Having a Google My Business profile is important for building your online presence. However, if your business is not visible in local search results, this can negatively affect your visibility and, consequently, the acquisition of potential customers.
There are various reasons why the visibility of your listing may be limited, we will explain them below!
Your Card is Not Verified
If your Google My Business page is not visible in search results, a very likely hypothesis is that you have an unverified listing. Google checks every web page before showing it to its users in the search results to offer a verified and safe service.
For this reason, when creating a listing, Google asks for verification to check that the activity in question is real and that you own it. There are several verification options (Sms, call, email, postcard, etc.), and depending on the verification method chosen, the time required to validate the card can vary up to 14 days. Once you receive the verification code, you can finally verify your listing with CC.
If your listing is not visible on Google, check that you have verified your profile. To check the status of the verification, simply access your business profile, and if the message ” verification is required ” appears on the home screen, it means that your profile has not yet been verified. In this case, click on the blue ” check now ” button.
The Card is Suspended
Another reason your Google My Business listing may not be visible is that it was suspended due to a violation of Google guidelines. If this applies to you, you will receive an email informing you of the suspension, and a notification will automatically appear in your Business Profile.
However, Google won’t tell you the exact reason that led to the listing being suspended.
Generally, the most frequent reasons for suspension can be:
- have multiple active listings for the same activity
- fall into Google’s risk categories
- make too many changes in a short period
- put keywords in the business name
- post inappropriate content
If your listing has been blocked, to restore your profile’s visibility in search results, you will first need to remove your listing from suspension.
Positioning of the Google My Business Listing
Finally, it is possible that your listing is not visible due to its placement in search results. Google first offers its users listings that fully satisfy the algorithm’s criteria. This means that your listing appears in search results but not on the first few pages, which is why you can’t find it.
If your profile doesn’t appear among the first search results recommended by Google, it means that the time has come to optimize your profile to improve your visibility. To optimize your profile on Google My Business, you will need to keep in mind that the criteria that the platform takes into consideration are the distance between the company and the user, relevance, and reputation.
While you won’t be able to change the first criterion, you can work to ensure that your profile contains as much information as possible, and you can try to improve your online reputation. This factor is mainly influenced by the company’s average rating and reviews. Therefore, it is crucial to increase positive reviews and manage negative ones.
If you’d like to learn more about how to optimize your business profile, one of our local SEO experts can help: book a free, personalized analysis of your listing’s visibility and start getting noticed online!
Lark Begin is a digital marketer from Ottawa, Canada. Lark is an SEO Master, PPC expert and content writer. She helps many small businesses get ranked on Google each day.
