Diagnosing a Missing Maps Listing

First check: why your business is not showing on Google Maps

Start with the correct Google Account and a clear view of which business or location is involved. Platform interfaces can change, so use Google’s current Help instructions for sensitive account, policy or verification decisions.

1. 1

   Use a clean search

   Open a private or incognito window, or ask someone else to search, so your own account doesn't affect what you see.

2. 2

   Search your exact name and town

   Try it on Google Search and in Google Maps, for example ‘Harbour Lane Café Whitstable’.

3. 3

   Search your main service

   Try the phrase a customer would use, such as ‘café Whitstable’, from near your premises.

4. 4

   Check your profile while signed in

   Sign in to the account that manages the profile and search for your business or go to business.google.com. Look for any message about verification, suspension or edits under review.

Your Google Business Profile isn't verified

Google's help says only verified businesses can show their information on Google Maps and Search. A profile you created but never finished verifying can sit in your account and still be invisible to customers.

Google decides which verification methods to offer: a phone call or text, email, a video recording, a live video call or a postcard. Some profiles can be verified instantly, for example when the website is already verified in Search Console. Complete whichever option you're given, and don't edit your name, address or category while a code is pending, because that cancels it. Our verification guide covers each method.

Your profile is new or recently edited

Even after verification, a new profile can take a little while to show up reliably. Edits go through review too: Google says changes usually appear within about 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days. A big change to your name, address or category can put the profile under review or prompt Google to ask for verification again.

• Check your profile for a status message about pending or rejected edits.
• Make one significant change at a time and wait for it to go live.
• Don't create a second profile because the first one seems slow; that creates a duplicate.
• If you've recently moved, see our guide to changing your business address.

Your profile is suspended or disabled

Profiles that break Google's guidelines can be suspended or disabled, and they stay hidden from other users until the problem is resolved. Google sends a notice to the account that manages the profile, and its appeals tool shows the reason and the policy involved.

Common causes include a business name with added keywords or locations, a virtual office or PO box address, a service-area business showing an address customers don't visit, and businesses that aren't eligible at all, such as purely online firms. Fix the cause first, then appeal with evidence.

• Keyword-stuffed name: see changing your business name
• Virtual office address: see the virtual office rules
• Address shown although customers don't visit: see hiding your address
• The appeal itself: see our suspended profile guide

If you'd rather not handle the appeal yourself, the Ampli5 team offers suspension appeals and reinstatement help as a service, following a policy-led process with a typical turnaround of 5–10 days. Google makes the final decision, so no one can guarantee the outcome. Talk to the team if you'd like help.

A duplicate, or a profile you don't control

Sometimes there are two profiles for one business: perhaps one created by a former employee or an old agency, and one you created later. Reviews end up split, and Google may show the other listing instead of yours. Owners can't merge two profiles themselves, but Google can merge or remove duplicates when they're reported. See our guide to merging duplicate profiles.

If you find a listing for your business that someone else manages, request access rather than creating another. Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond; if they don't, you may be able to claim it. Our guide to claiming a Google Business Profile explains the process.

Settings that make your business hard to find

• Wrong primary category: if your main category is a general one like ‘Shop’ rather than ‘Bicycle shop’, you're less relevant for bike searches. See choosing categories.
• Marked as closed: check your profile hasn't been marked temporarily or permanently closed, by you or through a suggested edit. Customers see the label and are unlikely to visit.
• Hidden address: service-area businesses don't show a pin on a street address, so you won't see a marker on the map even when the profile is live.
• A name customers don't search: after a rebrand, people may keep searching your old name for a while.
• Not eligible: businesses with no in-person contact with customers during their stated hours don't qualify for a profile.

Google Business Profile not showing up for keyword searches

If your profile appears when you search your name but not for your services, it's live; it just isn't ranking where you want. Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher or the place in the search) and prominence (how well known your business is, including reviews and links from other websites). Google also states that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

Distance is why results vary as you move around. A customer two miles away may see you in the top three while someone across town doesn't see you at all. Searching from your own office isn't a fair test either: you'll often see yourself higher than customers further away do.

• Primary and additional categories that match what you do
• A complete profile: hours, services, description, photos and attributes
• A steady flow of genuine reviews, with replies
• Regular posts and fresh photos
• A website with the same name, address and phone number, and a page for each location

Our optimisation guide and local SEO guide go through each of these in detail.