If your business is still running, a "permanently closed" label almost always comes from one of two places. Either someone with access to the profile marked it closed, or Google accepted a suggested edit from the public. The fix depends on your situation, and picking the wrong path can cost you every review you've earned. Work out which scenario you're in first, then take the matching action.
TL;DR
Find your scenario before you touch anything. The right move is different depending on whether the closure was a mistake, part of a move, or part of a name change.
Best outcome: reopen the existing profile. You keep your reviews, photos, and the history that profile has built.
Second best: create a new profile and ask Google to move your reviews to it. You keep the reviews but start the profile over.
Last resort: a brand new profile with no transfer. You start at zero reviews, which for a home services business is the expensive option.
Where the setting lives: Edit profile, then Hours. Switching to "Open with main hours" clears the closed label.
Customers can't leave new reviews on a permanently closed profile, so every day it sits there costs you.
What the label actually means
"Permanently closed" is a status setting on your Google Business Profile, not a penalty and not a ranking action. It sits alongside your business hours and tells Google to show a closed notice on your listing in Search and Maps.
Google keeps the profile visible after it's marked closed. Your name, photos, and reviews are still there. What changes is the message customers see, how the profile competes, and what customers can do. Google has said closed businesses can show up below open ones for broad searches, which matters for queries like "plumber near me."
The part that catches owners off guard is reviews. Google blocks new reviews on a permanently closed profile. Your existing ones stay, but every customer you serve while that label is up has no way to leave you a review. If your team asks for reviews after each job, that quietly stops working.
What you're protecting
Before you start clicking, understand what's actually at stake. Your reviews are the hardest thing to replace. A profile with 180 reviews and a 4.8 rating took years to build, and no amount of work rebuilds that quickly.
That's why the options rank the way they do:
Reopen the profile you already have. Everything stays: reviews, rating, photos, and the track record the profile has with Google. Always the first choice when it's available.
New profile plus a review transfer request. Your reviews can move across, but the new profile starts fresh in every other way. Google handles these transfers case by case, so it isn't guaranteed.
New profile from scratch. Zero reviews, zero history. Only do this when nothing else fits.
Almost every owner who ends up in that third bucket got there by making a change in the wrong order, not because they had to.
Step 1: Find your scenario
Your situation | What to do | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
Still open, same name, same address | Reopen the profile | Kept |
Moving or moved, same name, closed by mistake | Reopen, then change the address | Kept |
Profile was closed on purpose during a move or rebrand | New profile, then request a transfer | Usually recoverable |
Business name changed | Depends on how big the change was | Depends |
Business really is closed | Leave it as is | Stay on the profile |
Read the matching section below before you change any settings.
Scenario 1: Still open at the same address, closed by mistake
This covers most cases. Nothing about your business changed, and the label is simply wrong.
What to do: reopen the profile.
Sign in to your Google Business Profile with the email address that owns the listing.
Select Edit profile, then Hours.
In the Business hours section, next to Hours, choose Edit, then Open with main hours.
Check the box beside each day you're open and set your hours with the dropdowns.
Select Save.
If you'd rather not publish specific hours, choose Open with no main hours and save. That still clears the closed status. For home services businesses that answer calls around the clock, we generally recommend showing real hours, since customers use them to decide whether to call now or wait.
Managing several locations? Sign in to Business Profile Manager, select the locations, then use Actions and Open.
Google may ask you to verify the business again before accepting the change. Follow whatever prompt appears rather than starting a new profile.
Scenario 2: You're moving or have moved, same name
Your address is changing but your business name isn't. The profile got closed by mistake, or you're planning ahead before the move.
What to do: reopen the profile first, then change the address. Don't create a new one.
Google is direct on this point. Creating a new profile because of a location change is the wrong move, and it strands your reviews on the old listing. Instead:
Reopen the profile using the steps in Scenario 1. Change nothing else yet.
Once the profile shows as open, update the address and map pin under Edit profile, then Location.
Complete the verification Google asks for. Address changes usually trigger one, often a video showing your signage, entrance, and work area.
When you move and keep the same name, Google transfers your reviews automatically. A few categories like hotels and golf courses are exceptions, and home services businesses aren't among them.
Don't change the address and the name in the same edit. Handle one, let it settle, then handle the other. Stacked changes on a recently closed profile are what push listings into review.
Scenario 3: The profile was closed on purpose during a move or rebrand
You or someone on your team marked the profile closed as part of relocating or renaming the business. This is the one situation where reopening is the wrong answer.
What to do: create a new profile, verify it, then ask Google to move your reviews.
Google's instruction is specific: if the profile was marked permanently closed as part of a location or name change, don't reopen it. Add a new business and verify it instead. Reopening at this stage tends to create a duplicate listing, and duplicates cause ranking problems that take longer to sort out than the original issue.
