Not Showing Up on Google Maps? 9 Google Business Profile Fixes That Work

Search 'coffee near me', 'car rental Phuket' or 'dentist Sukhumvit' and look at what appears first: a map with a handful of businesses. Those few get most of the calls, clicks and visits. If your business isn't there, many customers will never know you exist, however good your website is. The good news is that a Google Business Profile is free, and most of what decides your position is in your control.

How Google decides who shows up on the map

Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher or the place in the search) and prominence (how well known and trusted your business is, including reviews, links and articles). You can't move your shop, but you can improve relevance and prominence a lot.

1. Claim and verify your profile

Search for your business on Google Maps. If it exists, claim it; if not, create it at business.google.com. Google will ask you to verify, often with a short video of your premises and signage, sometimes by phone or email. Unverified profiles rank poorly and are hard for you to control.

2. Choose the right primary category

Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals. Pick the most specific one that fits, such as 'Seafood restaurant' rather than 'Restaurant', then add a few secondary categories for other services you genuinely offer.

3. Use your real business name, nothing more

Stuffing keywords into your business name, like 'Best Cheap Villa Rental Phuket', breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended. Use the name on your sign and let categories, services and reviews do the work.

4. Keep your name, address and phone consistent everywhere

Your name, address and phone number should match exactly across your website, Google profile, Facebook page, LINE Official Account and directories. Inconsistent details make Google less confident about who and where you are.

5. Fill in every field

Opening hours, holiday hours, services, products, price ranges, attributes, booking links and a description written for customers rather than for keywords. A complete profile gives Google more to match and gives customers more reasons to choose you.

6. Add real photos, and keep adding them

Show your storefront so people can recognise it from the street, plus your interior, team, products and work. Profiles with fresh, genuine photos look active. Stock images and a single blurry logo look abandoned.

7. Get more Google reviews the right way

Reviews influence both ranking and choice. Ask every happy customer at the moment they're happiest, with a direct review link or a QR code at the counter. Don't offer discounts or gifts for reviews, and don't ask only the customers you expect to be positive: both break Google's policies.

8. Reply to every review, especially the bad ones

A calm, specific reply to a negative review shows future customers how you handle problems. Thank people for good reviews too. Replies show that the business is active and paying attention.

9. Connect your profile and your website

Add your website to the profile, and make sure the site shows the same address, phone number and opening hours, with a link to your map location. A fast, mobile-friendly website with a page for each main service strengthens both relevance and prominence.

What not to waste money on

Be wary of anyone selling guaranteed first place on Google Maps, packages of reviews or special 'verified' badges. Fake reviews get removed in bulk, and suspended profiles are slow to recover. Steady, genuine improvements win.

OutDept sets up and optimises Google Business Profiles together with fast, local-SEO-ready websites for businesses across Thailand. If you don't show up when customers search nearby, we'll find out why and fix it.