Why your business is not showing up on Google Maps (and how to fix it)

"We're not on Google Maps" can mean two very different things. Sometimes the profile can't be found at all, even when you search the exact business name. Other times it exists but never shows up for the searches customers actually use. The fixes are different, so first work out which problem you have.

Step 1: Search your exact business name

Search your business name and town on Google Maps. If the profile appears, you have a visibility problem, so skip to the ranking section below. If it doesn't appear at all, it's probably one of the profile problems in the next section.

If the profile doesn't appear at all

• Not verified: unverified profiles may not show publicly. Finish verification in your Business Profile dashboard.
• Suspended: check your dashboard and email for a notice. Common causes are keyword-stuffed names, virtual offices and addresses that break the guidelines. Fix the issue before you request reinstatement.
• Pending edits or review: recent major edits, such as changing your name, address or category, can put the profile under review for a while.
• Duplicate listings: two profiles for one location can split signals or cause one to be hidden. Ask Google to merge or remove the duplicate.
• Marked closed: make sure the profile isn't marked as temporarily or permanently closed and that your opening hours are correct.

If it appears for your name but not for your services

This is far more common. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. When you can be found by name but not for "plumber near me", one or more of those signals is weak compared with nearby competitors.

Relevance: does Google understand what you do?

Check that your primary category is the most specific one available, that your services are listed, and that your description and website clearly mention the services and areas you want to rank for. A bakery whose primary category is "Coffee shop" will struggle to rank for "bakery".

Distance: are you searching from the right place?

Map results change a lot depending on where the searcher is. If you check rankings from home or from across town, you may not see what customers near your premises see. A service-area business rarely ranks across a whole region from a single base, and that's normal.

Distance is the one factor you can't optimize. It's still worth knowing about, so you don't spend months trying to fix rankings in a place that's simply too far away.

Prominence: how established do you look?

Prominence reflects how well known a business is, both online and offline. Reviews (how many, your rating and how recent they are), links and mentions from other websites, citations in local directories and general brand activity all add to it. A new business with three reviews competing against established firms with hundreds will usually take time to break into the map pack.

A practical fix order

• Make sure the profile is verified, not suspended, and has no duplicates
• Set the most specific primary category and add relevant secondary categories
• List every service you want to be found for
• Match your name, address and phone number on the profile, the website and the main directories
• Start asking for reviews consistently and reply to all of them
• Make your website's service and location pages clearly support the profile

Measure the right thing

Instead of searching from one spot and hoping, check Business Profile Performance for searches, calls, direction requests and website clicks. If those numbers are rising, the fixes are working, even if one particular search from one particular spot hasn't moved yet.

Frequently asked questions