Google has added a new policy to its Google Business Profiles policy document: "Misuse of support channels." The rule, now live in the official GBP policies, prohibits businesses from flooding the Business Profiles support portal with invalid requests.

The policy exists because misuse "floods" the support team with "invalid requests" and slows down response times for every business using the channel. Google states it provides these support paths "in good faith to resolve legitimate business and technical issues."

What the policy says

Here is the full text of the new policy, as published in Google's Business Profiles policy document:

Misuse of support channels: To ensure our support services remain effective and available for everyone, we require all Google Business Profile users to use the support paths responsibly. Google provides these channels in good faith to resolve legitimate business and technical issues. To avoid delays in response times and affect the support for all businesses, avoid any misuse of the portal or flood them with invalid requests.

Google defines "repeated submissions of unfounded support complaints" with two examples:

• False or misleading reports
• Reports made in bad faith

Confirmed versus context

The policy addition itself is confirmed: the text appears directly in Google's published Business Profiles policy document. Google has not, however, detailed enforcement mechanics — the policy text does not specify penalties, suspension thresholds, or how many repeated submissions trigger action. Any claims about specific enforcement consequences beyond the document's language would be speculation.

Who this affects

The policy targets two behaviors worth distinguishing. First, businesses or agencies that repeatedly file support tickets without merit — whether to escalate routine issues, pressure support staff, or game review and reinstatement queues. Second, bad-faith actors who file false reports against competitors' listings, a long-running abuse vector in local search.

For local SEO practitioners and agencies managing large GBP portfolios, the practical implication is straightforward: support tickets should document genuine business and technical issues. Filing duplicate or unfounded complaints to chase faster resolutions now sits explicitly against policy. Google's framing — that misuse causes "delays in response times" for all businesses — signals the company wants to protect support capacity, which has been a chronic pain point for GBP users dealing with suspensions and verification issues.

The policy also gives Google clearer grounds to act against coordinated false reporting, where listings get flagged repeatedly in attempts to trigger reviews or removals.

What to monitor

Watch for enforcement signals: whether Google publishes enforcement details, whether suspended or support-restricted accounts begin appearing in local search forums, and how response times in the GBP support portal change in the coming months.