If you’ve ever encountered emails or notifications about rejected Google Posts, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Google has specific guidelines that Profile owners need to follow and if they spot a post that goes against their standards, it can and will end up with a rejection.
Scenarios of rejected Google Posts
Once Google detects that the post you’ve published supposedly violates their content policy, they will send an email to you saying they’ve removed your post.
The problem is though if you’ve received several of these (like we have), it always says “it contains content that is considered spam.”
That’s a rather broad thing to say, right? Yes, Google doesn’t specify which policy you violated. So in this article, we will present some common scenarios of why your post may be rejected and what you can do to avoid a strike.
Scenario 1: Dubious words
More often than not, those who write captions tend to use words that could possibly sound violent, offensive or spammy even when the overall context of the post is not harmful in any way. Take, for example, the issue above. The caption mentions the word “die, ” which could be why Google unpublished and removed this post.
Other words that may sound the alarm for Google are “race,” “intimate,” “progressive,” and any cuss word – either spelled out or partially censored.
Do this instead: Writers can use other words that do not sound offensive or violent. Possibly, if we can re-write the post above, we could say “I love meat in most of my dishes, and that includes the salads that I eat…”
Scenario 2: Triggering imagery
If your caption is free of any offensive wording but your image depicts potential harm to either a person, animal or property, there’s a big chance that your post will be rejected and removed. Images like the one used above could cause emotional distress to some people who have experienced a burglary or have been harmed by an individual in their own home, and could trigger a trauma response (and possibly some complaints).
Do this instead: Use images that give a feeling of safety when a customer uses your brand. Not only will this have a more positive effect on your audience, your post won’t be considered one of the many rejected Google posts.
Scenario 3: Alcohol as the main content
While it is generally understood and accepted that bars, pubs and other dining establishments offer alcoholic drinks on their menu, Google does not allow them to be the main focus of an image or video. The image above automatically goes against their policies and thus was removed.
Do this instead: If you absolutely need to highlight alcoholic drinks on your post, you can include it as an “incidental depiction.” This means that the drink is not obvious, but the context of the image or video points to consuming alcohol.
Scenario 4: Poor image quality
A good chunk of rejected Google posts are actually those that have poor image quality. Blurred images may come off as low quality for the search engine because it cannot totally recognise what is going on in the photo. To be on the safe side, Google simply rejects the post and removes it from your Profile timeline.
Do this instead: Post crisp and clear images and follow the same guidelines Google has for business-owned uploaded photos. You can check our guide here.
What happens if Google always rejects my Posts?
In case you cannot comply with Google’s content policies, there is a strong likelihood that you won’t have the capability to post in the future, or your Profile could be suspended altogether. To prevent this from happening, take a closer look and adhere to their policies.
Conclusion
Businesses can avoid getting rejected Google Posts as long as they follow the search giant’s content policies. But it could be daunting to check the quality of your Posts if you’re managing too many Profiles that all require equal attention. With the DigitalMaas Platform, you can post in bulk, depending on your market and their location. This makes it easy for you to have both a personalised post while keeping everything standard.
Sign up for an account today and make it easy for your business to be seen on local search!
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