In today’s digital-centric business landscape, your business must have an online presence. Every instance that your business isn’t visible on the internet could cost you some valuable opportunities.
So if your business is not showing on Google Maps, you need to do something about it. Google Maps is one of the prime means that people use to locate local businesses.
That’s why it’s essential to have yours visible on Google Maps at all times. You might be asking, “Why is My Google Maps Not Working?” The answer lies in many factors, the majority of which will be discussed in this article.
This article will discuss essential details on how to get your business on Google Maps.
Check Google My Business
Google My Business (or simply GMB) is Google’s official online directory for local businesses. If your business location isn’t appearing in Google Maps, it’s probably because your GMB listing isn’t verified yet. (Read How to Edit my Business on Google)
There are a ton of guides on how you can verify your local business on GMB. Google has its set of instructions for verifying your listing. However, one common denominator between all the guides you’ll see is that the process will take a while.
5 Ways to Verify Your GMB Listing
When verifying your GMB listing, you have five available options. Any of these methods will be helpful when Google Maps is not showing your business.
Verify via Mail
This means receiving a postcard from Google that contains a verification code. The receipt of the said postcard will inform Google about the existence of your business. It will also confirm that the physical address matches accurately with your unverified GMB listing.
The downside of verifying your GMB by mail is that it can take some time to receive — up to two weeks. There are also instances where the postcard is not received at all, prompting a new postcard.
Verify via Phone
When you head over to google.com/verifymybusiness to request verification, you may see an option that says “verify by phone.” Unlike the postcard option, a phone call can solve your verification issues immediately. (Read How to Leave an Anonymous Review on Google)
You’ll be talking with a Google customer representative, who will help fix your problem. So if you’re in a hurry and you don’t have much time, verifying through a phone call will prove helpful.
Verify via Email
Some businesses are also eligible for email verification. Just like phone verification, speed is also the advantage of verifying your business listing through email.
Google has an automated system that will check your business and verify it immediately. Just make sure all the details required matches with your GMB listing.
Instant Verification
Do you have a company or business website? If so, is it verified on the Google Search Console? If it is, you can log into Google My Business using your Console login details and be confirmed instantly.
Bulk Verification
Does your business entry have ten or more locations to verify? You don’t have to create separate listings and verify each one. Google offers a bulk verification option for these types of cases. Bulk verification is better and more efficient for store chains where many locations are involved.
The downside of bulk verification is that it can be complicated. Make sure you read guidelines on this, especially Google’s official instructions for GMB bulk verification.
Other Potential Issues
If you’ve already verified your GMB listing and it still doesn’t appear on Google Maps, there might be other factors that are causing the problem. Here are other potential issues that might be standing in the way:
Relevance
If your listing proves to be irrelevant to a given Google search query, then it will not display on the search results. Ensure you review your business entry and include the full range of services or products that your business offers.
Also, use relevant keywords by doing keyword research first. There are plenty of guides online on how to do that.
Prominence
To understand prominence, let’s have an example. In New York, Central Park and Madison Square Garden are all prominent landmarks. Understandably, these places are also sure to appear at the top spot of local searches for “parks” and “sports venues,” respectively.
Unfortunately, most local businesses do not benefit from their high degree of prominence. That’s why they need to work hard to gain some attention in Google’s local rankings. Fortunately, Google provides opportunities for every local business as long as they optimize their rankings and provide the correct details.
To start, make sure your NAP (name, address, and phone number) information is accurate. To promote positive user reviews, it also needs to be consistent across your website. Getting good citations and high backlinks are also crucial.
Basically, there are many local ranking factors that you can use, which makes a local SEO campaign an absolute necessity. It will increase your visibility on Google My Business and make sure that your business is visible on Google Maps.
Your Business Has Moved/Has Been Suspended
If your business has changed address, Google may opt to revert your listing to unverified. That means you’ll have to go over verification again. Just make sure that all the details you provide are accurate and consistent to hasten the process. (Read How to See My Google Reviews)
Another factor may be due to your listing getting suspended by GMB. You may have violated Google GMB guidelines, which prompted them to hit you with a suspension. You can search on Google about why your business got suspended and how you can fix the problem.
Conclusion
The saying, “put your business on the map,” is still prevalent in today’s business landscape. The only difference is that this time, that map is now on the internet and has more reach and visibility than ever.
Knowing how to get on Google Maps is incredibly crucial, especially when your business isn’t showing. Hopefully, this guide will help you get over the hump of getting your business to show on Google Maps.
Leave a Reply