Why Your Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google Maps (and How to Fix It)
- We Rank Local
- Jul 3
- 10 min read
If your business isn’t showing up on Google Maps, you’re not alone. It happens more often than most people think. Maybe your profile is missing some key info. Maybe you’re not showing signs of being a real, active local business. The good news? Most of these problems are fixable once you know what to look for.
This guide walks through the most common reasons businesses get buried or left out, and what you can do to turn things around.
TL;DR: Why You’re Not Showing Up on Google Maps (and How to Fix It)
If your business isn’t showing up on Google Maps, it’s usually one of these six issues (click on the heading to go to the expanded section):
Claim it, verify it, and fill out every field honestly and completely.
No fake names, no fake addresses, no stuffing keywords. Stick to the guidelines or risk getting filtered.
Local search is proximity-based. You can’t expect to rank everywhere unless you’ve built serious local authority.
Reviews, photos, engagement, and listing activity all build trust. If your profile is a ghost town, Google won’t prioritize it.
They’ve got more reviews, better content, or stronger signals across the web. Analyze what they’re doing and outwork them.
If your site is slow, confusing, or not locally optimized, it’s hurting your visibility. Your profile and your site need to work together.
Make Sure You Have a Google Business Profile—and It's Set Up Right
You can’t show up in Google Maps without a proper Google Business Profile. Want to go deeper on how your listing fits into the bigger picture? Check out our full Local SEO Guide. If your profile is missing, incomplete, or outdated, it’s like trying to rank with your hands tied behind your back.
Claim or Create Your Profile
Start by searching your business name on Google Maps. If something shows up, you may already have a listing. If it says "Claim this business," that’s your next move. If nothing shows up, head over to google.com/business and create one. It’s free, and it’s required if you want to show up in the local pack.
Choose the Right Business Category
Google relies heavily on your primary business category to decide when to show you. Choose the category that best describes what you do. “HVAC contractor,” “Plumber,” or “Family law attorney” are all examples. You can add more categories later, but your primary one is the most powerful. Be intentional. Don’t try to list everything you’ve ever offered.
Use a Local Phone Number and Real Address
Google wants to show local businesses that are really in the area. Using a local area code helps prove that. Avoid toll-free or call center numbers unless there’s a strong reason. If you don’t have a storefront and serve clients at their location, you can hide your address and set a service area instead. Just make sure your info is accurate and consistent.
Add Your Hours, Website, and Services
Fill in everything Google gives you. Hours of operation, website URL, services offered, and business description all help you rank. Be honest about your hours, especially if you offer emergency or after-hours support. When adding services, include ones that match your main keywords. You don’t have to list every niche offering—just the ones people are actually searching for.
Get Verified
If your listing isn’t verified, it won’t appear in search. Most businesses verify by postcard, but sometimes you can use phone, email, or video. Once you’re verified, don’t change key info too often, or you might get flagged. If your profile gets suspended, fix the issue and submit for reinstatement right away.
You’re Not Following Google’s Guidelines (and You Might Not Know It)
Google doesn’t just want accurate listings, it wants listings that play by the rules. Break those rules (even accidentally), and your business might get filtered out, buried, or flat-out suspended. The worst part? They usually don’t tell you why, and it takes forever to fix (Google can be notoriously slow on the customer service side).
Here’s what to look out for:
Don’t Keyword-Stuff Your Business Name
Adding keywords to your business name like “Smith Plumbing – Water Heaters & Emergency Service” might seem smart… but it’s against the rules unless that’s your real, legal name. This is one of the most common violations and can get you filtered or suspended without warning.
Avoid Fake Addresses or “Virtual” Locations
Google only wants to show businesses that actually serve the area. Using a coworking space, mailbox rental, or someone else’s house as your address is a fast track to suspension. If you’re a service-area business (like a mobile mechanic or house cleaner), hide your address and use the service area option instead. This actually gives you a lot of room to build out hyperlocal pages that feature your offerings in other areas that you service, versus being locked into a single zip code.
Only Choose Categories That Actually Apply
Don’t try to be everything at once. Choose the primary category that best fits what you do, and maybe 1–2 supporting ones if they’re truly relevant. If you’re a pest control company, don’t also list yourself as a “cleaning service” and “contractor” just to try and rank more. Google catches that.
No Shared Listings
If you have multiple businesses at one address (like a tax office and insurance agency), each must have its own legit name, phone number, and website. No Frankenlistings.
Be Careful When Updating Key Info
If you just changed your address, business name, or phone number, and now your listing disappeared—it might be under review or flagged. Sudden changes can trigger Google’s security filters. When in doubt, pause before making major updates or changing info more than once, or only change one thing at a time.
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You’re Not Showing Up Where You Think You Should
This one trips up a lot of business owners. You Google your services from across town, expecting to see your listing… but nothing shows up. That doesn’t always mean something’s broken. It might just be how local search works.
Here’s what’s likely going on:
Local Search Is Proximity-Based
Google Maps doesn’t rank businesses by how good they are. It ranks them by how close they are, and then factors in relevance and credibility. If someone’s on the other side of town, they’ll likely see competitors closer to them, even if you’re the better choice.
Service Area Businesses Work Differently
If you don’t have a storefront and serve clients at their location, you’re a service area business (SAB). These businesses don’t need to show a physical address, but they do need to set their service area correctly. If you skip this step or set it too wide, you’ll either limit your visibility or get filtered out entirely.
Hiding Your Address Isn’t a Problem (If Done Right)
Some people freak out when they don’t see their address on the listing. But if you’re a SAB and hid your address during setup, that’s normal. As long as your listing is verified and accurate, Google will still show you to people in your service area. Reviews, a functioning website, and some social proof will pick up the slack as your business builds momentum. Reviews mentioning a specific location and service is gold, here. Try to set up a review funnel that captures both (and don't forget to respond!)
