Google Business Profile guidelines now include a policy titled “Misuse of support channels,” Search Engine Roundtable reported on September 29. The policy page carries no date, so when Google added it is unknown.
The text says careless use of the support portal “floods” the support team with “invalid requests” and slows responses for every business. Google lists two examples: false or misleading reports, and reports made in bad faith. A tip on the page warns that businesses who keep sending unfounded complaints may see every later complaint turned away with no assessment.
The policy text gives no threshold for what counts as repeated. It also does not explain how Google tells a bad-faith report from an honest mistake. That gap matters most for agencies that file reports on behalf of clients.
Local teams should check their reporting routine against this policy now. Keep evidence for each submission, and stop filing reports in bulk without proof.
Search Engine Roundtable (Barry Schwartz), reported September 29, 2026.
