First: which part of Google?
Google shows local businesses in two separate places, and they work differently:
- The map (Google Maps, and the map with business listings at the top of many local searches) shows Business Profiles.
- The ordinary results below it show web pages, including your website.
Your website can appear while your business is missing from the map, and the other way round. Work out which one is missing, then read the matching section below.
If your website isn’t showing on Google
A quick first test: type site:yourwebsite.co.uk (with your own address) into Google. If none of your pages come up, Google has probably not indexed your site, and one of the four causes below is the likely reason.
1. Your website may be telling Google not to show it
What it is. A “noindex” rule, hidden in the page or in your server’s settings, tells Google to leave the page out. It can be left switched on by mistake, for example after a site is built.
The sign. Your site does not appear at all, even when you search for your exact business name. That alone does not prove it is noindex, but it is the first thing to rule out.
Why it matters. Google says that when it finds one, it “will drop that page entirely from Google Search results” (Google Search Central, “Block Search Indexing with noindex”).
2. robots.txt may be stopping Google reading it
What it is. robots.txt is a small file that tells search engines which parts of your site they may read.
A one-minute check. Open yourwebsite/robots.txt in your browser. A line Disallow: / under User-agent: * or User-agent: Googlebot asks Google not to read any page.
Why it matters. Google also notes that if robots.txt blocks a page, “the crawler will never see the noindex rule”, so the two problems can hide each other.
3. Google may not know your site exists yet
What it is. Google has to find a page before it can show it. A brand-new site with no links to it can take a while to be found.
The sign. The site is new, nothing is wrong with the first two checks, and the site: test still shows nothing.
Why it matters. Until Google has found and indexed a page, it cannot appear for any search. Even asking Google directly is no promise: Google says “submitting a request does not guarantee that the page will appear in the Google Index” (Search Console Help, “URL Inspection tool”).
4. Your page may not say what you do and where
A one-minute check. Look at your homepage. Does the title in the browser tab, and the first few lines of the page, name your service and your town in plain words?
Why it matters. If they never mention them, it is hard for Google to match you to a search like “plumber in Enfield”.
If your business isn’t showing on Google Maps
A quick first test: search your exact business name on Google Maps. If nothing comes up, or the details are not yours, start with the first point below.
1. You may not have a verified Business Profile
What it is. The map shows Business Profiles, so you need one. Verifying it “tells Google that you’re authorized to represent the business”.
A one-minute check. If you manage a profile, sign in and see whether Google says it is verified.
Why it matters. Verification is how Google confirms the business is yours, and it is not instant. Google says verification reviews “take up to 5 business days”, and on rare occasions longer (Google Business Profile Help, “Verify your business on Google”).
2. Your business may not fit Google’s rules
What it is. Google’s guidelines are for businesses that have “a physical location that customers can visit, or travels to customers where they are”.
A one-minute check. Do customers come to you, or do you go to them? If you go to them, Google says: “If you’re a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers” (Google Business Profile Help, “Guidelines for representing your business on Google”). Look at whether your profile shows your address.
3. Your profile may be incomplete, or not match your website
A one-minute check. Put your profile and your website side by side. Are your hours filled in? Are your business name, address and phone number exactly the same on both?
Why it matters. Google says “businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results”, and lists your hours among the details to fill in (Google Business Profile Help, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”).
If you’re showing, but not near the top
Google says local results are mainly based on three things (same page):
- Relevance: “how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for”.
- Distance: “how far each business is from the customer who’s searching”. Searching from your own home or office will not show what customers across town see.
- Prominence: “how well-known a business is”.
And: “There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.” Anyone who says they can buy you a place on the map is guessing, or worse.
Found the problem? This is what we fix
Spotting the sign takes a minute. Putting it right properly, without breaking something else, is where we come in.
- Start with the free SEO check. In about a minute it tests your homepage for the website causes above, including noindex, robots.txt, your sitemap and whether your page says what you do and where, and shows the evidence for each.
- Want a person to go through it all? The audit tells you exactly what to change, in what order and who should do it. The Local Audit adds your Business Profile and listings, and the Full Audit adds what Google and Bing themselves report about your site.
- Want it done for you? On ProudSite’s Grow website plan we build your site with the items the free check marks “Fixed on Grow” set up properly from day one, then keep working on getting you found.
The free check cannot see Business Profiles: there is no official way to read them for an anonymous check. And no one can guarantee the result. Google Search Central says: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google” (Google Search Central, “Do you need an SEO?”).