Questions and answers
The questions US business owners ask us most, answered plainly. If yours is not here, email us or ask for the audit.
The map pack and rankings
What is the Google map pack?
The block of three businesses Google shows on a map at the top of results for searches with local intent, such as "electrician near me" or "pallet rack supplier Dallas". Those three listings receive most of the calls and direction requests for that search.
Why is my business not showing in the map pack?
One of four reasons: the profile's category or services do not match the search (relevance), the searcher or the city in the search is too far from your address (distance), competitors have more reviews, citations and links (prominence), or your details disagree across the web and Google trusts the profile less. The free audit tells you which.
How long does local SEO take?
Profile fixes such as categories and services show within a few weeks. Moving into the map pack in a competitive metro takes months, because reviews and citations accumulate over time. We report monthly so you see the direction before the destination.
Can you guarantee a ranking?
No one can. Google decides, and the result differs by where the searcher stands. We commit to the work and to reporting your position honestly, tracked from the target city.
Do I need a website to rank on Google Maps?
A profile can appear without one, but for competitive searches the website is where relevance is built. Usually the gap is a page on the website that answers that exact search, linked from the profile.
The Google Business Profile
What is the difference between setup and optimization?
Setup is claiming the profile and filling the required fields once. Optimization is matching the profile to what ranks in your market — categories, services, products, photos, posts, reviews — and keeping it that way every month.
Which category should I choose?
The one used by the businesses already in the map pack for your main search. We check those three profiles and match the primary category; the rest become secondary categories.
Do reviews affect ranking?
Yes. Count, recency, rating and the words in the reviews all count, and replies signal an active business. A review-request routine after each job is part of every plan.
Should I hide my address?
Only if customers never visit it. If they collect, view stock or walk in, show it: you gain the local distance advantage and avoid a policy problem.
What is NAP consistency?
Name, address and phone written identically on the profile, the website and every directory. Mismatches lower Google's trust in the profile and can cap rankings.
Suspensions
Why was my profile suspended?
Usually a guideline problem: extra words in the business name, an address type Google does not accept for your business model, duplicate profiles, or sudden large edits. Google rarely says which; finding the real cause is the first step of reinstatement.
Should I create a new profile instead?
No. A new profile for a suspended business is itself a violation and usually gets caught. Reinstate the original.
How long does reinstatement take?
From a few days to a few weeks, longer if Google asks for more documents. A correct first filing with evidence is the fastest path.
Working with Local SEO Things
What does the free audit include?
A written review of your profile against what Google ranks: categories, services, photos, reviews and reply rate, name-address-phone consistency across the web, and your position against the three businesses in the map pack for your main search. Fixes listed in priority order. No call required.
Where are you based?
Surat, India. Our clients have been US businesses since 2019, and we keep US hours for them. The same people handle your account month after month, by email, replying within one business day.
Do you need access to my Google account?
Manager access on the Business Profile, which you grant from within the profile. We never ask for your Google password.
Is there a contract?
No. Plans are month to month. What we build stays on your profile and website if you stop.
Do you work outside the United States?
Our work is for US businesses. Every client named on this site is a US company.
How do you report?
Monthly, with the figures Google records for the profile — searches, calls, direction requests, website clicks — plus map-pack positions for the searches we target, and what changed that month.
Where to read more
Each service has its own page with the method, the checklist and the price: Google Business Profile optimization, Google Maps ranking, GBP suspension and reinstatement, citation cleanup and NAP consistency and service-area business optimization. By trade, see pallet rack dealers and roofing companies, or the results Google records for the profiles we manage.
Still not sure? Start with the audit.
Send your business name and city. Give us the business name and city and the audit arrives written, fixes in order of what will move first. No call required.