// TALKING POINT //

Phillips says that losing visibility, even temporarily, can have real commercial consequences.

“ For many independent retailers, Google Business Profile isn’ t just a directory listing anymore. It’ s their shop window on Google.

“ If customers can’ t see your latest products, seasonal offers or new arrivals, you’ re potentially losing sales to competitors whose listings are already live.”

Rather than making repeated changes, Phillips recommends businesses take a measured approach while Google investigates. mall businesses are being urged not to repeatedly resubmit their

Google Business Profile product listings after a bug appears to have left thousands of products stuck in‘ pending’ status.

Since around July 30, local SEO professionals and agencies have reported widespread issues with both new and existing product listings becoming trapped in Google’ s approval process, preventing them from appearing on Google Business Profiles. The issue has been raised across Google’ s own support community and leading local search forums, with businesses in multiple countries reporting the same problem.

While Google has yet to publicly acknowledge the issue, the timing is particularly frustrating for retailers preparing for the busy back-to-school shopping period, when visibility in local search results can have a direct impact on footfall and sales.

Thomas Phillips, Founder and Marketing Expert at DTC SEO Agency, said many business owners could unintentionally make the situation worse by trying to force listings through Google’ s system.

“ Your first instinct is usually to keep editing the product or submit it again, hoping it will finally go live. Unfortunately, that’ s often the worst thing you can do.

“ If this is a platform-wide issue, every resubmission effectively sends your product back into the review process. Instead of getting approved sooner, you risk resetting the clock each time.”

Google Business Profiles have become a key discovery tool for local businesses, allowing retailers to showcase products directly within Search and Maps before customers even visit their website.

“ The best course of action is to leave affected products alone for now, document which listings are pending and monitor them over the next few days.

“ Keep your website and social channels updated as normal so customers can still find your products elsewhere but avoid making unnecessary edits simply to try and trigger an approval.”

What businesses should do if their products are stuck in‘ pending’

• Avoid repeatedly deleting and resubmitting products

• Don’ t make constant edits in an attempt to force approval

• Record which listings are affected

• Keep product information updated on your website and other sales channels

• Monitor Google’ s Business Profile community and trusted SEO publications for updates

• Only escalate to Google support if the issue persists after a confirmed platform fix

As Google continues to play a central role in helping consumers discover local businesses, experts say even short-lived platform issues can have an outsized impact on small retailers that rely on local search visibility. �

18 Intelligent SME. tech