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On a Google Business Profile, some fields are considered sensitive because they directly influence the visibility, credibility, and accuracy of the Business information.
When there is too much activity (addition or modification) on so-called "sensitive" fields of your profiles, Google may:
suspend or disable this profile.
request a new validation of the Business's Google profile.
Definition of sensitive fields
🔴 Most sensitive fields (checked by Google and may lead to suspension if non-compliant)
Business name 📛
It must exactly match the name visible on the Business's storefront.
Adding abusive keywords, for example, adding the city name and category in the Business name, can lead to suspension.
In case of profile suspension, Google requests supporting documents (Photo of the storefront, Kbis, Invoice): the name on the provided document must match the name visible on the profile.
Activity categories (primary category and secondary category(ies)) 🏢
They must be precise and reflect the Business's main activity.
Abuse of irrelevant categories may be penalized.
Physical address 📍
It must be correct and reflect a location where the Business welcomes customers (if applicable).
Adding a false address can lead to profile removal.
Moving the Business's pin can lead to suspension.
Phone number 📞
It must be an official and accessible number. If you have a website for your Business, the phone number on the Google profile must match the one listed on your website.
Using a fake or unrelated number to the Business can cause problems.
Website 🌐
It must redirect to an official Business website (avoid shortened or suspicious URLs).
The URL must be secure, in “https” format.
🟠 Fields to monitor (impact SEO and visibility)
Opening hours 🕒
They must be correct to avoid bad customer experiences.
Inconsistent hours can lead to user reports.
If you have a website for your Business, the hours on your Google Business Profile must match the hours listed on your website.
Photos and videos 📸
They must be authentic and representative of the Business.
Inappropriate or stolen content may be removed.
Business description 📝
It must be clear, informative, and without excessive promotional language.
Attributes 📄
They must be authentic and representative of the Business.
It is better to modify this field to add rather than remove an attribute. It is preferable to indicate that your Business does have this attribute. If it does not, it is better to leave it as "undefined" and thus avoid unnecessary changes.
It is indeed crucial to update these elements to improve search rankings and match the trend of "voice" search.
Google provides little transparency regarding the volume or frequency of changes, which could impact the status of Google profiles.
What precautions should be taken to update sensitive fields?
Knowing all this, here are some tips to update these fields without taking too much risk:
Only update these fields when absolutely necessary. It can be tempting to add elements to these profiles daily, but you should always ask yourself if this change is worth the risk of having the profile go into revalidation or suspension?
If you want to make a change/addition or deletion, then do it step by step:
Test a modification on a selection of profiles (max 10), see if it passes.
With each new test, check that the modification has been taken into account and that the profile is still valid.
Prioritize changes on profiles that can be validated/reactivated more "easily." For example, if the owner has already had to redo a validation and knows how it works.
Has the Business's Google profile already had to undergo validation and does the Business owner know how it works?
Do you have documents (photo of the Business storefront, Kbis, Invoice) to restore the profile if it is suspended or disabled?