Local SEO guide
Why isn't my business on Google Maps?
Usually it is one of five things: the profile is not verified, the category is wrong, the service area is set up badly, the business is too far from the person searching, or a competitor simply has more reviews and a stronger website. This checklist walks through each one in the order we check them for clients.
First, how Google decides who shows up
Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the person searching, or from the place they typed. Prominence is how well known the business is, which Google says includes reviews and how many websites link to you. You can read it in Google's own words in Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
That list matters because it tells you what you can fix and what you cannot. You can fix relevance and most of prominence. You cannot fix distance, and a lot of "my business disappeared" calls are really about distance.
The checklist, in the order we check it
Is the profile verified?
An unverified profile may not show in Maps at all. Sign in at business.google.com and look for a verification prompt. Google offers several methods, including video, and recommends video when your business is eligible. The steps are in Verify your business on Google.
Is the primary category the thing people search for?
The primary category carries the most weight for relevance. "Plumber" beats "Contractor" if plumbing is what people call you for. Google's guidelines say to choose the fewest categories that describe your core business, so add secondary ones only for real services.
Is the business name your real name?
Google's guidelines for representing your business say the name should match the real-world name on your signage, website and stationery. Adding "Best Plumber Nanaimo" to the name breaks the rules and can get the profile suspended.
Is the service area set up correctly?
If you go to customers and do not receive them at your address, hide the address and set a service area. Google allows up to 20 service areas, and the overall area should not reach more than about two hours of driving from your base. Details are in Manage your service areas.
Do your name, address and phone match everywhere?
Check the website footer, Facebook, Yelp, the Chamber of Commerce directory and any old listings. One old phone number or a former address on a directory is enough to make Google less sure which details are right.
Are you getting reviews, and answering them?
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and that replying shows you value feedback. The fix is a habit: ask every happy customer, with a direct review link sent by text the same day.
Are photos and updates current?
Add real photos of jobs, the team and vehicles, and keep hours correct for holidays. A profile that looks abandoned loses clicks to one that looks active, even when both appear.
Does your website back the profile up?
The website linked from the profile should clearly say what you do and where. A one-page site that never mentions "furnace repair" or "Parksville" gives Google little to match. Separate service and town pages fix that.
Symptom, likely cause, fix
Match what you see to the closest row before changing anything.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Profile not found even when you search the exact name | Not verified, suspended, or a duplicate profile | Check the status at business.google.com, then verify or request reinstatement |
| Found by name, not by service ("electrician") | Weak relevance: category, description, website | Fix the primary category and add service pages to the website |
| Shows up at the office, not across town | Distance | Normal. Grow prominence with reviews and links, and rank across town with organic pages |
| Dropped after editing the profile | Name or category change under review | Wait for review to finish and avoid repeated edits |
| Competitor with a worse service outranks you | Prominence: more reviews, more links, older profile | Steady review requests and local links for months, not weeks |
The proximity reality on Vancouver Island
Distance is the factor most owners underestimate. A heating company based in south Nanaimo will struggle to appear in the Maps results for someone searching in Courtenay, no matter how good the profile is, because there are businesses physically closer to that searcher. Setting Courtenay as a service area tells Google you work there. It does not move your pin.
Our island makes this sharper than in a big city. Towns are spread along the highway, and the person searching in Qualicum Beach sees Qualicum and Parksville businesses first. If you want work in a town you are not based in, the realistic path is the regular search results below the map: a page on your website about that town and the jobs you have done there. That is what our town pages for web design in Courtenay and Comox or Duncan do for our own studio, and what we build for clients.
Why the website matters for a Maps listing
Your profile and your website are judged together. The website is where Google confirms what the profile claims: the services, the towns, the phone number. It is also where links from other sites point, and those links feed prominence.
A strong setup for a trade looks like this: a page per main service, a page per town you really work in, the same name, address and phone as the profile, schema.org LocalBusiness markup, and a link from the profile to the most relevant page. We put that into every website for contractors we build. For P3 Mechanical, a Nanaimo HVAC and plumbing company, the site was structured this way and the company is now on our monthly local SEO plan, which keeps profile posts, photos and review requests moving.
The same groundwork is what AI answers lean on. If you also want to show up when people ask ChatGPT or Google's AI for a recommendation, read how to make your website ready for AI search.
A ten-minute self-check
- Search your exact business name on Google Maps from your phone
- Search your main service plus your town, logged out, from a different location
- Confirm the profile says "verified" in the dashboard
- Primary category matches the service you most want calls for
- Business name matches your sign and website exactly
- Address hidden if customers do not visit you, with a service area set
- Phone number identical on the profile, website and Facebook
- At least one new review requested this week
- Photos added in the last month
- Profile links to the most relevant page on your website
Related
- Local SEOProfile setup, service and town pages, review requests and monthly reporting.
- Web design in NanaimoHow we build sites for Nanaimo businesses that need calls.
- Website cost in Nanaimo in 2026What a site with service and town pages costs.
- Free website checkA short, specific list of what to fix first.
Questions people ask
Why does my business not show up on Google Maps?
How long does it take to show up on Google Maps after verification?
Can I show up on Google Maps without a storefront?
Does adding keywords to my business name help on Google Maps?
Do I need a website to rank on Google Maps?
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