Why Is My Business Not Showing Up on Google Maps?

Why Can’t I Find My Business on Google Maps?

There are many reasons why a business might not be shown on Google Maps – identifying why yours isn’t being displayed should be a top priority. Below is a checklist that should hopefully help you rule out the most common issues that prevent companies from appearing on Google Maps.

1. Claim Your Google Business Profile

The business data displayed on Google Maps is taken from Google Business Profiles, so your company won’t show on Google Maps unless you claim and create a Google Business Profile. This is a free listing that allows you to share company information. 

Formerly known as ‘Google My Business’, a Google Business Profile allows you to display key information such as:

• Business location
• Opening hours
• Website URL
• Contact details

As well as allowing your business information to be displayed on Google Maps, creating a Google Business Profile also ensures this data can be displayed on Google search results pages, so it’s a valuable tool for reaching new customers and engaging your existing client base. 

2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Claiming and completing your Google Business Profile is the first step to ensuring your business is visible on Google Maps, but it won’t necessarily be enough to ensure your company is shown on Google’s mapping tool. 

If you’ve already completed your Google Business Profile but you’re still asking why isn’t my business showing up on Google, then check how much information you’ve shared via your profile. If you’ve only included basic information, then this could be why your company isn’t showing up on Google Maps. 

To get your business displayed on Google Maps, optimize and personalize your Google Business Profile with extra content, such as:

• Photos
• Reviews
• Ratings
• Business information
• Description

The more information you provide, the more likely Google is to display your business. Furthermore, the additional information you make available will be useful to potential customers who are searching for related products and services within your location. 

3. Verify Your Google Business Profile 

To ensure the accuracy of its listings and search content, Google asks businesses to verify their identity and ownership when creating a Google Business Profile. Typically, a postcard containing a verification code will be sent to your business address via the mail. Then, you simply log in to your account and input the verification code to prove that you own the business. 

In some cases, it may be possible to verify your Google Business Profile via Google Search Console, email, or phone. Whatever options are available to you, make sure you verify your Google Business Profile as this could be a simple reason why your business isn’t visible on Google Maps. 

4. Keep Your Google Business Profile Updated

Many people wonder ‘why my business doesn’t show up on Google Maps, even when I’ve completed and optimized my Google Business Profile’, but an out-of-date profile could be the reason why. If it’s been a while since you created your Google Business Profile, double-check that the information displayed is still accurate.

In addition to this, add posts to your Google Business Profile at regular intervals, so that the search engine and users can stay up to date with your operations. When you announce company news on your website blog or social media, for example, be sure to share it via a Google Business Profile post too.

5. Check Google Policies

When you claim and complete your Google Business Profile, you’ll need to agree to Google’s terms and conditions. Of course, if you subsequently breach any aspect of their policy, your profile could be suspended or removed. 

If your business isn’t being shown on Google Maps, it’s possible that you may have inadvertently breached the Google Business Profile policies and regulations. Although business owners are usually notified when this happens, it’s worth checking whether your profile content is likely to be disallowed and – if so – update it accordingly.

How to Rank Higher on Google Maps

When your business is shown on Google Maps, users can see your company’s exact location when they’re viewing the map. However, businesses with high Google Map rankings also appear in search results. 

Known as the ‘Local 3 Pack’, this is a listing of the three businesses with the highest rankings for a user’s local search and is displayed directly below the map on search results pages. 

If you run a fashion store in Dubai, for example, you’ll want your business to appear at the top of the Local 3 Pack when users search for ‘clothes store Dubai’. 

While making sure your business is shown on Google Maps should be your first priority, enhancing your rankings and securing top display positions should come a close second! Fortunately, there are various strategies you can use to ensure your business is visible and ranking highly on Google Maps, including:

1. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

All sites should be mobile-friendly to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs) but – if you want to rank highly on Google Maps – responsiveness is key. As a significant proportion of local searches occur on mobile devices, it’s vital that your website can be navigated via a variety of different tablets and smartphones.

As well as providing a better user experience (UX), a mobile-friendly website can positively impact your Google rankings too.

2. Keep Your Business Information Consistent

Your business information may be displayed in a variety of online locations, including your website and directory listings. However, if the information is displayed differently, it could damage your Google Map rankings and it may even affect the visibility of your website on Google Maps.

If your business information is displayed differently online (or even on your own website), Google may doubt the authenticity or accuracy of the data. So, if your company’s phone number is shown as (971) 4-000 0000 on your contact page but as 4 000 000 on your website footer, this could negatively impact your rankings. 

By making sure that your business information is always displayed in a consistent format, you can ensure that you achieve and retain high rankings for both Google Maps and Google Search. 

3. Embed Google Maps

Integrating Google Maps on your website – and using the same business address as you’ve added to your Google Business Profile – strengthens your listing in the eyes of the search engine. As a result, it can increase your rankings and mean that your business is more likely to be shown in the Local 3 Pack. 

Many businesses choose to embed a Google Map on their Contact page, as it provides a quick and easy way for users to access contact and location information too. 

4. Use Local Keywords on Your Website

When you want to rank highly for local searches, it’s important to incorporate these terms into your overall SEO strategy. 

If you’re a fashion store owner, for example, ranking highly for ‘best fashion store’ is unlikely to bring you many customers, as you’ll be generating online traffic from all over the world. On a side note, check out our guide to global SEO if you’re looking to conquer international markets!

Instead, ranking highly for the search term ‘best fashion store in your location’, is much more likely to generate targeted traffic that converts into customers. 

So, add local SEO to your search engine optimization strategy and ensure that your web pages are ranking for location-based keywords and search terms. 

5. Secure Positive Business Reviews

Positive reviews for your business can encourage potential customers to engage with you, but they also help to boost your rankings and make your content more visible across Google. When you have multiple 5-star reviews, for example, you’re likely to outrank competitors who have just one or two 3-star reviews. 

To maximize the number of reviews your business receives, incentivize customers to publish a review via your Google Business Profile. E.g. this could be done through an automated follow-up email x amount of days after a purchase.