You Can’t “Force” a Wider Radius
There’s no trick to ranking in every neighborhood, city, or county. Google won’t show you outside your immediate area unless you’ve built up serious authority, relevance, and engagement over time. If you’re brand new or not putting in work, don’t expect wide coverage. It takes time to build.
What You Can Do
Double-check your business type. If you don’t serve customers at a physical location, hide your address and use the service area tool.
Don’t try to cover the entire state. Stick to a realistic service area where you actually operate.
Be patient. As you get more reviews and local relevance, Google may expand your visibility over time.
You Don’t Have Enough Local Credibility Yet
Just because your listing exists doesn’t mean Google trusts it. Even if your info is solid and your setup is clean, you won’t show up until you’ve proven you’re legit and active in your community. That trust takes time and effort to build.
Here's another layer for you to peel through:
You Need Real Reviews from Real Customers
Google leans heavily on reviews to decide which businesses deserve visibility. It’s not just about how many stars you have, it’s how many reviews you’ve earned, how recent they are, and whether you’re responding to them. A business with 4.8 stars and 12 reviews won’t out-rank one with 4.6 stars and 200 reviews.
You Haven’t Uploaded Photos or Posted Updates
A blank listing with no photos looks sketchy. Google wants to show businesses that are active and engaged. This adds a level of authenticity that can't be communicated through text-based content alone. Add real pictures of your location, team, services, or projects. Bonus points for geotagged photos taken at or near your actual business address.
Your Profile Isn’t Getting Engagement
Google tracks what people do with your listing. Are they clicking to call? Getting directions? Visiting your site? If your listing is getting ignored, Google takes that as a signal you’re not relevant. If people are interacting with you, even if you’re new, it boosts your credibility.
Your Listing Is Still Too New
New listings often sit in a kind of local limbo for a few weeks. Even if everything is set up correctly, it can take time for Google to index your profile, test it in the results, and decide where it fits in the local landscape.
What You Can Do
Ask for reviews — consistently, not just once. Make this a habit after every service or job is completed (you can easily get a link to your GBP reviews section for customers to use).
Respond to every review, good or bad. Bonus points for adding your location + service in the review response.
Add photos, videos, and updates regularly.
Give it time. If you’re doing things right, visibility will follow.
Building trust takes more than just reviews. If you're trying to show up consistently in search, our Local SEO Guide breaks down the full strategy.
You’re Getting Outranked by Stronger Competitors
Sometimes it’s not that you did something wrong, it’s that someone else did it better. You might be doing everything right on your Google Business Profile, but if your competitors have more reviews, a stronger local presence, or a more optimized profile, they’re going to beat you to the map every time.
Here’s what that looks like:
Your Competitors Have More (or Better) Reviews
You might have great service, but if your competitors are sitting on 150 five-star reviews and you’ve got 12 from two years ago, Google will see them as more trustworthy. Review quality, volume, and frequency all matter.
They’ve Built Local Authority Over Time
Older, more established listings tend to rank higher. If they’ve been active in the area, getting engagement and building trust, it’s going to take some time to catch up. This is especially true in competitive industries like law, HVAC, and home services.
They’ve Got Better On-Page Signals
Google looks beyond your Business Profile. If your competitors have SEO-optimized websites, clear service area pages, and strong local keywords on their site, that boosts their local relevance. We’ll dig into that more in the next section.
They’re More Active Across the Web
Citations, directory listings, backlinks, local press, community involvement — these all send credibility signals. If other sites are talking about them (and no one’s mentioning you), Google notices.
What You Can Do
Run a quick search for your services and look at who’s ranking. What do their listings have that yours doesn’t?
Set a goal to surpass them in review count, quality, or recency.
Get listed on the same directories they’re on (and then some).
Stay active with updates, photos, and responses — stale profiles drop off fast.
Your Website Isn’t Helping You Rank (or It’s Holding You Back)
Google doesn’t just look at your Business Profile when deciding who to show in the local pack. It also checks your website. If your site is weak, confusing, or irrelevant, it can tank your chances of showing up.
Here’s why that may be:
Your Website Doesn’t Match Your Listing
If your site says one thing and your Google listing says another, that inconsistency can cause trust issues. Make sure your name, address, phone number, services, and branding match up exactly across the board.
You’re Missing Local Signals
You need to prove that you actually serve your area. That means having clear service area pages, location-based keywords, and content that makes sense for your local audience. If your site talks in broad national terms, Google might not see you as relevant to your own backyard.
Your Site Is Slow or Doesn’t Work on Mobile
More than half of local searches happen on phones. If your website loads slowly, looks broken, or makes people pinch and zoom just to read it, that’s a problem. Google notices and will favor listings with a better user experience.
You Don’t Have a Website at All
Yes, technically you can rank without one. But good luck competing with someone who has a clean, optimized, locally targeted site backing their profile. Your website isn’t optional anymore, it’s your credibility anchor.
What You Can Do
Audit your site and make sure it lines up with your Google Business info.
Add location-specific content. Not just “We serve the area,” but real pages that talk about your service zones.
Make your site fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.
If you don’t have a site yet, get one. Even a simple one-page setup is better than nothing.
About We Rank Local
We Rank Local is a small but experienced SEO agency helping service-based businesses dominate their local markets. With over 10 years of hands-on experience, we’ve helped clients outrank national competitors by focusing on smart, location-driven strategies that actually work.
We work with businesses that rely on local visibility to grow, from contractors and professionals to service brands with multiple locations. Whether you're in one city or twenty, we know how to build a plan that fits.
Explore our services or check out the industries we serve to learn more.
Want to handle your own SEO? Check out our free Local SEO Guide for a clear, step-by-step plan that actually works.
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