The 1-day diagnostic checklist
| Check | Symptom | Fix today |
|---|---|---|
| Claimed? | Profile says "Claim this business" | Claim it on the exact Google account you will keep |
| Verified? | "Not verified" badge, edits never publish | Complete video verification in one take |
| Category? | Wrong searches show you, right ones don't | One exact primary category, 2–4 secondaries |
| Duplicates? | Two pins, old name, wrong pin location | Report duplicate, keep newest, move pin to door |
Rule: most "not on Maps" cases are claim, verify, category or duplicate — not rankings. Fix those first, in that order.
The 1-day fix, hour by hour
- → Morning — claim + verify — claim the profile, film verification (signage, interior, proof of business) and submit once, correctly.
- → Midday — NAP + categories — match Name, Address, Phone exactly to your website footer; set the one primary category customers search.
- → Afternoon — hours, photos, services — real opening hours (including holidays), 10+ real photos, full service list with Nairobi-area wording.
- → Evening — reviews + website link — ask 5 real customers for reviews today; link the profile to a fast site. Our SEO service → holds the ranking after the fix.
Suspended or invisible? Check this before re-applying
- → Service-area business showing a home address — hide the address, keep the service area.
- → Keyword-stuffed name ("Best Salon Nairobi Cheap") — use the real signboard name only.
- → Two profiles for one shop — an old or ex-staff listing cannibalises the new one.
- → Website phone, hours or location differ from the profile — Google trusts consistency.
- → Zero reviews plus zero photos for months — looks dormant; post weekly like a social feed.
Where your website fits (and what we build)
Starter — 28,999
1–3 pages, matching NAP, click-to-call and WhatsApp, basic local SEO. Enough to verify and look legit. Live 5 days.
Business — 39,999 · most picked
10 pages, full local SEO and schema, location pages, reviews wired in. This is what holds map rankings. Live 1 week. See packages →
Master — 49,999
Store or booking plus M-Pesa, advanced SEO, service-area pages for every estate you serve. 2 weeks.
If your pin, category and verification are wrong, no website outranks that. Fix Maps first, then let the site compound it — details in our Kenya SEO guide.
Keep the ranking — 4 weekly habits
- 1. Post one photo or offer weekly — dormant profiles sink within a month.
- 2. Reply to every review within 24 hours, good or bad, by name.
- 3. Keep hours honest on holidays — wrong-hours reports tank trust fast.
- 4. Add one local page per service area on your site and link it from the profile.
Invisible on Maps right now?
One WhatsApp with your business name — we diagnose it free, even if you don't hire us. +254 741 992 308.
Diagnose my Maps listingQuick answers
Why is my business not showing on Google Maps in Kenya?
The top causes are an unclaimed or unverified Business Profile, a suspended or duplicate listing, wrong primary category, or an address hidden by a service-area setting. Check all four before assuming it is an SEO problem.
How long does it take to appear on Google Maps after fixing it?
Claim and category fixes reflect in hours. New verifications take 1–7 days depending on video or postcard review. Ranking into the top 3 map spots takes longer — reviews, photos and website signals compound over weeks.
Can I show on Google Maps without a physical shop?
Yes. Set a service area (for example Nairobi plus Kiambu) and hide the street address if customers do not visit you. Plumbers, mobile salons and delivery kitchens rank this way every day.
How much does it cost to fix Google Maps visibility?
Claiming and verifying is free. The cost is doing it right: correct categories, hours, photos, reviews and a fast website that matches your profile. Our Business build (39,999) ships the website plus Maps-ready SEO; Starter (28,999) covers the basics.