ANSWERS
Answers for local business owners
Short, plain answers to the questions I get most from local service businesses about Google, Maps and AI search. Each one is sourced from Google’s own help pages or the platform’s own documentation. No guesses, no guarantees.
GOOGLE MAPS AND BUSINESS PROFILE
The questions
google mapsWhy isn’t my business showing up on Google Maps?
The eight usual causes, from unfinished verification to service-area setup, and the order to check them.
google reviewsDo Google reviews help my local ranking?
What Google says about reviews and prominence, and what to do about them this week.
Longer reads: what is AI visibility · AI crawlers, explained · what is llms.txt
By Bill Belcamino · Last updated
