Why isn't my business showing on Google Maps?

You search for what you do, in the town where you do it, and a competitor shows up on the map. You don't. It's one of the most common things business owners ask us about, and the cause is almost always one of the eight below.

First, a quick bit of background. Google decides who shows on the map using three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the person searching) and prominence (how well known and trusted your business is). You can't change distance. Everything below is about the other two.

1. Your profile isn't verified

An unverified Google Business Profile won't show properly on Maps. Sign in at business.google.com and check for a verification prompt. Google may ask for a video showing your signage, your premises or your tools and vehicle, and it can take a few working days to review.

Fix: complete verification, and make sure the details you submit exactly match what's on your website.

2. Your primary category is wrong

Your primary category is one of the strongest signals Google uses to decide which searches you're relevant for. An electrician listed as "Electrical installation service" when people search for "electrician", or a pub listed only as "Restaurant", can lose searches they should be winning.

Fix: choose the category that best describes your main service, and check what the businesses ranking above you use. We've written a full guide to choosing your categories.

3. You're searching from the wrong place

Map results change with the searcher's location, sometimes street by street. If you search from your own office, you'll probably see yourself. A customer five miles away might not. Equally, you might rank well in one town and not appear at all in the next.

Fix: don't judge by one search on your phone. A map-grid scan checks your ranking from dozens of points across your area, so you can see exactly where you show and where you don't.

4. Your profile is half finished

Many profiles have a name, an address and a couple of photos, and nothing else. Google has less to go on, and customers have less reason to choose you.

• Add every service you offer, with a short description for each.
• Write a business description that says plainly what you do and where.
• Set accurate opening hours, including holiday hours.
• Add real photos of your work, team and premises, and keep adding them.
• Post updates regularly so the profile looks active.

5. Your details don't match across the web

Google cross-checks your name, address and phone number against your website and directories like Bing, Apple Maps, Yell and Facebook. If you've moved, changed number or use slightly different names in different places, Google trusts your details less.

Fix: choose one exact version of your details and use it everywhere. Our page on citation clean-up explains how we do this.

6. Not enough reviews, or none recently

Reviews are a big part of prominence. If the businesses above you have more reviews, newer reviews and replies to them, Google sees them as better known and more trusted. A profile whose newest review is a year old looks quiet, to Google and to customers.

Fix: ask every customer for a review, every time, and reply to all of them. Here's how to get more Google reviews within Google's rules.

7. Your website isn't helping

Google looks at the website linked from your profile. If it's slow, has one page for every service, or never mentions the towns you work in, it gives Google little reason to rank you. Businesses with a clear page for each main service and area usually do better.

Fix: make sure your site loads quickly on a phone, has a page for each main service and mentions where you work. Our technical SEO page covers what Google checks.

8. Your profile has been suspended or filtered

If your profile has disappeared completely, it may have been suspended. This often happens after a change to the business name, address or category, or when something on the profile breaks Google's guidelines, such as adding extra keywords to the business name. Profiles can also be filtered out if Google thinks two listings are the same business.

Fix: check your profile dashboard for a warning. Correct anything that breaks the guidelines before requesting reinstatement, and remove any duplicate listings.

How to find out which one it is

Most businesses have more than one of these going on. Start with verification and categories, because they're quick to check and can make a difference within weeks. Then work through your profile, your listings, your reviews and your website.

Local rankings also need ongoing work. Competitors keep posting, adding photos and collecting reviews, so a profile that's left alone tends to slip. The businesses that stay at the top keep working on it.

If you'd rather we looked for you, our free video review scans where you rank across your area and goes through your profile line by line. Or read more about our Google Business Profile optimisation.