Short answer: you need a Google Business Profile that’s fully filled in, with the right main category, a sensible service area, real photos, recent reviews and a website that backs it up. Google picks map results on relevance, distance and how well known you look. You can’t change distance, so you work on the other two.

1. Claim and verify your profile

Search for your business name on Google. If a profile exists, claim it. If not, create one at business.google.com. Google will ask you to verify, sometimes by video. Do it properly first time; it’s a pain to redo.

2. Pick the right main category

This is the single biggest setting. If you’re a roofer, your main category should be Roofing contractor, not Construction company. Add a few secondary categories for the other work you do, but only ones that are true.

3. Hide your address if you work from home

Most trades go to the customer, so you can set yourself up as a service area business and hide your home address. You’ll still show on the map near where you’re based.

4. Set your service area properly

You can add up to 20 areas. Don’t put ‘Scotland’. Put the actual towns you want work in: Carluke, Wishaw, Hamilton, Motherwell, Lanark and so on. It won’t make you show up miles away, but it tells Google and customers where you go.

5. Add photos, and keep adding them

Real jobs, your van, your team. Upload a few new ones every month. Profiles with fresh photos look alive, and customers notice.

6. Get reviews coming in steadily

Ask every customer, at handover, with a direct link. A steady trickle matters more than a big burst. There’s a full guide on getting more Google reviews.

7. Link a website that names your towns

Google reads your website to understand what you do and where. A page for each main service and the towns you cover helps a lot. So does having your business name, phone number and town written the same way on your website, Facebook and profile.

8. Check it every month

Google and the public can suggest edits to your profile. Opening hours change, categories get swapped, odd photos appear. A five-minute check every month keeps it right.

Quick answers

Why does my business not show on Google Maps?

Usually the profile isn’t verified, the category is wrong, or there aren’t enough reviews and photos compared to nearby competitors.

Does setting my service area to all of Scotland help?

No. Google mainly shows businesses near the person searching. List the real towns you cover instead.

How long does it take to show up on Google Maps?

Once verified you can appear quickly, but climbing into the top three usually takes a few months of reviews and activity.

Written by Tony Flynn, who runs Toflin from Carluke and works with trades across Lanarkshire. Want a hand with any of this? Call 01698 598763 or see the prices.