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How Long SHOULD Things Take? Setting Realistic Timelines

Last Updated: March 17, 2025

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In today’s digital world, everyone expects instant results. But when it comes to SEO, backlinks, and Local Service Ads (LSAs), things don’t work that way. Many business owners assume that once they launch a website or add a backlink, they’ll see immediate results on Google. In reality, even a Google Ads campaign (arguably the quickest thing to turn on and off) won’t be at peak performance for at least a month or two.

Let’s break it down so you can understand why things take time and what to expect when working on your online presence.

The Search Engine Road Atlas

A great way to think about Google is to compare it to an old-school road atlas. Back in the day, if a new road was built, it wouldn’t appear in printed atlases until the next edition was published, maybe a year later. Google works in a similar way.

When you search for something on Google, you’re NOT searching the live internet. You’re searching Google’s database of known webpages. If Google hasn’t discovered your new site or backlink yet, it won’t show up in the search results.

Here’s how the process works:

  1. Google’s bots (also called crawlers or spiders) find your website. This could take days or weeks, depending on how often your site is updated and linked to.
  2. Google processes and categorizes the data. Your website isn’t immediately visible in search results. It goes through indexing, testing, and ranking processes first.
  3. Google updates its search results. Only after this entire process is complete will your site or backlink start appearing in search results.

If everything happens quickly, you might see your site or backlink appear in a week or two. But if you’re on the slower end of the cycle, it could take two to four weeks or more before anything changes in the search results.

Backlink Delays: Double the Wait

Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are an important part of SEO. But even after you add a backlink, it doesn’t mean Google will recognize it immediately. There are two reasons for this:

  1. The site hosting your backlink needs to approve and publish it. If you add your business to an online directory, for example, you may have to wait for their team to review and accept your listing.
  2. Google then has to find and process the backlink. Just like with a new website, Google’s bots need to crawl and index that backlink before it has any impact on your rankings.

This means you could be waiting weeks or even months before a new backlink actually helps your SEO.

Local Service Ads (LSAs): No, They Won’t Go Live Today

Some marketing agencies promise they can get your Local Service Ads (LSAs) live in just a few hours. This is completely false.

LSAs require:

  • Business verification: You must submit business licenses and insurance documents.
  • Employee background checks: If your employees enter customers’ homes, they must pass background screenings before your ad is approved.

This process takes days or weeks, not hours. If someone tells you otherwise, they’re either misinformed or lying.

Recent Changes to Google Timelines

If you think SEO and online marketing delays are frustrating now, 2025 has made things even worse.

Google Business Profile (GBP) Appeals Are Taking Longer

  • If your GBP gets suspended and you appeal it, expect delays.
  • Many responses from Google seem AI-generated and unhelpful.
  • Even with aggressive follow-ups, some appeals are taking months to resolve.

Google Business Profile Reviews Are Also Delayed

  • If your reviews disappear from your GBP, getting them back is now a long, uphill battle.
  • We’ve seen cases where it took months of back-and-forth with Google just to restore lost reviews.
  • If your GBP is suspended, your reviews may be stuck in limbo for an extended period.

Bottom Line: Be Patient and Plan Ahead

SEO, backlinks, LSAs, and Google Business Profiles all take time. If you expect instant results, you’ll only end up frustrated. The best approach is to:

  • Plan for delays. Expect at least a few weeks for most online changes to take effect.
  • Work with knowledgeable experts. They can help navigate these roadblocks efficiently.
  • Don’t believe “instant” SEO promises. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

While it’s frustrating to wait, understanding these timeline myths can help you set realistic expectations and avoid unnecessary stress.

Why Were My Google Reviews Removed?!

Last Updated: February 11, 2025

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If you’ve recently noticed that your Google Business Profile (GBP) reviews are disappearing, you’re not alone. The internet has been ablaze for the last week or so as business owners are trying to figure out why they’ve been seeing their hard-earned reviews disappearing from their GBPs. Some have seen their review count drop by dozens, while others have fluctuated wildly, gaining and losing reviews seemingly at random.

So, what’s going on?

A Known Bug (But No Immediate Fix)

Google has acknowledged that this is a known issue with the review counts and claims to be working on a fix. In many cases, the reviews themselves haven’t actually been deleted, it’s just the displayed number that’s inaccurate. On Reddit and other forums, business owners are reporting major drops in their review count overnight.

We’ve seen this firsthand with our own clients:

  • Appliance repair company – started with 1,001 reviews, dropped to 970, then dropped to 926
  • Plumber – started with 200 reviews, dropped to 195
  • Piano instruction business – started with 45 reviews, dropped to 40

Some businesses have seen their review count bounce back temporarily, only to lose them again. One of our plumber clients saw their count drop from 198 to 18, only to return to 198 later.

