Google has been a “participation required” placement for companies that want their potential and existing customers to find them  Not being found on Google is frustrating and affects your overall visibility.

Some common reasons your business is not appearing on Google with some fixes:

• Your Google Business Profile is not verified or has other issues.

To be shown on Google searches and maps your Profile must be verified.  Why?  Verification confirms you are a legitimate business.  Log into your account, request verification, and follow the prompts provided by Google.  

Other issues, we won’t go into detail here but it could be suspension, duplicate listings, inconsistent information, and so many other reasons.

• Incomplete or Incorrection Business Information

Google gives priority to profiles that are complete and accurate.  If you are missing information or it’s incorrect Google may not display your information.  Ensure you have the basic information is up to date: Name, Address, Phone, website, and operating hours are a good start.

• Lack of Location Authority

Google uses various ways to determine a business relevance.  If your business is new or needs more authority in a particular area Google won’t rank you well.  Building authority does take time, and patience and requires some effort on your part. 

• Your Business Category is Too Broad

Choosing the correct category for your business is crucial, if it’s too broad or on the other end of the spectrum, too specific your business may not appear on relevant searches.  Update your profile to include specific categories that accurately describe your products or services.

• Your Website Has SEO Issues

If your website has technical issues it can affect your visibility on Google. Common problems we see: are slow load times, broken links, not being being friendly, and not updated for long periods of time.  Have an SEO audit conducted to identify and correct those issues, ensuring your website is optimized for search engines and your users.

• You’re in a Competitive Market

Established businesses may outrank you in your industry on Google search results, new sites might outrank your long-standing business.  It will depend on whether your Google Business Profile is optimized, you are creating local engaging content, or are using local SEO strategies to improve your ranking.

• Your Business is Not in the Google Local Pack

Google shows limited businesses in the local pack for a specific location. If you are not in this pack you may not appear in local searches.  Ensure your Google Business Profile is fully optimized, gather reviews, and use local SEO to boost your display chances.  

As you read through this you saw there are many reasons you’re not showing up in Google.  There are a lot of things that need to be accomplished to be seen on Google and it is always a continuing effort to stay there once you have been ‘seen’.  

If you would like to have an SEO audit conducted on your website or online presence please reach out to us. We can let you know what it entails and what your options would be once you have received the information back from the audit.