Why isn’t my business showing on Google?

If customers cannot find you, start by checking exactly what is missing. Your website in Google’s search results and your business listing in Google Maps are different things. Fixing one does not automatically fix the other.

1. Check whether Google knows about your website

If you own the site, use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to check your homepage. It shows whether that URL is indexed and lets you test the live page. If a developer manages your site, ask them to check it with you.

If the page is not indexed, read the reason before making changes. Ask your website provider to check for an accidental noindex instruction, a login requirement or a page that returns an error. Once the underlying issue is fixed, request indexing. Submission does not guarantee inclusion or a particular position.

2. Make the page’s purpose obvious

Read your homepage as a first-time customer. Can you identify the service, the area covered and how to enquire without hunting? A decorative slogan alone may leave all three unanswered.

Illustrative example: “Domestic electrical repairs in Gosport and Fareham” is more useful than “Excellence in everything we do”, if those are genuinely your services and areas. Explain the work you take on, add relevant examples and give customers a clear next step. Do not list towns you do not serve.

3. Check your Google Business Profile separately

For an eligible shop or trade business that meets customers in person, check that the correct profile is claimed and verified, and that the category, contact details and opening hours are accurate. Follow any verification or restriction instructions shown in your account.

An entirely online business with no in-person customer contact is not eligible for a Business Profile. It can still appear through its website in ordinary Google search results. Do not invent premises to create a listing.

4. Understand why visibility varies

Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Complete business information helps Google understand what you offer, but it cannot remove the effect of the searcher’s location. Your own search is not the same as every customer’s search.

For a Gosport business, appearing for your own name does not prove that you appear for a competitive service search in Portsmouth. Keep a record of the specific search and location when comparing results.

5. Choose one useful improvement this week

• Website missing: investigate the indexing status first.
• Maps listing missing: check eligibility, verification and any account notices.
• Visible but few visits: improve the relevance and clarity of your service pages.
• Visits but few enquiries: check your offer, evidence and contact process.

Track Search Console impressions and clicks over time, alongside actual enquiries. These tell you more than repeatedly searching for yourself. Keep a note of each change so you can see what happened afterwards.