The latest articles on DEV Community by Ben Raymond (@kangaroogrowth). https://dev.to/kangaroogrowth https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4183450%2F8ab5736d-0a20-4247-bf1a-1db4d2e59397.png https://dev.to/kangaroogrowth en Ben Raymond Wed, 14 Oct 2026 02:47:50 +0000 https://dev.to/kangaroogrowth/why-isnt-my-business-showing-on-google-maps-5gkj https://dev.to/kangaroogrowth/why-isnt-my-business-showing-on-google-maps-5gkj <p>“I can't find my business on Maps” covers five very different problems. Diagnose before you fix, because the work for each one is unrelated.</p> <p><strong>1. It was never verified</strong><br> An unverified profile can exist and still not appear. Sign in and check for a Verify now prompt in the dashboard. Verification is by postcard, phone, email or video depending on your category, and video is now common for trades.</p> <p>Video verification means recording a single unbroken clip showing your signage, your tools or stock, and then yourself accessing something only the owner could. Have it ready before you start, because you can't pause.</p> <p><strong>2. It's suspended</strong><br> Check the dashboard for a suspended banner. If it's there, nothing else on this page matters until it's resolved, and editing the profile while suspended makes it worse.</p> <p><strong>3. It's being filtered as a duplicate</strong><br> If two listings exist for the same business, Google shows one and suppresses the other. This happens constantly when a business moves, rebrands, or someone creates a new profile instead of claiming the old one.</p> <p>Search your business name, your old name, your phone number and your address separately on Maps. If you find a second listing, claim it and request a merge rather than deleting either one. Deleting the wrong one loses the reviews.</p> <p><strong>4. You're outside the search radius</strong><br> This is the most common one and it isn't a fault. Maps results are heavily distance-weighted. If you're searching from a suburb 20km from your address, you may genuinely not be eligible to appear there.</p> <p>Don't test your own ranking from your phone, at home, while logged in. Google personalises results from your location and history, so you see a flattering version nobody else gets. Use an incognito window and a tool that lets you set the search location.</p> <p><strong>5. You're just being outranked</strong><br> The profile is fine, verified, unique and in range, and three competitors are simply ahead of you. This is the normal case and it's the one worth working on.</p> <p>Check the three above you. Count their reviews and look at their primary category. Nine times out of ten they have more reviews, a more recent one, and a more specific category. That's the gap, and it's closeable.</p> <p>The order to work in</p> <ul> <li><p>Verified? If not, verify.</p></li> <li><p>Suspended? Fix the cause, then appeal.</p></li> <li><p>Duplicate? Claim and merge.</p></li> <li><p>Searching from too far away? Test properly before concluding anything.</p></li> <li><p>None of the above? You're outranked. Fix the category, then start getting reviews consistently.</p></li> </ul> google marketing seo