New Google Business Profile rule: file too many unfounded support reports and Google may stop assessing your complaints
Google has added a "Misuse of support channels" paragraph to its Business Profile policies. It applies to every profile owner and to any agency acting for you, in the UK and Germany alike.
What happened
Google has added a new paragraph, "Misuse of support channels", to the "Prohibited practices" section of its Business Profile third-party policies. Search Engine Roundtable spotted it on 29 September 2026; Google has not announced or dated the change. The wording: "To ensure our support services remain effective and available for everyone, we require all Google Business Profile users to use the support paths responsibly." Users must "avoid any misuse of the portal or flood them with invalid requests". Google's examples of misuse are "False or misleading reports" and "Reports made in bad faith". The tip underneath reads: "Repeated unfounded submissions can result in rejection of all further complaints without assessment." The paragraph sits in the document written for agencies and other third parties, between the agency rules and the section on auto-reverting Google's edits, but it is explicitly addressed to all Business Profile users. As of 1 October 2026 it appears on the English version of the page only; the German-language version does not yet carry it.
What this means for you
This applies to every business with a Google profile, in the UK and Germany alike, whether you manage it yourself or an agency does. The typical trap looks like this: your profile gets suspended, you file for reinstatement, hear nothing for a week, file again, a colleague files too, and your agency sends a third version with slightly different wording. Under the new wording that pattern can be read as flooding support with invalid requests, and the stated consequence is that your future complaints may be rejected without being read. The same goes for review complaints. Reporting the same review five times does not speed anything up, and it now carries a risk. If an agency or freelancer handles your profile, their behaviour can cost you your profile, and Google may stop them managing profiles at all.
What you can do
Four steps:
- ✓Before you submit, build one complete case: profile link, screenshots, proof of business (registration, utility bill, storefront photos) and a short factual description.
- ✓Submit once and keep the case ID. Follow up inside the existing case rather than opening a new one.
- ✓Only report a review if it breaks Google's content rules; "unfair" or "one star" is not a violation.
- ✓Ask your agency or freelancer how they handle support cases for your profile and whether they ever submit duplicates.
Common questions
Does this apply if I manage my profile myself?
Yes. The paragraph sits in the third-party policies, which mainly cover agencies, but it is addressed to "all Google Business Profile users". If you file support requests yourself, the same standard applies: one honest, complete report per issue, and no repeats of the same complaint.
What counts as a report in bad faith?
Google does not define it in detail. Its examples are false or misleading reports and reports made in bad faith; in practice that would cover things like flagging a competitor's profile or a genuine negative review without a policy reason. Reporting a real violation once, with evidence, is not what the rule targets.
What if Google does not answer my case?
Waiting is frustrating, but resubmitting the same case is now the one thing to avoid. Reply within the existing case or email thread, add new evidence if you have it, and keep a log of dates and case IDs. The Business Profile help community is a second, legitimate route for a suspension that is hurting your business.
Luca Bonura started selling online at 17 and funded his first business with 4:30am shifts in a bakery. He built his own product brand, watched it fail, and rebuilt as a freelance performance marketer for everyone from small shops to HelloFresh. Seeing how hard growth is even for people inside the industry, he founded Adlarion. He writes The Small Business Digest in plain English: the news he wished he'd had when starting out.
More from Luca →