Another Factor: Inactive Google Accounts Getting Deleted

As we’ve mentioned before, Google announced that it will be deleting accounts that remain inactive for two years. In its support article on the topic, Google states that “all of its content and data can be deleted.” Most experts interpret this to mean that any reviews left by those accounts will also be removed.

However, a smaller group speculates that Google may simply disassociate the reviews from the original account and display them under a generic “Google User” label instead.

If the majority opinion proves correct, this will only add to the chaos because not only will review counts be inaccurate, but actual reviews may also start disappearing permanently.

What Can You Do?

Unfortunately, there’s no magic fix for this situation. But the best thing you can do is keep getting more reviews.

We know, it’s frustrating to hear the same advice over and over, but the only way to combat disappearing reviews is to keep earning new ones. If you’re not actively requesting reviews, now’s the time to make it part of your daily routine. For ideas on how to do this, check out this article from a while back where we put together a guide on getting more reviews: Reviews: Why You Must Get Them (And Tips for Getting More)

If you’re not using our ReviewStream service, you might consider it. It’s an easy, hands-off way to get reviews every month. You just feed it your list of client emails and it will ask them to leave a review each month.

Final Thoughts

Losing reviews is frustrating, but this isn’t the first time Google has had a glitch like this, and it probably won’t be the last. The best way to protect your online reputation is to keep your review count growing so that even if you lose a few, you’re still ahead.

 

GBP Performance Emails – They Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean

Last Updated: January 22, 2025

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Those monthly emails from Google about your Google Business Profile (GBP) performance can be incredibly misleading—and they’re confusing a lot of people. They often look something like this:

Initial section of an email from Google showing the performance of a GBP

What’s interesting is that people misinterpret them in opposite ways. Some clients call us excited, convinced that the email shows they’re suddenly dominating the competition. Others call us in a panic, saying, “Google says you’re doing a terrible job this month!”

The truth? These emails don’t actually tell you either of those things.

Your GBP Email Only Tells Part of the Story

Google’s summary email only reports on your GBP performance and only compares this month to last month. That means:

  • It doesn’t reflect your overall web presence
  • It says nothing about your rankings in search results
  • It doesn’t include any paid ads (PPC) performance
  • It doesn’t tell you how your GBP is performing in absolute terms

It’s like checking today’s temperature and assuming that’s the climate trend for the entire year. It’s just a tiny snapshot, not the big picture.

Absolute vs. Relative Performance: Why Comparing to Last Month Is Misleading

Because the email only compares your performance to the previous month, some very basic factors can completely distort your understanding of reality.

Here are a few common scenarios:

Scenario 1: A Temporary Spike Makes a Normal Month Look Bad

If your performance spiked last month and returned to normal this month, the report will say you’re “underperforming.” But in reality, you’re just back to your usual numbers.

Common Causes: Seasonality, a temporary surge in interest, or major events like hurricanes (depending on your industry).

Graph showing a flat sawtooth pattern and then a large spike upward and a return to average numbers

Scenario 2: A Temporary Drop Makes a Normal Month Look Great

If your performance dipped last month and has now recovered to average, the report will say you’re “crushing it.” But in reality, you’re just back to where you should be.

Common Causes: Seasonality, holidays, vacations, weather events, or changes in PPC spending.

Graph showing a flat sawtooth pattern with a large dip downward and then a return to average

Scenario 3: A Huge Spike Followed by a Drop That’s Still Above Average

If your performance spikes way up and then drops—but still remains above your usual numbers—the email will say your performance is “tanking.” But in reality, you’re still doing better than average!

Example: Your second-best month ever might look “bad” just because last month was your best ever.

Graph showing flat sawtooth pattern with a large spike up and then a drop to above-normal afterward

Focus on Trends, Not One-Off Reports

No marketing campaign moves in a perfectly straight line. Your efforts change, your competitors adjust their strategies, and Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm. The entire digital landscape is always shifting.

This means your performance graphs will always show a saw-tooth pattern with ups and downs, rather than a smooth trend. What really matters is that when you zoom out, the overall trend is moving in the right direction.

Instead of worrying about month-to-month fluctuations, track your rolling average over time. This will give you a clearer, more accurate picture of your long-term growth.

Final Takeaway: Watch the Trend, Not a Single Month

Rather than stressing over Google’s month-to-month reports, ask yourself:

  • Am I seeing overall growth over the past 6–12 months?
  • Am I receiving more calls and emails from real people interested in my services?
  • Are my rankings trending upward in search results?
  • Are my leads and conversions increasing over time?

A single month-over-month report of just one small piece of your marketing efforts tells you almost nothing.

Stay focused on the bigger picture, and don’t let one email shake your confidence!

