April 27, 2025
Introduction

Building a small business in today’s digital world should be easier than ever. With powerful tools like Google Business Profiles and Facebook Pages available at no cost, entrepreneurs are told they can quickly reach new audiences and grow their brand. Yet beneath the surface, a hidden obstacle stands in the way — one that countless small business owners discover only after investing time, money, and hope.

Today’s digital platforms don’t just set the rules; they change them without notice, punish genuine efforts, and often offer no clear path for resolution. This is the digital roadblock nobody talks about — but it’s a reality that many new businesses face from the very first steps online.

The Growing Pressure from Google
Google’s dominance in search and local business discovery is undisputed. Today, creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile is seen as essential for visibility — yet Google’s verification demands have become increasingly extreme.

Small businesses are required to:

Prove their existence through live video calls,
Provide extensive documentation,
Establish a full online presence, including website and active social media links.

For many, particularly solo entrepreneurs, startups, or those with accessibility challenges, these demands are difficult, if not impossible, to meet. The expectation to immediately provide fully functioning social media pages before a business even has a chance to grow is deeply flawed.

Google’s system operates under the assumption that all legitimate businesses will have fully active, populated, and verified social media accounts from day one — an unrealistic standard, especially for new or small ventures.

The Facebook Roadblock

At the same time, Facebook has implemented increasingly aggressive anti-spam measures, especially around new accounts and business pages. While designed to protect users from scams and fake businesses, the system has created new barriers for genuine businesses trying to establish a presence.
Facebook’s AI-driven moderation often flags and disables accounts that:

Create a new personal account,

Quickly set up a business page,
Add external website links (especially eCommerce links),
Lack an established friend network or posting history.

New accounts that move efficiently — the way a legitimate entrepreneur might — are often treated as suspicious bots or bad actors. Without any chance for real human appeal, accounts and pages can be permanently disabled within hours of creation.

This presents a devastating irony: the platforms that demand a robust online presence are the same ones making it nearly impossible for new businesses to build that presence safely.

No Real Support, No Second Chances

One of the most troubling aspects of this ecosystem is the lack of meaningful support. Once flagged by Facebook or Google’s systems, most small business owners find themselves navigating a maze of automated responses, broken appeal links, and invisible customer service channels.

Appealing a disabled account or misunderstood verification is often impossible without major advertising spend or public visibility. Small businesses, who need these tools the most, are treated as expendable or unimportant.

This creates a chilling effect, discouraging entrepreneurs from even attempting to comply with platform policies, or worse, pushing them into relying on expensive consultants and middlemen who promise to “fix” problems that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

The Absurdity of Mobile-Only Verification

Adding to the frustration, both Google and Facebook now rely heavily on selfie-based verification systems that require the use of a mobile device. Users are asked to record live videos of themselves at different angles or take real-time photos holding IDs — often without clear guidance or proper technical support.

The expectation is clear:

Verification must happen through a smartphone.
No option is provided to verify identity through a desktop or laptop computer.

This process immediately alienates large groups of legitimate users, including:

Entrepreneurs who primarily run businesses from desktop workstations, not mobile phones.
Individuals with accessibility needs, for whom mobile device handling may not be practical.
Professional businesses that maintain secure office setups — not mobile-only environments.

The assumption that every online business is created and managed exclusively through a mobile device is not just impractical — it is absurd. It highlights a fundamental disconnect between the realities of serious business operations and the casual, app-driven assumptions of Big Tech.

For many legitimate entrepreneurs, these selfie-based mobile verifications create yet another unnecessary barrier — one that questions their legitimacy based on arbitrary technical limitations rather than meaningful measures of authenticity.

How the Cycle Creates an Impossible Situation
The result of these policies is a vicious circle:

Google demands active social media pages to verify a business.

Entrepreneurs create new Facebook pages and accounts to meet that demand.
Facebook flags and disables those new pages/accounts as suspicious.
Without social links, Google refuses to verify the business.

This cycle can completely lock out legitimate businesses — wasting time, damaging morale, and creating unnecessary obstacles at the very earliest stages of development.

Those who genuinely want to comply and build properly are punished, while bad actors often find ways to bypass systems with fake identities and throwaway accounts.

Solutions That Could Break the Cycle

Fixing this problem does not require massive changes — only basic adjustments and a commitment to fairness:

✅ More Accessible Verification Options Google and Facebook should offer alternative verification paths, particularly for individuals with disabilities or solo entrepreneurs who may not fit into standardized systems.

✅ Human Review for First Flags First-time flags on Facebook or Google Business should trigger human review — not automatic blocks — especially when linked to real website ownership and proper domain emails.

✅ Recognition of Gradual Growth New businesses should not be expected to have fully developed social media footprints within hours of creation. A “grace period” of 30–60 days would allow genuine growth without punishment.

✅ Clearer Communication Platforms must provide clear, direct communication when accounts are flagged — including what specific actions triggered the decision, and offering real pathways to resolution.

Conclusion: A Call for Fairness

Small businesses are the lifeblood of economies. They drive innovation, community connection, and economic resilience. Yet in today’s digital ecosystem, genuine entrepreneurs are often treated with more suspicion than support.

Platforms like Google and Facebook must recognize the reality of starting a business today. Building a full digital presence takes time. It cannot and should not be punished before it has a chance to flourish.

Until these systems change, small businesses will continue to face an uphill battle — not against competitors, but against the very tools that should be helping them succeed.

It’s time for a digital environment that supports, not sabotages, those trying to build honest, meaningful businesses online.