You're parked outside the supply house in Omaha and type "roofer near me" into your phone. Three companies come up on the map, and yours isn't one of them. Search your own company name, though, and there you are, reviews and all.
That tells you Google has your profile but isn't picking it for that search, at least from where you're sitting. Here are the causes in the order I'd check them. Our local SEO checklist for home service companies covers the rest of the picture.
It's worth 15 minutes, because Google is where most people started their last search for a local business:
61% of consumers started their most recent local search on Google Search or Maps; 75% used more than one channel.
Source: BrightLocal consumer search behavior study · (opens in a new tab)
Which search did you actually run?
A name search only shows that Google has your profile. A search like "roofer near me" asks whether Google picks you over every other roofer nearby.
Where you stand changes the answer. Google says distance is how far each business is from the person searching.[1] If they don't share a location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.[1]
So a search from your office tells you little about a homeowner across town. Sign out of Google or open a private window, then search your trade plus "near me" from a job across town. Better still, ask a customer a few towns away to text you a screenshot.
If your website is missing from search too, start with why your website doesn't show up on Google.
Is the profile verified, live and not suspended?
Check this before the profile fixes below. Google says only verified businesses can show their info on Maps and Search.[2] A profile that breaks its guidelines becomes disabled or suspended and won't show to other users until the issue is resolved.[2]
Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile and search "my business" on Google.[2] Then look for three things:
- A Get verified button that came back. Google says that means it couldn't completely verify the business. Try the verification options it offers again.[3]
- A suspension notice. Google sends it to the account that manages the profile.[2] The way back is Google's appeal tool, not a new profile. You can appeal only once, so first fix what broke the guidelines and attach proof such as a business license or a utility bill.[4]
- Pending edits. Google says an edit under review usually clears in about 10 minutes, but some take up to 30 days.[5]
If the profile is brand new, give it time. Google says rankings for new businesses can take up to a month to appear.[2]
Does your primary category name your trade?
It should, because the category tells Google what you are. Google says the categories you choose affect your local ranking.[6] It asks for the most specific category that fits, and its own example is "Nail salon" instead of "Salon."[6]
For a contractor, that means the category that names your trade, not a broad one that covers every kind of builder. If your trade has none, Google says to pick a general one.[6] Google's test: the category finishes the sentence "This business IS a," not "This business HAS a."[7] Google also says not to add a category for every product or service.[6]
To check it, choose Edit profile and look next to Business category. Before you change it, know that Google says adding or editing a category might mean verifying the business again.[6] Make the change once, in a week when someone can answer Google's verification steps.
Is your service area set up the way Google expects?
If customers never come to you, Google's guidelines say to hide the address, and their example is a plumber who works from home.[7]
Google still needs your real address to verify you, and hiding it from customers is a separate setting.[8] Then list up to 20 cities, postal codes or areas, within about two hours' drive of your base.[9] Google's guidelines add that a larger area may be right for some businesses.[7]
A town on your list isn't a pin in that town. Google's ranking page doesn't say how a service area counts toward distance.[1] Listing a town 60 miles away doesn't move your base any closer to it.
Keep the list to towns where you'd take a job tomorrow. Our guide to setting a service area and hiding your address has the steps.
Could a duplicate profile or your business name be in the way?
Google allows one profile per business, and it says a profile it considers a duplicate won't show on Google Search or Maps.[10] An old profile can be left behind by a move or an earlier phone number, and two profiles split your reviews.
Search Maps for your old phone number and old addresses. If a second profile turns up, ask for a merge by suggesting an edit on Google Maps. Google reviews every request. Both profiles must be the same business and should show the same info. A merge combines the reviews, but replies may be lost.[10]
Google wants the business name to match the real-world name on your signs, website and stationery.[7] Adding unnecessary service or location details to it could get the profile suspended.[7] So use the name on your truck door, with no town or "roof repair" tacked on.
Why do some people see you on the map and others don't?
Because one of Google's ranking factors moves with the person searching. Google's ranking page says local results are mainly based on three factors:[1]
- Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. You shape it with complete, detailed business info, starting with the category.[1]
- Prominence is how well known you are. Google says it draws on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.[1] You can raise it, slowly.
- Distance is how far you are from the person searching.[1] You can't change where they stand. And a closer address you don't work from, like a virtual office, isn't eligible for a profile.[7]
Google also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.[1] And buyers don't compare many names:
75% of consumers pick a local business within 30 minutes; 72% compare three or fewer.
Source: BrightLocal consumer search behavior study · (opens in a new tab)
So win the searches near your base first, where distance is on your side, and build reviews steadily. Here's how to ask for a Google review within Google's rules.
What shouldn't you do while you fix it?
- Don't start a new profile during a suspension appeal or for a new service.[4][10] After a move, edit the address instead.[10]
- Don't list a P.O. box, a remote mailbox or a virtual office nobody works from.[7]
- Don't request a new postcard code, or edit your name, address or category, while a code is in the mail. Either one stops that code from working.[3]
What can you check in 15 minutes when your business isn't showing up on Google Maps?
- Search your trade plus "near me" signed out, from a customer's street, and screenshot the map.
- Sign in, search "my business," and look for Get verified, a suspension notice or pending edits.
- Check that your primary category names your trade.
- Check that the address is hidden if customers don't visit, and that you'd drive to every listed town.
- Search Maps for your old phone number and old addresses.
- Compare the name on the profile with the name on your truck door.
- Write down the review counts of the three companies above you.
A plumbing company in Boise, after the 15 minutes
- Search: "plumber near me" from a customer's driveway, signed out. Not in the top three.
- Status: verified, no notices, no pending edits.
- Primary category: a broad contractor one. Switch to the plumbing one when someone can handle a new verification.
- Service area: towns three hours away. Cut back to about two hours.
- Duplicate: a second profile under the old phone number. Suggest a merge on Maps.
- Name: the company name plus "Boise Water Heaters." Change it to the name on the truck.
Illustrative example
When is a local SEO audit worth paying for?
When the 15-minute check comes back clean and you still don't show near your own base. What's left is mostly prominence and how well your website backs up the profile, which takes longer to compare.
Our local search audit guide shows how to compare yourself with the companies above you, and the Google Business Profile checklist covers every field.
If you'd rather have someone else look it over, our local SEO audit checks your profile, listings, reviews and service pages and puts the fixes in order. The Expert Action Plan ($149) is the full report plus a 30-minute consultation.
What you can't control
Where each buyer stands when they search, and how many competitors sit closer to them. Google says it keeps its ranking details confidential to keep the system fair.[1] The Google pages cited here were checked on October 27, 2026.
AI search is built on the same foundation as the map: your website, Google profile, reviews and listings. Fix what's on your side, then search again from the same spots each month.