Google has updated its Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google, explicitly prohibiting business profiles from repeating a name in multiple scripts or languages on a single listing. Listed under prohibited naming practices, Google added a rule targeting "Repeated Bilingual Names / Script Transliterations".
For example, you are not allowed to do the following for your business:
- Not Allowed: Boulangerie Le Bon Pain / Le Bon Pain Bakery or Café de Paris (Paris Cafe)
- Allowed: Boulangerie Le Bon Pain or Le Bon Pain Bakery
Historically, local business owners in bilingual or tourist-heavy markets like Paris or Tokyo could defend dual-language business titles during suspensions or appeals by submitting photo proof of physical signage.
Google’s updated documentation explicitly blocks this defense, stating the restriction applies “even if it appears this way on physical storefront signage.” Having both languages printed on your exterior sign no longer grants an exception for your Google Business Profile (GBP) name.
The main reasons why Google made the change was because many multi-language listings were combining names as an aggressive local SEO strategy to capture search impressions across multiple search terms. This gave them an unfair advantage in Google’s eyes. Another reason being Google's search algorithms already display automated translations to users based on their device language and locale settings. This feature makes the tactic of combined titles in local search redundant.
If you believe your listings may be affected by this policy update, we recommend searching your portfolio for listings containing slashes, parentheses, or dual-language names in the title. This is a good opportunity to also standardize the title using either the local dominant market language or the primary legal trading name. You could still leverage the secondary translations by applying it to your Business Description, Local Social Posts, or landing pages. Although this may feel frustrating Goolge is giving users lots of flexibility, outside of the primary name field.
