Checklists

Fresh Last Updated: January 2, 2026

All checklists for GBP recovery in one place. Print or use digitally to track your progress.

Suspension Trigger Checklist

Use this to identify what may have caused your suspension:

Area	Check	OK?	Needs Fix?
Business Name	Matches legal name exactly (no keywords)	[ ]	[ ]
Business Name	Matches permanent signage	[ ]	[ ]
Business Name	No taglines or slogans	[ ]	[ ]
Address	Is NOT a P.O. Box	[ ]	[ ]
Address	Is NOT a UPS Store/Mailbox	[ ]	[ ]
Address	Is NOT an unstaffed virtual office	[ ]	[ ]
Address	Matches website exactly	[ ]	[ ]
Address (SAB)	Street address is hidden	[ ]	[ ]
Phone	Is direct line to business	[ ]	[ ]
Phone	Is NOT a call-tracking number	[ ]	[ ]
Website	Links to official site directly	[ ]	[ ]
Website	No redirects or social media links	[ ]	[ ]
Hours	Reflects actual staffed hours	[ ]	[ ]
Hours	NOT listed as 24/7 if unstaffed	[ ]	[ ]
Hours	Matches hours on website	[ ]	[ ]
Reviews	Never offered incentives for reviews	[ ]	[ ]
Reviews	Never posted fake reviews	[ ]	[ ]
Photos	All are genuine (no stock photos)	[ ]	[ ]
Photos	Clear and high-quality	[ ]	[ ]
Recent Edits	No major changes made rapidly	[ ]	[ ]
User Access	All managers are verified	[ ]	[ ]
User Access	No former employees have access	[ ]	[ ]

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Profile Audit Checklist

Complete audit before submitting any appeal:

Business Name

• [ ] Name is exact legal name only
• [ ] No extra keywords or locations
• [ ] Matches business license
• [ ] Matches permanent signage

Address

• [ ] Real physical location (not virtual)
• [ ] Not a P.O. Box or mailbox service
• [ ] SAB address hidden (if applicable)
• [ ] Matches address on all documents
• [ ] Matches website address

Phone & Website

• [ ] Phone is direct business line
• [ ] Not a call-tracking number
• [ ] Website links directly (no redirects)
• [ ] Website loads correctly

Hours & Content

• [ ] Hours are accurate
• [ ] Hours match website
• [ ] Description has no promotional fluff
• [ ] No keyword stuffing in description

Photos & Media

• [ ] All photos are genuine
• [ ] No stock photos
• [ ] Images are clear and high-quality
• [ ] No excessive text overlays

User Access

• [ ] All users verified as authorized
• [ ] Former employees removed
• [ ] Old agency accounts removed
• [ ] Backup owner exists

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Evidence Gathering Checklist

Tier 1: Essential (Required)

Document	Collected	NAP Verified	Scanned
Business License	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Tax Certificate (EIN/State)	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Utility Bill (recent)	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Business Insurance	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Tier 2: Recommended

Document	Collected	NAP Verified	Scanned
Storefront signage photo	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Vehicle exterior photo	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Vehicle interior with equipment	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Business cards	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Letterhead	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Uniform photos	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Tier 3: For Difficult Cases

Document	Collected	NAP Verified	Scanned
Lease or mortgage agreement	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Video walkthrough (60-90 sec)	[ ]	N/A	N/A
Customer invoices	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

File Preparation

• [ ] All documents scanned in color
• [ ] All scans are high resolution
• [ ] Files named descriptively
• [ ] Files organized in folder
• [ ] ZIP file created
• [ ] ZIP file tested (opens correctly)

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Appeal Submission Checklist

Pre-Submission

• [ ] Profile fully audited and fixed
• [ ] Evidence ZIP file ready
• [ ] Appeal message drafted
• [ ] Signed into correct Google Account
• [ ] 60+ uninterrupted minutes available

During Submission

• [ ] Accessed Appeals Tool
• [ ] Selected correct suspended profile
• [ ] Clicked Submit Appeal
• [ ] Clicked Add Evidence
• [ ] Uploaded ZIP file within 60 minutes
• [ ] Entered appeal message
• [ ] Submitted successfully
• [ ] Screenshotted confirmation

Post-Submission

• [ ] Received confirmation email
• [ ] Saved Case ID number
• [ ] Noted expected timeline
• [ ] Set reminder to check status

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Denial Escalation Checklist

After First Denial

• [ ] Saved Case ID from denial email
• [ ] Read denial email for clues
• [ ] Re-audited profile completely
• [ ] Identified NEW evidence to gather
• [ ] Collected NEW evidence not submitted before
• [ ] Created video walkthrough (recommended)
• [ ] Verified NAP across all documents
• [ ] Created new ZIP package

For Second Appeal

• [ ] Accessed Additional Review Form
• [ ] Entered Case ID from denial
• [ ] Wrote new appeal message
• [ ] Attached NEW evidence
• [ ] Submitted successfully

For Community Escalation

• [ ] Documented both Case IDs
• [ ] Uploaded all evidence to Google Drive
• [ ] Set Drive folder to "Anyone with link can view"
• [ ] Drafted professional community post
• [ ] Included all required information
• [ ] Posted to GBP Help Community
• [ ] Monitoring thread for responses

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Post-Reinstatement Checklist

First 30 Days

• [ ] Avoided major name/address/category changes
• [ ] Monitoring profile visibility daily (first week)
• [ ] Checking for user-suggested edits
• [ ] Responding to reviews promptly
• [ ] NOT making rapid bulk changes

Ongoing Maintenance

Weekly:

• [ ] Reviewed and responded to new reviews
• [ ] Checked for unauthorized edit suggestions
• [ ] Verified profile appears in search

Monthly:

• [ ] Verified NAP consistency across web
• [ ] Confirmed all info still accurate
• [ ] Added 1-2 new photos (if available)
• [ ] Updated any changed hours

Quarterly:

• [ ] Audited all user access
• [ ] Removed inactive/unauthorized users
• [ ] Reviewed Google's latest guidelines
• [ ] Verified backup owner access

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Quick NAP Verification Checklist

Document	Name Matches?	Address Matches?	Phone Matches?
GBP Profile	Baseline	Baseline	Baseline
Business License	[ ]	[ ]	N/A
Tax Certificate	[ ]	[ ]	N/A
Utility Bill	[ ]	[ ]	N/A
Insurance Cert	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Website	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Business Cards	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
Signage	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Check Character-by-Character

• "123 Main St." ≠ "123 Main Street"
• "Suite 100" ≠ "Ste 100"
• Punctuation matters!

See Also

• SOP 002: Audit Profile Compliance
• SOP 003: Gather Evidence
• Evidence Preparation Workflow