Hey pull out your phone and then type roofing near me and look at the results.
Well tell me what do you see? Oh what’s that the Google Maps Pack has three listings or maybe four with ratings, directions and quick contact buttons.
Well let me tell you something those few businesses are about to get most of the calls and if your company isn’t showing up there then bad news I guess because you are invisible to customers who are ready to buy right now.
And here is the kicker most businesses that miss out aren’t failing because of big SEO challenges.
No they are failing because of some really small and fixable Google Maps mistakes and let me tell you these errors confuse the heck out of Google, frustrate customers and hand leads over to your competitors.
So let’s break them all down and see those top three Google Maps visibility problems and see how they kill your visibility and exactly what you can do to fix them.
Mistake #1: Inconsistent Or Missing Business Info
Oh yeah this gentleman right here is the foundation of Google Maps SEO.
Your business Name, Address and Phone number must be consistent across every place it appears whether it is a website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Yellow Pages, local directories, you name it.
Because when the info doesn’t match Google isn’t sure if it’s all the same business. The result? Lower trust, weaker rankings and fewer leads.
Example:
A plumbing company lists its address as 123 Main St while on its website 123 Main Street on Yelp and 123 Main Ave on its Google Business Profile.
To humans it looks like somebody just did some typos but to Google it is confusion and that confusion pushes the business out of the Map Pack.
How Do You Fix It?
- Audit your NAP across major directories.
- Make sure your Google Business Profile matches your website exactly.
- Use a tool like Moz Local or BrightLocal to find inconsistencies at scale.
- Update your listings quarterly to catch new errors.
And one final thing Oastreck here explains this in more detail in their guide on how to rank in Google’s Map Pack so go and check it out because it is going to help you a great deal.
Mistake #2: A Weak Or Half Done Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is your storefront on Maps. But too many businesses treat it like a one time signup which is a huge local SEO error.
Because Google favors active, complete profiles and an empty or outdated listing makes you look closed, untrustworthy or irrelevant so don’t do it please.
So How Do You Do Google Business Profile Optimization?
- Well start with accurate categories and don’t just pick contractors choose Roofing Contractor or Plumbing Contractor.
- Detailed services and service areas.
- Photos that are recent and relevant to real jobs and not stock photos please no.
- Updated hours and especially for holidays.
- Fresh posts every week.
Example:
A roofer that regularly uploads before and after roof photos, posts about seasonal maintenance and replies to reviews looks alive and active.
A competitor who hasn’t updated their profile since 2019 looks like they may have closed. So guess who gets the Map Pack spot? Yep that is right it is the first guy.
How To Fix It?
- Fill in every section of your profile.
- Post new photos every month.
- Share updates weekly or even quick ones like Now booking fall roof inspections.
- Monitor performance in your Google Business dashboard.
And if you want a whole step by step breakdown of this? Then check out Search Engine Journal which has a solid guide on Google Business Profile optimization.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Reviews And Engagement
Reviews are not just about reputation here people. They are a ranking signal because Google reads them for keywords, freshness and engagement.
And a business that has 100 reviews from the past six months is no doubt gonna outrank the one with measly 20 reviews from three years ago.
The Hidden Advantage here is that reviews often include keywords naturally and if a customer writes fast roof repair in X city well that is free SEO juice for your profile.
So What’s The Fix?
- Always ask every satisfied customer for a review right after service.
- Make sure to reply to all reviews quickly and thank people for good ones and address the bad ones publicly.
- Use service keywords in your replies naturally like Thanks for trusting us with your roof replacement in Denver.
- Track review velocity because a steady stream beats bursts.
And if you are in for some deeper insights then our buddies at BrightLocal perfectly explain the benefits of reviews for local SEO.
Plus Oastreck also dives into this in their blog on the role of reviews in Google Maps rankings.
And even after all that your Google Business Profile looks empty, your NAP info is inconsistent or you are not collecting reviews, you’re handing leads to competitors.
Then Oastreck can really help you fix those Google Maps visibility problems and build a presence that actually generates calls. So come on and Schedule your free visibility check today.
The Critical One! Not Monitoring Your Performance
Even if you fix all three mistakes above you still need to track results.
The problem is that too many small businesses optimize only once and never check back again and that is a really stupid mistake.
Because Google changes constantly, competitors update their profiles and customer behavior shifts seasonally.
So How Do You Monitor Effectively? Well here are a few Google Maps Ranking Tips:
- First use Google Business Insights to track search queries, calls, and directions requests.
- Check where you rank for target keywords monthly.
- Compare performance across all the other neighborhoods because that way you might rank well in one town but not another.
- Make use of third party tools like BrightLocal Whitespark to track Map Pack rankings.
And don’t forget that this is an ongoing work and not just a one time task. The businesses that watch their data and adjust regularly will keep climbing.
While the ones that just set once and forget will slide backward.
Why Do All These Problems Cost Me Real Money?
Nearly half of Google searches have local intent. And studies show most of those searches lead to action within 24 hours.
So if you are not visible then you are not just losing clicks. Oh boy you are losing service calls, appointments and contracts.
Just think of it like this:
- A roofing company that ignores reviews might miss 20 calls a month.
- A plumber with an inconsistent NAP might miss showing up in searches in half their service area.
- A contractor with an empty profile looks closed and gets skipped altogether.
That is thousands in lost revenue every month all of them from these avoidable mistakes.
Conclusion
In the end the top three Google Maps mistakes whether they are inconsistent business info, weak profiles and ignored reviews are painfully common.
Add in the bonus mistake of not monitoring your results and you have got the recipe for staying invisible.
The good news? Oastreck can absolutely build strategies that improve Google Maps SEO, fix local SEO errors and help your businesses dominate in your service area.
So If You Want More Leads From Then Get In Touch With Us Today and Let’s Get Your Company To The Top 5 Results on Google.
