Your profile shows for your name but not for "plumber

If you are asking why is my business not showing up on google map searches, start with what each type of search does. A search for your name asks Google to find one specific business. A search for "plumber" asks Google to pick a few from everyone nearby.

Why a name search works and a trade search does not

Google's help page on local ranking says results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Each one can fail on its own.

• Relevance is how well your profile matches what the person typed.
• Distance is how far you are from the person searching. If they do not share a location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
• Prominence depends on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.

Google also states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Anyone who sells you a guaranteed map spot is selling something Google says does not exist.

How to check your categories and name

Relevance is the part you can fix in ten minutes. Open your profile and look at the category list first.

1. 1Open your Business Profile on your phone and tap Edit profile.
2. 2Tap Business information, then Business category.
3. 3Read the main category out loud. It must finish the sentence "This business is a" with your trade, such as plumber or HVAC contractor.
4. 4Remove any category that describes a feature of the business instead of what it is.
5. 5Add a second category only when it describes a different core part of your work.
6. 6Save and check the list again the next day.

Google's category rules say to use as few categories as possible and to choose ones that are as specific as possible but still represent your main business. They also say not to use categories solely as keywords. Google adds more general categories on its own when you pick a specific one, so a long list adds nothing.

Now check the name. Google says your name should match your real-world name as used on your storefront, website and stationery. Adding services, phone numbers, taglines or location details to the name is not permitted, and a keyword-stuffed name can get a profile into trouble.

What to put in your service wording

Google's description guidance says to describe the services you offer, with no links and no focus on prices or promotions. Write it the way you would explain the job to a new neighbor.

Use this as a starting point and replace the brackets with your own details:

Keep the town names to places you really serve. Google's service area rules say a service area should not extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from the business.

How to read the distance problem

Distance is the factor you cannot edit. Someone searching from across town sees closer businesses first, and you appear for people near your listed address or service area.

1. 1Search "plumber near me" from your own street and note where you land.
2. 2Ask a friend on the far side of your service area to run the same search and send a screenshot.
3. 3Compare the two results before you change anything.

If you show up near your shop but disappear a few miles out, distance is the limit and no setting will override it. If you do not show up even next door to your own address, the cause is more likely your category, your name or your profile status. Fix those first.

How reviews and links lift prominence

Prominence is the slowest of the three. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and links from other websites count too.

1. 1Send your review link to each customer the same day as the job.
2. 2Reply to every review with a short, plain message.
3. 3Ask your supplier, trade association or chamber of commerce to link to your website.
4. 4Add photos of finished work to your profile.

Prominence builds one customer at a time, and Google gives you no way to speed it up.

What this will not fix

• ×A closer competitor with the same quality of profile will still rank above you for searches near their shop.
• ×A suspended or unverified profile needs its own fix before any of the steps above matter.
• ×Changing categories will not produce results overnight, and no one can promise a ranking position.
• ×Searches from outside your service area will not return you however complete the profile is.

Common questions

Root's free check looks at this on your own business.