GBP Suspensions Due To “Google Account Restricted”

Last Updated: December 19, 2024

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If you’ve ever dealt with a Google Business Profile (GBP) suspension, you know it’s frustrating, confusing, and disruptive to your business. One sneaky root cause we’re seeing more often is tied to a “Google account restricted” email. Let’s break it down.

What Does “Google Account Restricted” Mean?

This issue pops up when an email tied to your GBP (whether it’s the owner’s or one of the managers’) gets flagged by Google for bad behavior. When that happens, Google will suspend any profile tied to that email address. Ouch.

It will look like this:
Google account restricted - sample message illustrating how it will appear to the user

The tricky part? Many GBPs have more than one email associated with them, so figuring out which email is restricted can feel like solving a mystery. For a marketing company like Prospect Genius, we can tell if it’s our email causing the problem by looking to all the other GBPs tied to that account. But most business owners have just a single GBP so it’s much harder to rule out any of the emails that way.

Why This Happens

Since some marketing companies don’t follow Google’s rules, we’re starting to see a rise in the number of “restricted account” issues tied to emails owned by these firms. Unfortunately, if they get flagged for bad behavior on a different GBP, yours will get taken down too, just because it’s tied to that “restricted” account. This makes it critical to choose your partners wisely.

What You Can Do to Protect Your GBP

Here are our best tips for staying ahead of this headache:

  1. Monitor Your GBP Regularly
    Keep an eye on your profile’s status. Suspensions can happen without warning, so it’s better to catch them early.
  2. Vet Your Marketing Providers
    Do your homework on any marketing company you work with. Are they following Google’s guidelines? A rule-breaking company could bring your GBP down with them.
  3. Track Who’s Connected
    Know exactly which emails are listed as owners or managers of your GBP. The more people connected, the more potential for issues. If you have a “restricted” account, you’ll need to identify and remove it ASAP.

Don’t Risk DIY Debugging

Remember: Google only gives you two chances to reinstate a suspended listing. Use them wisely. If you’re unsure what caused the suspension, call in a pro early in the process. Waiting until after your two tries are up severely limits your options.

The Bottom Line

While “deceptive content” remains the most common reason for GBP suspensions, these “Google account restricted” cases are increasing. Stay proactive by monitoring your account, choosing trusted marketing partners, and seeking help when you need it.

Keeping your GBP in good standing is critical to staying visible online. With the right precautions, you can avoid being caught in someone else’s mistakes.

Don’t Use Your Social Media Profile As Your “Website” in Google Maps

Last Updated: November 18, 2024

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If you’re using your Facebook page as the “website” on your Google Business Profile (GBP), it’s time to make a change, right now! Google’s rules have been tightened up regarding this practice, and failing to follow their guidelines can lead to serious consequences, including suspensions.

What’s the Issue?

  1. Suspensions Are on the Rise
    Google now penalizes businesses that use a social media link—like a Facebook page—in the “website” field of their GBP. This field is specifically for a business’s main website, and misusing it can result in your GBP being flagged or suspended.
  2. Social Links Have a Proper Home
    Google has a dedicated section within the GBP interface for social media links. This is where they want you to include your Facebook, Instagram, or other social profiles—not in the “website” field.
  3. Your Website Is a Ranking Factor
    Having a proper website linked to your GBP isn’t just about compliance—it’s also a ranking signal. A well-structured, relevant website boosts your visibility in local search results. Choosing to leave the “website” field blank means you’re willingly ranking lower than you could.

What’s the Solution?

  1. Link to a Real Website
    If you don’t already have a website, it’s crucial to get one. A simple one-page website is enough to satisfy Google’s requirements and can act as a digital business card for your company.
  2. No More Free Websites From Google
    Google used to offer a free, one-page website option for GBP users. However, this feature was discontinued in early 2024. If you’re relying on this or haven’t replaced it yet, now’s the time to find an alternative.
  3. Consider an Ultra-Affordable Replacement
    Services like Prospect Genius’s GBP Website Replacement can fill the gap left by Google’s free websites. These highly-affordable, single-page sites are designed to meet GBP requirements, look professional, and instead of being a dead-end, they even allow for easy upgrades in the future if your needs grow. This ensures you won’t have to scrap your site and start over, saving you time and money.

The Bottom Line

Using your Facebook page as your “website” in your GBP might seem like a quick fix, but it’s a shortcut that can cost you. Google has clear expectations for where social media links should go, and failing to comply can hurt your GBP visibility—or worse, get your listing suspended.

A proper website is not just a best practice; it’s a necessity. Even a simple, affordable site can make a big difference in your rankings and your customers’ trust.

Don’t risk your GBP status. Update your listing today, and if you need help getting an affordable, compliant website, there are plenty of options out there to make the process quick and easy.

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