If you have typed "why is my business not showing on Google Maps" into Google, the answer is usually one of seven things. Some are problems with the listing itself. Others aren't problems at all, just the way Google Maps decides what to show each person.
Go through the causes below in order. Each one says how to check it and what to do about it.
First, work out what "not showing" means
There are two very different situations, and they have different fixes.
- You don't appear when someone searches your name. This points to a problem with the listing: it isn't verified, it has been suspended, it is new, or it is being filtered.
- You appear for your name, but not when someone searches the service ("electrician", "nail salon"). The listing works. Google just ranks other businesses above you for that search, from that spot.
Search your exact business name in Google Maps on your phone and note what happens. Then search your main service. Keep both answers in mind as you read on.
Why is my business not showing on Google Maps: check these in order
1. The listing isn't verified, or it has been suspended
Sign in to your Google Business Profile with the Google account that manages it. The profile will say whether it is verified, needs verification, or is suspended.
An unverified listing may not show at all. A suspended one disappears or shows with limited details. Suspensions often follow something that breaks Google's guidelines: keywords stuffed into the name, a virtual office or PO box used as an address, or several listings for one business.
What to do: finish verification if it is pending. If you are suspended, fix whatever breaks the guidelines first, then appeal through the link in your profile. Don't create a fresh listing to get round it. A second listing tends to make things worse.
2. The primary category is wrong
Your primary category is one of the strongest hints Google gets about which searches you belong in. A beauty salon listed only as "day spa", or a plumber listed as "heating equipment supplier", may never show for the searches that matter.
How to check: look at the category shown under your name in Maps. Now search your main service and look at the categories under the top three results.
What to do: change your primary category to the one that describes what most customers come to you for, and add true secondary categories. Our guide to Google Business Profile optimisation covers categories in more detail.
3. The searcher is too far away
Google says distance is one of the three things it uses to rank local results, along with relevance and prominence. You might sit in the top three outside your door and vanish a couple of miles down the road, where other businesses are closer.
How to check: ask a friend in another part of town to search, or check from several postcodes. Kerbrank does this with a grid of points over your area and names the places you disappear by compass direction, such as "the north", so you can see where the gap is. Our guide to reading your map shows what that looks like.
What to do: you can't move your premises, but you can make your listing more relevant and better reviewed, which tends to widen the area where you show. There is more on this in how to rank higher on Google Maps.
4. Another listing at the same address is being filtered in
When several similar businesses share an address, phone number or website, Google tends to show only one of them for a given search and hide the rest. Common examples are a salon and a stylist listed separately at one address, a clinic and each of its practitioners, or an old listing left behind by a previous business at your premises.
How to check: search your service, then zoom right in on your street. If you only appear when zoomed in close, or another pin sits at your address, you may be filtered. Search Maps for your address and your phone number to find duplicates.
What to do: if it is a true duplicate or a closed business, use "Suggest an edit" on that listing and report it as a duplicate or permanently closed. If it is a genuinely separate business, make sure it has its own phone number, its own website page and a different category from yours. A clean record of your name, address and phone across the web helps too: see NAP consistency.
5. You're a service-area business with your address hidden
If you visit customers and have hidden your address, your listing won't show a pin. It still ranks, but Google tends to treat the address you verified with as your location, so you are unlikely to rank far from it even if your service area covers the whole county.
How to check: in your profile, open the location settings and see whether the address is hidden and which service areas are set.
What to do: if customers do come to you, show the address. If they don't, keep it hidden (Google requires that) and set service areas you realistically cover. Then expect your strongest results near your base.
6. The listing is new
New listings, and listings that have just had a big edit, can take a while to settle. Some edits go through a review before they appear. Google doesn't publish a fixed timeline.
What to do: complete every section of the profile, add real photos, and start collecting reviews. Then check again in a few weeks rather than making more changes every day, since frequent edits can send the listing back for review.
7. You're searching the name too literally
Sometimes the listing is fine and the search is the issue. You might type "Smith and Sons Heating Ltd" when the listing says "Smith & Sons Plumbing". Or you search "plumber" at home, miles from your van's base, and expect to see yourself.
How to check: search your name exactly as it appears on the listing, and search with your postcode added. If you appear, the listing is working.
What to do: nothing about the name. Put your effort into the service searches instead.
Once you're showing, keep an eye on it
Fixing the cause is the start. Listings can be edited by the public, duplicates can reappear, and competitors change their profiles. Check your listing once a month, and track a few real searches from more than one spot so you notice a drop before your phone goes quiet. A local SEO audit is a good way to do a thorough check once or twice a year.
Common questions
Why can I see my business but my customers can't?
Google Maps results depend on where the searcher is. You are often searching from your premises, which is the best possible spot for you. Customers a few miles away see a different set of results.
My listing was suspended. Should I start a new one?
No. Fix the cause and appeal from your existing profile. A second listing for the same business breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to both being removed.
Does hiding my address stop me ranking?
Not completely. You can still show in the map results, but mostly close to the address you verified with, rather than across the whole area you cover.
How do I know if another listing is hiding mine?
Search Maps for your address and your phone number. If another business or an old listing comes up, zoom in on your street when searching your service and see which one shows.