Why your Google Business Profile isn't showing up.

For most local businesses, the map results (the "map pack" with three businesses under the map) bring in more calls than the website does. So when your business isn't there, it hurts. The good news is that the reasons are usually findable, and many of them are fixable.

Start with a quick test. On your phone, search your exact business name. Then search your main service plus your town, like "bookkeeper Georgetown". What happens tells you a lot.

If you don't show up even for your own name

1. Your profile isn't verified

Unverified profiles don't show up properly. Log in to your Google Business Profile and look for a message asking you to verify. Google now often asks for a short video showing your business, your signage or your tools and vehicle. Follow the instructions exactly. Verification attempts that don't match the address or business details often fail.

2. Your profile is suspended

If you see a suspension notice, or the profile has vanished, Google has decided something breaks its guidelines. Common causes:

• Keywords added to the business name (for example "Smith Plumbing Oakville Emergency Plumber")
• A virtual office, mailbox or co-working address you don't actually staff
• Showing an address when you're a service area business that visits customers
• Several profiles for the same business

Fix the problem first, then submit a reinstatement request with evidence (business registration, signage photos, utility bill). Appealing without fixing the cause rarely works.

3. There's a duplicate profile

Old addresses, past owners or a well-meaning employee can leave duplicates behind. They split your reviews and confuse Google. Search Google Maps for your name and phone number, and ask Google to merge or remove duplicates.

If you show for your name, but not for your service

This is the more common situation. Google decides who shows up in the map based on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher or the town they mention) and prominence (how well known and well reviewed you are). You can't move your building, but you can work on the other two.

4. Your primary category is wrong

This is the single most common fixable problem we see. Your primary category is one of the strongest signals Google uses. "Contractor" when you're really a "Roofing contractor", or "Health consultant" when you're a "Psychotherapist", can keep you out of the results you want. Pick the most specific primary category that fits, then add secondary categories for your other main services.

5. Your profile is thin

Compare your profile with the three businesses that do show up. Theirs usually have:

• A full list of services, with descriptions
• A description that says what you do and where
• Accurate hours, including holidays
• Plenty of real photos (not just a logo)
• Recent posts and answered questions

Fill in every section that applies to you. It helps relevance, and it helps people choose you once they see you.

6. Too few reviews, or none recently

Reviews are a big part of prominence. If your competitors have 80 reviews from this year and you have 12 from three years ago, that gap shows. Make asking a habit, within the rules. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers how, and the lines not to cross.

7. Your website isn't backing it up

Your profile and your website work together. If your site doesn't have a clear page for each main service and mention the towns you serve, or it's slow, thin or out of date, your profile has less to lean on. Link your profile to the most relevant page, not always the homepage. The website side is covered in why your business isn't showing up on Google.

8. Distance, and searching from the wrong place

Map results change a lot depending on where the searcher is. You might show up well near your office and not at all across town. That's normal, and it's also why checking from your own desk isn't a fair test. If you're a service area business, set your service areas accurately, and build pages on your website for the main towns you serve.

Things that won't help (and can hurt)

• Adding keywords to your business name. It's against Google's guidelines and a common reason for suspensions.
• Fake addresses or virtual offices to "be in" another town.
• Buying reviews or having staff review you.
• Creating extra profiles for the same business.
• Constantly editing your details. Frequent changes to name, address or category can trigger re-verification.

A quick checklist

• Profile verified, and no suspension notice
• No duplicate profiles
• Business name exactly as it appears on your signage and documents
• Most specific primary category, plus relevant secondary categories
• Services, description, hours and service areas filled in
• Real photos added, and a post in the last month
• A steady flow of recent reviews, with replies
• Website link pointing at the right page, and details that match your website