Someone stands a short walk from your shop and searches on Maps. A business near you comes up. Yours does not. Two simple things are worth checking first: your main category, and where your map pin sits.
Imran runs a mobile repair shop in Lucknow. His friend runs a tea stall one lane away.
One day the friend searched "mobile repair" on Maps. A shop on the next road came up. Imran's shop did not.
Imran looked at his listing. His main category was "Electronics store". His pin was on the building behind his shop.
This is an example, with a made up name and business.
What Pulse looks at
Pulse searches Google Maps from points about 500 metres around your business, on different sides. It searches the words a customer would use for a business like yours.
If a nearby business shows from a side where you do not, your results say so. For example: "From 500 m to the north, Maps shows a shop nearby but not you."
Your results then give two checks. Is your main category the word people search? Does your pin sit on your shop?
Fix it yourself
Check 1: your main category.
- Open your Business Profile. You can search your business name on Google while signed in.
- Tap Edit profile and find Business category.
- Is the first one the word customers search for? If Pulse named a category, compare it with yours.
For how to choose, read choosing the right category on Google. Changing the main category can make Google ask you to verify your listing again. So change it only when you are sure.
Check 2: your map pin.
- Open your listing on Google Maps and zoom in close.
- Does the pin sit on your shop door? Or on the road, the back of the building, or the middle of the market?
- If it is wrong, move it onto your front door and save.
Our guide on moving a map pin to your door shows each step.
Common questions
My category and pin are both right. Why do I still not show?
Category and pin are only two things. Reviews, photos and hours count too. See what helps you show up nearby.
If I fix both, will I show from every side?
Nobody can promise that. Maps decides what it shows. Fixing these two gives you a fair chance.
Should I change my category to match the shop nearby?
Only if that category is true for you. Pick what you really are.