Once the new profile is verified, request the review transfer through Google support. Have proof ready that it's the same company, such as your business registration, a lease or utility bill at the new address, and photos of your signage and vehicles. Google reviews these case by case and doesn't approve every request, so good documentation matters.
You'll find advice online telling you to reopen the closed profile and then change the name and address in stages. We don't recommend it. It runs against Google's written instruction, and the reasoning behind it is guesswork rather than anything Google has published.
Scenario 4: Your business name changed
Google splits name changes into two buckets, and which one you're in decides everything.
A minor change keeps the same business underneath. Adding or dropping a word, correcting spelling, or matching your legal name to your signage usually qualifies. Your reviews stay and you can edit the name on the existing profile.
A major change means Google treats you as a new business. Per Google's own guidelines, you mark the old profile closed and create a new one under the new name, then request a review transfer.
If you're partway between the two, ask us before you act. Getting this call wrong is one of the few ways to genuinely lose reviews, and it's much easier to check first than to appeal afterward.
Scenario 5: The business really has closed
If the location is closed for good, leave the profile marked permanently closed. That's the label doing its job. Your reviews and history stay visible for anyone searching your name.
Resist the urge to delete the profile. Removing it gives up your owner access, and the listing often survives in Google's data anyway, which leaves an unmanaged version of your business out there with nobody able to respond to it.
Closing for a season or a few weeks instead? Use "Temporarily closed," not permanent. Temporarily closed profiles still accept new reviews.
If you can't get into the profile
Every path above needs owner or manager access. If you've lost access, or someone claimed the profile years ago:
Request ownership. Google has a process for claiming a profile someone else controls. The current owner gets a window to respond, so it takes time.
Suggest an edit from the public side. On the Google Maps listing, use the suggest an edit option and report the business as open. This carries less weight than an owner change, but it helps.
Reach out to us. If we manage your profile, send us a message and we'll take care of it. If we don't have access yet, we can tell you exactly what to request and from whom.
What to expect after the fix
Most profiles show as open again within a few hours. Some take several days, and profiles that need re-verification take longer depending on the method Google assigns.
While you wait:
Answer the phone number on the profile. Google checks whether the number connects.
Make sure your website link works and that the site clearly shows you're open.
Post a photo or an update. Fresh activity signals an active business.
Check your other listings. If an old directory profile still says closed, that stale information can pull the Google listing back the wrong way.
How to keep it from happening again
Review who has access to your profile at least twice a year and remove anyone who no longer works with you. Old vendor and former employee accounts are a frequent culprit. Keep your hours, phone number, and website current, since accurate information reduces the odds a customer reports you as closed. Plan moves and rebrands before you touch the profile, not during. And if a location does shut down, mark it closed properly rather than deleting it.
If your profile is under our management, we monitor status changes as part of the service and act on them when they show up.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for the permanently closed label to disappear?
Usually a few hours after you save the change. Some profiles take several days, and profiles that need re-verification take longer.
Will I lose my reviews?
Not if you handle it in the right order. Reviews stay through a closure and after you reopen. They also move automatically when you change your address and keep the same name. The only real risk of losing them is creating a brand new profile when you didn't need to, or a major name change where the transfer request gets declined.
Can customers still leave reviews while my profile says closed?
No. Google blocks new reviews on permanently closed profiles. Temporarily closed profiles still accept them, which is one reason to use the temporary option for seasonal or short closures.
I'm moving my shop. Should I close the old profile first?
No. Change the address on your existing profile and leave the status alone. Marking it closed first is what forces you into the harder path with a support request and a manual review transfer.
Is a permanently closed profile the same as a suspended profile?
No. A suspended profile is removed from Search and Maps and needs a reinstatement request. A closed profile stays visible with a closed notice and can be switched back to open from your hours settings.
Can a competitor mark my business as closed?
Anyone can submit a suggested edit through Google Maps, including a competitor. Google reviews these before applying them, but the system isn't perfect. If it happens repeatedly to your listing, let us know so we can document it.
My hours are correct but the label is still showing. What now?
Check the listing in a private browser window first, since old versions can linger on your device. If it's still there after a few days, the change may have saved on a duplicate profile rather than the one appearing in search results. Send us the listing link and we'll look into it.
Need a hand?
If Digital Shift manages your Google Business Profile, reach out to your account manager and we'll handle the status change, the address update, and any verification Google requires. If you manage the profile yourself and you're stuck deciding which scenario applies, send us a message with a link to your listing. A five minute answer from us can save you a review transfer request later.
Additional resources
My Google Business Profile settings changed automatically. What happened?
How to Get Reinstated After a Google My Business Suspension?
Can I Claim Ownership of a Verified Google Business Profile?
How to Request a Live Video Call Verification with Google for Your Business Profile
Updating or Adding a Physical Address to your Google Business Profile listing
Official Google help pages
Google updates these pages from time to time, so the steps you see may differ slightly from what's written here. The scenarios and the order of operations hold either way.