Sure, at the least in sure instances. By my lights, even when your Google Enterprise Profile web page has been soft-suspended and also you’re locked out of your individual web page until and till you re-verify, Google should ship you an e mail notification {that a} buyer has posted a assessment. It’s a ghost within the machine.
You received’t get the alert in all instances, in fact. You received’t get notifications if, as an illustration, somebody evaluations a GBP web page you by no means created or verified – maybe one which Google auto-generated. That’s as a result of Google doesn’t know you have any connection to it.
I’d at all times assumed and noticed that if Google makes you re-verify your GBP web page to substantiate your possession, you’re thought of a stranger till you’ve re-verified. The principles might not be so onerous and quick, although.
Time to clarify. Right here was the fundamental state of affairs with a longtime shopper of mine:
- The GBP web page we’d had up and snafu-free for a few years was hard-suspended someday – that means it was faraway from Maps solely. I did the reinstatement: I despatched within the requested documentation that confirmed the enterprise is legit, and I tweaked the service-area setting. That was it.
- 2 days later we obtained reinstated. It was a fast reinstatement, as a result of we have been on the receiving finish of an “oops” transfer by Google. Google didn’t even ask us to alter any of our settings or use a unique handle or something. Although we have been reinstated, we didn’t present up for any search phrases, and have been in purgatory.
- Assuming that we could be in limbo for some time, I added a little bit escape hatch: I switched us again to utilizing a bodily handle, somewhat than the service space. (I’ve discovered hidden-address SABs way more susceptible to rankings and compliance points.) As I suspected, that triggered reverification, that means Google soft-suspended us and eliminated our admin entry. So though we had been reinstated, it positive didn’t really feel prefer it, as a result of not solely have been we not rating for something, however we didn’t even management the GBP web page anymore. The postcard with the PIN was on the best way, and shortly we’d be capable of re-verify possession of the web page
- 2 days later we confirmed up once more within the 3-pack like thunder: We popped proper again to the highest of the native rankings and with our enormous stack of evaluations. By this level solely 4 or so days had handed since we bumped into hassle. Felt like an extended 4 days, but it surely was comparatively transient: Most suspensions drag on for for much longer, for quite a lot of causes. All’s properly that ends properly.
- Right here’s the primary loopy half: we selected to not full the re-verification for nearly 2 weeks after storming again into the 3-pack. For causes I’ll clarify another time, however that I can sum up with the phrase “warning,” we determined to maintain the PIN postcard round for some time as a beer coaster.
- Now right here’s the second loopy half: throughout that point after we resumed rating tip-top however earlier than we re-verified as admins, my shopper obtained notified of latest Google evaluations on that web page. Prospects discovered him within the search outcomes, paid him, reviewed him, and Google notified him – all whereas we have been locked out of the web page.
Unusual, huh? I by no means obtained the notifications: My shopper obtained the messages, and forwarded them to me. That is sensible, as a result of he had been the designated “proprietor” of the web page, whereas I used to be and am solely an admin. At first he obtained notifications solely on a number of the evaluations, whereas the opposite notifications confirmed up in a batch later. Why they confirmed up in batches is above my paygrade. However my shopper shouldn’t have obtained ANY notifications, as a result of (once more) Google had briefly kicked us each out of the web page. I doubt it was a malfunction.
So why in tarnation did my shopper get new-review notifications even when he was briefly locked out? Just a few theories I’ve been meditating on:
- He HAD been verified, and for a few years.
- We had different GBP pages, for different places of that enterprise, and people pages have been in the identical Google account and have been nonetheless owner-verified. In different phrases, solely this one location was affected.
- We had had a reinstatement pending, and a few interactions with GBP help. So that they did know my shopper was the proprietor of the web page.
- Our re-verification was pending at the moment, and Google might have been prodding us to finish the verification. As in, “Hey, have a look at these new evaluations – wouldn’t it’s a disgrace should you couldn’t reply to any evaluations since you haven’t re-verified?” Type of a taunt, the best way I see it.
Once more, these are simply theories. I nonetheless haven’t found out definitively why we obtained any alerts about new Google evaluations whereas we have been unverified.
Have you ever seen this? Any data or theories as to why Google despatched these notifications? Depart a remark!
P.S. What’s the sensible takeaway? Primarily that each GBP suspension / snafu is a little bit distinctive and a little bit unpredictable. It could not unfold the best way you count on it to, and it might not have come about for the explanations Google or SEOs led you to consider. Additionally, despite the fact that the processes of contacting help, getting reinstated, and getting re-verified are fairly onerous and straight cattle chutes, there’s nonetheless some room for judgment calls and dealing with issues otherwise. You don’t need to comply with a principle or a intestine feeling, however you do want to contemplate it.
