Shubham Kakkad
200+ replies and 30+ community-recommended answers in Google's Business Profile Help Community
Writes about local SEO and Google Maps rankings at Local Owl, focused on what actually moves rankings.
37 posts by Shubham Kakkad
Duplicate Google Business Profile? How to find it, merge it, and keep the reviews
A second listing splits your reviews, and Google may show it instead of the one you manage. Here’s how to find every duplicate Google Business Profile, pick the one to keep, and get the other merged or removed without losing reviews.
Google Business Profile suspended? The complete reinstatement guide
Step-by-step recovery for a suspended Google Business Profile. What documents Google actually accepts, the exact appeal flow, and what to do if the first appeal gets denied.
Google Business Profile verification: every method, how long each takes, and what to do when it fails
How to verify a business on Google: the methods Google offers (video, live call, phone, email, postcard, Search Console, bulk), how long each typically takes, how to tell whether your profile is verified, and where to go when a code never arrives or a video is rejected.
Google says your business is permanently closed, but you’re open? How to fix it in 10 minutes
A red “Permanently closed” label on an open business is a data edit, not a penalty, and you can reverse it from your own profile in about 10 minutes. Here’s the exact path, what to do if Google flips it back, and how long calls take to return.
How to transfer ownership of a Google Business Profile (and when to request access instead)
Access to a Google Business Profile follows the Google account, not the business. Here is the People and access path to transfer primary ownership, the roughly one-week waiting period nobody plans for, how to add and remove managers, and when to file a request for access instead.
Why is my business not showing up on Google? The 20-minute diagnostic
Eight reasons a Google Business Profile does not appear on Search or Maps, ordered by how often each one is the cause. In our cases the large majority are unverified, suspended, or silently removed. About 20 minutes to check.
Closing a business? How to mark a Google Business Profile permanently closed (the right way)
Removing a profile from your Google account doesn't remove it from Maps. Here's the correct sequence for closing a business profile so it stops showing up in Search and Maps.
How to remove user-contributed photos that don't belong on your Google profile
A customer uploaded photos that don't represent your business. You can't delete them directly, but here's the reporting flow to get them taken down.
Google Business Profile Confirm button not working? The workarounds
The Confirm button on your Business Profile dashboard doesn't save your edits. It's a known Google bug. Here are the workarounds that actually get changes through.
Your review responses disappeared after reverification? What you can do
Google reverified your Business Profile, and now your replies to customer reviews are gone. The reviews themselves are still there. Here's why this happens and how to recover.
Review button missing on your new Google Business Profile? Here's why
Customers can't leave reviews on your fresh Business Profile because Google paused them. Here's the cause (usually the opening date) and how to get reviews unlocked.
Competitor ranking from a fake address? How to report Google Business Profile address violations
The vacant trailer in the parking lot. The UPS mailbox listed as a storefront. The home-based contractor showing a public address. Here's how to get policy-violating competitors taken down.
Remove a Google review that contains personal information (fast track)
Reviews exposing medical details, addresses, phone numbers or ID numbers are the fastest category Google removes. The exact report and appeal steps, with screenshots.
Video verification rejected? Here's what Google actually needs to see
Your video verification keeps getting rejected. Or the screen now says 'no more ways to verify.' Here's the kind of recording Google looks for and the support route to try when standard verification keeps failing.
Google Business Profile suspension appeal stuck or rejected? Here's the next step
You filed an appeal more than 5 business days ago and nothing's happened. Or it came back denied with no explanation. Here are the escalation paths that actually move the case.
Google Business Profile verification stuck for more than 5 days? What to do
Google says verification takes up to 5 business days. If you're past that and still waiting, here are the specific steps to get the process moving.
Lost access to your Google Business Profile? How to get ownership back
The ex-spouse, former employee, or old agency owns your Google Business Profile. Here's the exact process to request and reclaim ownership.
Google Business Profile disappeared from Maps? Here's how to get it back
No suspension banner, no email, the profile is just gone. This is usually an account-level or identity-mismatch problem with a different recovery path than a standard suspension.
Google reviews not showing up or disappeared? Why it happens and how to get them back
Reviews that never appear, reviews that vanished, a review you left that isn’t showing: nearly all of it is Google’s spam filter, not a glitch. How to tell which case you have and how to get them back.
Video and email marketing for attorneys: the two underused channels
Two marketing channels most law firms skip: short video on practice pages and email to past clients and referral sources. What to film, what to send, and what the bar rules allow.
Content marketing for law firms: how to write pages that rank and convert
A practical content marketing guide for law firms: the page types that convert, the structure that ranks, the disclaimers the bar requires, and what to publish in year one.
Law firm marketing strategies that work (and three that waste money)
A working catalog of law firm marketing strategies, what each costs, which produce cases, and the three that almost every firm should stop doing this quarter.
How to run a law firm SEO audit (the 90-minute version)
A step-by-step SEO audit for law firms you can run in 90 minutes. Profile, on-page, technical, content, and links. Every step has the tool, the check, and the fix.
Social media marketing for law firms: where it works and where it doesn't
Honest read on social media marketing for law firms. LinkedIn produces real cases in narrow practice areas, Instagram and TikTok work for specific verticals, and most firms should not be on Facebook.
SEO keywords for lawyers: the head, body, and long-tail that actually convert
A working keyword framework for lawyers. Head terms (vanity), body terms (where most cases come from), long-tail (cheapest cost per case), broken out by practice area.
The law firm marketing plan that actually moves the needle (budget, channels, KPIs)
A working law firm marketing plan with real budget ranges, the four channels that produce cases, and the KPIs to watch by quarter. Not theory, not a template.
What is law firm SEO? A plain-language explanation of the channel
Law firm SEO explained in plain language: what it is, what it produces, what it costs, how long it takes, and when it is the wrong answer.
How to market a med spa: get found, chosen, rebooked
How to market a med spa, explained as three jobs: get found in local search, get chosen with reviews and fast follow-up, and get patients back for life.
Med spa advertising: Google and Meta ads that book clients
Med spa advertising on Google and Meta: real cost benchmarks, the ad-policy traps that get accounts banned, and how to track what actually books patients.
Med spa email marketing: the automated rebooking engine
Med spa email marketing and SMS that rebook patients automatically: the must-have automations, real benchmarks, and the HIPAA and TCPA rules most guides skip.
Med spa SEO audit: the 60-minute self-check to rank
How to run a med spa SEO audit in 60 minutes: a prioritized, local-first self-check of your Google Business Profile, reviews, treatment pages, and rankings.
Med spa social media marketing: the organic playbook
Med spa social media marketing that books clients without ad spend: which platforms to pick, what to post, how often, and how to turn followers into bookings.
Med spa marketing ideas: 11 that actually book clients
Med spa marketing ideas ranked by what actually works: the Google map pack, a review engine, winning back lapsed patients, and more, with real data.
Med spa marketing plan: budget, channels, and KPIs
A med spa marketing plan you can actually run: how much to spend, how to split the budget across channels, the 90-day calendar, and the KPIs to track.
Coordinated fake review attack on Google? How to remove the wave
A burst of 1-star reviews from new accounts in one window signals a coordinated attack. Here's Google's exact reporting and escalation path, with links.
How to remove a Google review: every option that actually works, with the odds for each
Only Google (for a policy violation) or the reviewer can remove a Google review. Here is every route that works, from the dashboard report and one-time appeal to the legal form, with realistic odds and timelines for each.
16 common Google Business Profile problems, and the fix for each
A saved-reply playbook for the 16 most common Google Business Profile problems: suspensions, fake reviews, stuck verification, lost access, missing reviews and more, with the exact Google form for each.