Why isn’t my Google Business Profile showing up?

Google’s Find your business on Google (opens in a new tab) page says you must be signed in to the Google Account associated with the profile, then try:

• On Google Search, search for your business name and city, or my business.
• On Google Maps, search for your business name and city.
• In the Google Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right (and pick the right business if you manage more than one).

If you see the listing when signed in as the owner but customers cannot, the profile may be unverified, suspended or filtered for that search. If you see nothing at all, you may need to create or claim it.

If no profile exists yet on Search or Maps, Google’s create steps are (answer 2911778 (opens in a new tab)):

1. Go to business.google.com/add (opens in a new tab).
2. Click Add your business to Google.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your business details.
4. Select a verification option and complete the steps.

Google stresses that your business address must be correct and must meet its address guidelines. Only eligible businesses can add a location. Adding or claiming is free.

Sometimes Google already has an unverified listing for your business. Claiming it is better than creating a second one.

On a computer (answer 2911778 (opens in a new tab)):

1. Open Google Maps.
2. Search for your business name and city (or find it on the map and select it).
3. Select Claim this business / Manage now.
4. Choose a verification option and follow the instructions.

On the Google Maps app: search the business, open the profile, tap About, then Claim this business / Manage now, and verify.

If the profile is already verified by someone else and you are authorized to manage the business, request ownership instead of creating a duplicate (Request ownership (opens in a new tab)). The current owner has three days to respond; if they do not, Google may give you an option to claim, though that option is not always available.

Use this checklist against Google’s own help pages:

Never create a second profile for the same business to “force” it to show. Google allows only one Business Profile per business; multiples can mislead customers and are against policy (answer 12756178 (opens in a new tab)).

Verification is Google’s way of confirming you are authorized to manage the business. Until that finishes, Google says your business info may not show to other users on Maps and Search the way a verified listing does (Find your business on Google (opens in a new tab)). Verification options vary by business type and location; follow the on-screen choices Google offers after you add or claim the profile.

If verification mail or phone codes do not arrive, check spam, confirm the address and phone on the profile match the real business, and use Google’s Business Profile community or help for that verification method. Do not open a second profile while you wait — that risks a duplicate that will not show (duplicates help (opens in a new tab)).

After you verify, complete the profile and keep hours accurate, including holidays. Incomplete or wrong details can still keep you out of relevant local searches even when the listing exists (local ranking tips (opens in a new tab)).

Once the profile is verified and visible:

1. Complete every field that applies: primary category, hours, phone, website, services, attributes and description.
2. Add real photos.
3. Match name, address and phone on your website. Wrong details hurt trust: 62% of consumers would avoid a business with incorrect information online (BrightLocal 2023 (opens in a new tab)).
4. Ask customers for genuine Google reviews without incentives (Tips to get more reviews (opens in a new tab)).
5. Keep working on the ranking signals Google lists (relevance, distance, prominence) — see How to rank higher on Google Maps and What is local SEO?.

Silent Academy Lover works on the existing Google Business Profile you already own. We do not create a Google Business Profile for our own agency, and we do not take ownership of yours. Help is available as a one-time job or a monthly service through Google ranking and Business Profile help.