Google has updated its guidelines for representing your business on Google in the Google Business Profiles help documentation to add a new rule. Google said for your business name you cannot repeat "the same business name in multiple scripts or languages."
The new guidelines update is under the name section of the guidelines and it says "Repeated Bilingual Names / Script Transliterations" is not allowed. Google explained this as:
Repeating the same business name in multiple scripts or languages, even if it appears this way on physical storefront signage.
The example Google gave as to what is not acceptable are:
- Kafiex / カフィエクス
- Burger King バーガーキング
But what is acceptable are:
- Kafiex
- Burger King
I spotted this via Hiroko Imai on LinkedIn who wrote:
While Japanese examples were used in this update, this policy is relevant for any business operating in multilingual or multi-script regions - such as those using English alongside Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, or other scripts.A particularly notable point in this revision is that Google explicitly clarifies that dual-script names are not allowed even if they are printed on physical storefront signage. In the past, business owners often relied on photos of their storefront sign to justify a bilingual name on their profile, but this guideline makes it clear that doing so is no longer acceptable.
Since business name violations are a common trigger for profile suspensions, it is worth reviewing your listings - or those of your clients - to ensure the business name uses a single, primary script.
Forum discussion at LinkedIn.
