What Google Business Profile content is prohibited or restricted, and what can happen if I publish it?

Which Google Business Profile surfaces have different content rules?

Google's Business Profile policy overview says every content format must follow Google's prohibited and restricted content policies. The Google Business Profile hub is the broader reference point; this table is the publish check for the five surfaces most likely to be confused.

Google's Maps prohibited and restricted content policy supplies the listing, post, restricted-product, and user-contribution rules. Google's photos, videos, and posts policy adds the media criteria and the hotel exception.

What should I check before publishing a photo, video, or post?

Photos and videos must satisfy the general Maps policy, Google's additional media criteria, and applicable laws. Google's prohibited and restricted content policy, additional media criteria, and applicable laws and regulations govern submitted or published photos and videos. The guide to photos and posts on a Google Business Profile covers the normal publishing paths.

Restricted products and services need an extra check. Google names alcohol, gambling, tobacco, guns, health and medical devices, regulated pharmaceuticals, adult services, and financial services as examples. Do not show a purchase landing page, a purchase-contact phone number or email address, or an offer such as a deal, coupon, price, or other promotion. Incidental depictions are excluded, including a menu image or alcohol that is present but not the main focus.

Posts have a narrower contact rule. Google may remove unverified contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, and social media handles. Google's policy also prohibits contact details or other website links in a post when they are not related to the business. Offers and updates are otherwise permitted in posts. Hotel profiles have a separate boundary: hotels may create relevant, timely local posts, but may not create Offer posts or mention or link to deals, promotions, special offers, or discounts. Read the dated listing-versus-post policy update for the change reported on October 6, 2026.

What user-contributed content can Google remove or restrict?

Google says contributions to Maps should reflect a genuine experience at the place or business. It prohibits paid or incentivised reviews, requests for non-genuine content, selective requests for positive reviews, pressure to use specific wording, and posts on a competitor's place to undermine that business. A genuine review request is allowed when it carries no incentive and does not try to influence the rating or the review's contents.

Google also prohibits posting another living person's personal information without consent when disclosure could create a risk of harm. The rule covers information such as a full name, a person's face in a photo or video, financial information, medical information, or identification information. Google allows contact information for the merchant's own business and allows a person's name when it is part of the commonly known business entity or the name of a public-facing professional doing business under that name.

Google may limit or suspend user-generated content for a place when contributions are consistently unhelpful, harmful, off-topic, or generally violate policy. A short-term posting restriction can respond to a spike in irrelevant or offensive content. A continuous pattern of low-value or off-topic posts can produce a longer restriction, limited post types, or no posts. This is different from a profile suspension, which is the separate access problem described in what a soft Google Business Profile suspension means.

What can happen when Google finds prohibited or restricted content?

Google's policy overview separates content enforcement from access enforcement. The visible result tells you which recovery path applies.

An item being rejected is not the same outcome as a profile or account suspension. Why a Google Post was rejected covers the post-status branch and the question mark that identifies the policy involved.

How do I remove prohibited content or recover access to my profile?

Use the affected surface and the ownership of the content to choose the next step:

1. Identify the surface and state. Decide whether the issue is a description or listing field, a merchant post, a merchant photo or video, a customer contribution, a place-level posting restriction, a feature-access restriction, or a Business Profile or Google Account restriction.
2. Match the item to Google's rule. Check the relevant rule and carry its exception with it. A listing's promotion rule is not the post rule, and a restricted-product rule still excludes incidental menu images and alcohol that is not the main focus.
3. Delete merchant-owned media. Open the Business Profile, select Photos, select the photo or video, choose Delete, and choose Delete again. Google sends customer media through a reporting path instead. The answer about deleting a customer photo from a Google Business Profile explains that boundary.
4. Report customer or user content through its own menu. In Google Maps, open the business and the affected item. Use Report Review for a review, Report a problem for a photo or video, or Report Question/Report Answer for Questions and Answers. Submit the form and track the report status.
5. Use an appeal only when Google offers it. A report can show Processing report, Content removed, Content not removed, Content restored, or Report Canceled. If Google does not remove the content, one appeal may be available. Google reserves the right to reinstate or take down content whether or not the report was accepted. For an eligible content-removal appeal, do not edit or delete the content after submitting it, because that cancels the appeal. Feature-access restrictions use Google Account settings, can be appealed only once, and are not resolved by deleting content.
6. Appeal profile or account restrictions in the right order. Check verification and prepare evidence whose business name and address match the profile. For businesses in the UK/EEA, the Appeals tool covers a profile suspension, rejected business-information edits, and restricted media; other content restrictions go through Contact us. Outside the UK/EEA, the Appeals tool covers a suspended or disabled profile, while rejected edits, restricted media, and other content restrictions go through Contact us. Use the applicable appeals route and submit optional evidence within 60 minutes if Google opens the evidence form. Google says an appeal review and decision can take up to 5 business days. Do not submit duplicate appeals or create a new profile for the same business while the appeal is under review. If the managing Google Account is restricted, appeal that account on My accounts first; appeal the Business Profile after Google lifts the account restriction. If reinstatement is denied, Google says an additional review may be available with evidence that was not in the original appeal.

Google's content-removal guidance and Maps enforcement appeal guidance cover user content. Google's Business Profile restriction appeal guidance and suspended-profile guidance cover profile and account access.