You search for your own service in your town and your business isn't there. A competitor you've never heard of is. Before you pay anyone to fix it, work out which problem you have: your listing might not be visible at all, or it might be there but ranked too low to notice.
First: find out which problem you have
Search for your exact business name and town on Google Maps.
- You don't appear at all: the problem is probably your listing itself. Start with causes 1 to 4.
- You appear for your name, but not for "plumber near me": the listing works but isn't ranking. Skip to causes 5 to 9.
Remember that map results change with where the searcher is standing. Checking from your office shows you only one location. Try searching from a few places, or ask customers across town what they see.
Problems with the listing
1. Your profile isn't verified
Unverified profiles may not appear in search results. Sign in at Google Business Profile, and finish any verification steps it shows. The method varies by business.
2. Your profile is suspended or restricted
Google can restrict listings it believes break its guidelines. Common triggers are keywords added to the business name, an address that isn't a real business location, or several listings for one business. Fix the cause first, then use Google's reinstatement request. Don't simply create a new listing, because that can make matters worse.
3. There's a duplicate listing
An old listing, perhaps from a previous address or owner, can split your signals or cause confusion. Search for variations of your name and old phone numbers. If you find a duplicate, follow Google's process to claim it or report it, rather than leaving both live.
4. Your address setup is wrong
If customers come to you, show your address. If you travel to customers and don't serve people at your location, hide your address and set a service area instead. Virtual offices and mailbox addresses generally aren't eligible, and they're a common reason for suspensions.
Problems with ranking
Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. You can't change distance, but you can influence the other two.
5. Your categories are wrong
Your primary category has a major effect on which searches you show up for. Look at the categories your top competitors use, then choose the one that most accurately describes your main work. Add secondary categories only where they're true.
6. Your profile is incomplete
Fill in your services, hours, description, phone number, website and photos. Keep your hours accurate, including holidays. An incomplete profile gives Google less to match against searches, and gives customers less reason to call.
7. You have too few reviews
Prominence partly reflects your reviews. Ask every customer, make it easy with your direct review link, and reply to the reviews you get. Never buy reviews or offer rewards for them. Our Google reviews guide has wording you can use.
8. Your website doesn't back it up
Your site helps Google understand what you do and where. Make sure you have separate pages for your main services, with your town and phone number clearly shown. If you cover several towns, add service area pages.
9. Your details don't match elsewhere
Check that your name, address and phone number match on your website, Facebook, Yelp and industry directories. Old numbers and past addresses create confusion for customers, and they make your business look less established.
You might just be far away
Distance matters, and it's the one factor you can't change. A business 20 miles from the searcher will find it hard to appear in the map results for "near me" searches, however good its profile is. For more distant towns, your website's service area pages are often the better route.
Don't fall for these
- Keywords in your business name. It may help for a while, but it can get you suspended. Use your real name.
- "Guaranteed #1 on Google Maps". Nobody can honestly promise this.
- Fake reviews. Google can remove them and restrict your profile, and customers can often tell.
- Fake locations. One real location is better than a suspended network of fake ones.
How long does it take?
Fixing a verification problem or a wrong category can show results fairly quickly. Building reviews and prominence is slower, often a matter of months, and it depends on how competitive your area is. Check your profile's Performance section each month to see searches and calls.
Still not showing up? Our local SEO service finds the cause and fixes it. Start with a free audit and we'll tell you in plain English what's keeping you off the map.