You exist. You have a website. You’re posting on Instagram. But when a potential customer in the City Centre types “plumber near me” or “pizza on Bold Street,” your business is nowhere to be found.
Instead, your competitors are hogging the map. The top 3 spots—known as the “Map Pack”—get 90% of the clicks. If you aren’t in that top three, you aren’t just ranked low; you are invisible.
The Hard Reality: 76% of Liverpool businesses are ghosting their own customers because they aren’t optimised for Maps. You are leaving revenue on the table every single day.
The 7 Reasons You’re Missing From Google Maps
1. You Don’t Have a Google Business Profile (Or It’s Empty)
You can’t win the race if you haven’t entered. If Google doesn’t know you exist, neither does Merseyside.
Shockingly, about 40% of small businesses in the region either never claimed their profile or set it up once and forgot the password. An unclaimed profile is a dead profile.
The Fix: Go to the official Google Business Profile page immediately. Click “Manage now.” Fill in EVERY field. Don’t be lazy. Add your address, phone, hours, and photos.
2. Your Business Info is a Mess
Google is pedantic. It checks your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) across the entire internet. It compares your website, your Facebook, Yell, and other directories.
If your website says “47 Bold Street, Liverpool” but your Facebook says “47 Bold St” and Yell says “Bold Street, 47,” Google gets confused. Confused algorithms don’t rank websites.
Action Item: Audit your info. Your NAP must be identical everywhere. Not “close enough”—identical. Check your website, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and local directories.
3. You’re a Ghost Town on Reviews
Google Maps runs on trust. Reviews are the currency. It’s not just the number of stars, it’s the frequency.
A business with 47 reviews that gets new ones weekly will bury a business with 5 reviews from 2021. Full stop.
The Fix: Stop hoping for reviews and start asking. Send a direct link to your review page after a job is done. Respond to every single one to show Google you are active. You can learn more about how reviews impact visibility in Moz’s Local Search Ranking Factors.
4. Your Website is Weak
Google Maps doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If your main website is a mess that no one visits, your map ranking tanks.
Google looks at your site’s authority and relevance to Liverpool when deciding where to place you on the map. If your site is slow, Google assumes your business is slow.
The Fix: Tighten up your website SEO. Ensure the site loads fast on mobile using Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Prove to Google you’re a real player.
5. You Ignored Keywords in Your Profile
Your business name is key, but your categories and description do the heavy lifting. If you’re a plumber, your profile shouldn’t just say “Dave’s.” It needs to be clear to the machine what you do.
The Fix: Write a description that actually mentions “Liverpool” (or your specific area like Allerton or Baltic Triangle) and your specific services. Tag every relevant service category.
6. You Have Zero Local Clout (Backlinks)
Google loves community. If other Liverpool websites link to you, it signals that you are part of the local fabric. If you operate in a silo, Google doesn’t trust you.
The Fix: Get listed in genuine local directories. Join the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. Sponsor a local footy team. Get links from businesses with an ‘L’ postcode.
7. You Look Closed
Google hates dormancy. If your last post or photo update was from two years ago, customers (and Google) assume you’ve shut up shop.
The Fix: Treat Google like social media. Post weekly. Photos, updates, offers. Show signs of life.
The Google Maps Ranking Checklist
Be honest. Grade yourself on these factors. If you check fewer than 6, it’s no wonder you aren’t ranking.
- Profile Locked In: Every field filled with accurate, keyword-rich info.
- NAP Consistency: Name, address, and phone are identical across the internet.
- Review Volume: 20+ recent reviews. You’ve responded to all of them.
- Visual Proof: 20+ professional photos of your work, team, and premises.
- Pulse Check: Weekly posts with updates and offers.
- Local Links: Backlinks from other Liverpool sites and directories.
- Mobile Speed: Your site loads instantly on a phone.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
Week 1: Foundation (Build the House)
- Claim or create your profile. No excuses.
- Fill every single field.
- Upload 20+ high-quality photos.
- Write a description that tells people exactly what you do and where.
Week 2: Clean Up (Fix the Details)
- Audit your info across 10 key platforms (Yell, Facebook, etc.).
- Fix any address or phone number errors.
- Update your social profiles to match Google exactly.
Week 3: Social Proof (Get Reviews)
- Email your best clients. Ask for a review.
- Create a short link (bit.ly) to your review page.
- Reply to every review you currently have.
Week 4: Shout About It (Activity)
- Post to your profile 4x this week.
- Share photos, deals, or news.
- Add a page to your website targeting Liverpool-specific searches.
❌ How to Kill Your Ranking (Don’t Do This)
- Buying Fake Reviews: Just don’t. Google is smarter than you. You will get caught and penalised. Read Google’s Policy on Prohibited Content if you don’t believe us.
- Keyword Stuffing: “Best Plumber Liverpool | Emergency | Cheap” looks desperate and spammy.
- Ignoring Bad Reviews: Always respond professionally. A calm response to a crazy review makes you look like the sane one.
Final Thoughts
Google Maps dominance doesn’t happen overnight. But it does happen if you nail the basics.
Fill out your profile. Get reviews constantly. Keep your data consistent. Six months from now, you could be the first name Liverpool sees. Your competition is likely too lazy to do this work. That is your advantage.
Start now.
