For small business owners, visibility is the key to success. So when a D.C.-area tree service company suddenly started seeing business slow down significantly, they were stumped.
Having a Google business profile allows companies to appear in search results, along with their locations and websites. Angel Tree Services had a Google business profile since 207, and they said business was good.
"We just love this town; we love working here," owner Noel Hernandez said.
But in March, Hernandez's family business noticed their phones weren’t ringing as often and traffic to their website had dropped. To Hernandez's surprise, when he checked the status of his Google business profile, it had been disabled.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
"And if that gets taken down, it's essentially like you don’t exist," Hernandez said. "You are essentially a ghost compared to every other business in your area."
Worried about losing more business, he contacted Google to understand why his company's profile was removed.
"The only response I ever get is, 'Please refer to our guidelines,'" he said.
NBC4 Responds
NBC4 Responds is Working 4 You to help you save money and keep your family safe
But Hernandez says he met every one of Google's guidelines. He appealed the decision — but his appeal was denied three times. In email after email, Hernandez asked Google to provide a specific reason, but time after time, he'd get an autoreply that just referred him back to their guidelines.
"I was at a loss," Hernandez said. "You know, I tried every single thing I could. Like I said earlier, I had submitted with them with all, with a plethora of documents that prove that we're a business. I could send them piles of proposals and invoices that we've done for the community, and I just think I'd still get that same automated response every single time."
As each day went by without adding new business, Hernandez was getting really worried about his employees.
"We don’t want to put our guys out of work," he said. "We want to have them working here with us every day like we have been for years. So, when we have tell them, 'Hey, guys, there’s no jobs for this week at all,' these guys have families."
NBC4 Responds reached out to Google and told them we did our own checks to verify the tree business in Woodbridge is legitimate.
A spokesperson responded: "We have looked into this case and reinstated the business profile for Angel Tree Services."
Google never offered an explanation as to why it disabled Hernandez's company's profile in the first place.
Hernandez said he doesn’t need an explanation. He’s just happy his crew is back at work and busier than ever.
"The change was instant as soon as we were back on Google," he said. "We're getting plenty of phone calls again. So, I cannot thank you enough. Thank you, NBC4."
One of the biggest issues Hernandez faced was the inability to actually speak with an actual human from Google, which is unfortunately the way with some of these major tech companies. If you run into a similar problem, try searching for forums discussing similar issues. You may be able to get advice from your own business peers on how to get your complaint heard or resolved.
