
- Sabotage by competitors: The status might even have been set this way intentionally as a means to damage your business. Unfortunately, some established competitors will look for how to remove a Google listing of others.
- The business wasn’t updated following a relocation: When a business switches locations, Google insists that the listing information is updated with the current address. If the information isn’t updated, then GMB will likely flag it or mark it as closed.
- Duplicate listings: Many businesses do not update their original listings but create duplicate listings instead. When listings aren’t claimed, they’re marked as “Permanently Closed.”
Are you wondering, “why is my business showing as permanently closed?” We suggest you look for any duplicate listings that may be floating around in Google, check your information to make sure it’s updated, and look through Google Business Profile guidelines to make sure your listing follows them all. If you don’t know how to remove “Permanently Closed” on Google listings, our experienced digital marketers can help.
How to Remove Permanently Closed on Google Business Listing
If your Google business listing has been marked as permanently closed, don’t panic. Here are some ways to remove “permanently closed” from your Google business listing:
- Update the information on your GMB listing: A major “do” of Google My Business is updating your information. If your business is showing as permanently closed, be sure the business name, address, and phone number in your Google My Business dashboard all reflect current and up-to-date contact information.
- Search for and claim duplicate listings: This tip is often overlooked by clients who don’t understand why their business is showing as “permanently closed” on Google. This commonly happens when they’ve already updated their verified Google My Business page, and it usually means there’s another listing that Google is pulling search results from. This is why claiming all duplicate listings of your business and updating them with the current addresses is vital.
- Contact Google My Business: When contacting Google for help, first ask their support team to mark an old location as “moved.” Local SEO experts suggest reaching out to Google via Twitter for a faster and more effective response. By doing this, an old listing will eventually disappear from Google Search and Google Maps. In addition, Google will implement a 302 HTTP status code that will redirect customers to the new GMB location.
The best thing about services like Google My Business is that permanently closed meaning can be easily explained and fixed. But, if you want to make your Google Business Profile drive traffic in a meaningful way, you should make use of the professional SEO services offered by digital marketing agencies with years of experience, such as our South Florida marketing agency.
Fort Lauderdale Digital Marketing Services
Tandem is a premier digital marketing agency operating and based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As such, our team is aware of the importance of GMB postings and information for those looking to grow their business to the next level.
If you’re interested in making your website and business more visible through Google Business Profile optimization and other platforms, our digital marketing team is here to help! Give Tandem a buzz today and get started on beating competitors organically or through Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.
If you are interested in learning more from our professionals, be sure to take a look at our other blogs about online marketing. In them, you can read insights from marketers with years of experience in the field.
Related Reading:
Why Create a Google Business Profile ID?
How to Optimize Local SEO for Your Google My Business Account
