You type your own business into Google Maps and it’s not there. Or it shows when you search the exact name, but disappears the moment a customer searches generically (“coffee near me”). Those are two different problems with different fixes. Work down this list — almost everything here is free and doable yourself.

1. Does the profile exist — and is it verified?

Go to google.com/business and check whether your shop has a Google Business Profile (the thing that puts a business on the map). No profile → create one, free. Profile exists but never verified? It won’t display properly until Google confirms you’re the real owner — via video call, postcard, or phone, whichever they offer you.

2. Is the profile suspended?

If your listing used to show and vanished entirely, open your profile manager. If it says suspended, the usual culprits: the profile name doesn’t match the real-world storefront name (keyword-stuffing like “Best Coffee Ari CHEAP” is the classic trigger), or too many details changed at once. Fix the data to match reality, then file the reinstatement appeal from the same screen.

3. Is the primary category right?

The primary category is the single highest-leverage setting on the whole profile. A noodle shop categorized as just “Store” gives Google nothing to match searches against. Pick the narrowest, most accurate category first; add secondary ones after.

4. Is there a duplicate listing?

Older shops, or ones that moved, often have a second profile floating around — created years ago by a customer or by Google itself. Two profiles for one business split your reviews and your credibility, and Google trusts neither. Search your name plus old addresses; if you find a twin, request a merge or close the old one.

5. Is the pin in the right place?

Open the map in your profile and actually zoom in. A pin dropped mid-soi or on the building next door means Google computes your distance wrong — and you lose every “near me” search to the shop next door by default.

6. New profile? Give it time — but not idle time

A freshly verified profile takes days to a few weeks to show consistently. Don’t panic during the lag — use it: add photos, set hours, start asking real customers for reviews. Complete profiles surface faster.

That’s not a missing listing — that’s losing the ranking game. Google shows only three pins per search (the map pack), and if competitors have more reviews, steadier reviews, and fresher photos, they hold those three seats. It’s fixable, but it’s the long game: steady review flow, updated photos, the right category. We wrote the full playbook in how the Google Maps pack works.

Check where you stand — free

We’ve kept our own four Bangkok locations at the top of their map packs since 2022 without spending a baht on ads. If you want to know how findable your business is right now — on Google and in AI assistants like ChatGPT — run the free check. Give Boo your shop name and neighborhood; he’ll do the rest.