Short answer: The most common reasons are that the Google Business Profile was never verified, the business category is wrong, the service areas do not cover the suburb being searched, or the listing has few reviews compared with competitors. Distance also matters: Google favours businesses close to the person searching.
1. The listing is not verified
An unverified listing will not show properly. Sign in to Google Business Profile and check the status. If it says verification is needed, complete it. Google may ask for a video, a phone call or a postcard code.
2. The category is wrong
The primary category is one of the strongest signals. If you are an electrician and your category is "Contractor", you are competing in the wrong race. Pick the most specific category that matches your main work, then add secondary ones.
3. Your service areas are missing or too narrow
Tradies who travel to customers are service-area businesses. Add the suburbs or regions you actually cover. If the suburb someone searches from is not in your areas, you are less likely to appear.
4. You have fewer or older reviews than competitors
Reviews affect both whether you show and whether people choose you. Ask every happy customer, and reply to the reviews you get. A steady flow matters more than one burst.
5. Your details do not match across the web
If your business name, phone number or address is different on your listing, your website, Facebook and directories, Google is less sure they are the same business. Make them identical everywhere.
6. The listing is incomplete
Fill in everything: services, description, hours, photos of real jobs, and your website link. Empty listings lose to complete ones.
7. You are too far from the person searching
You cannot change where the customer is. This is why you might show for searches in your own suburb and not two suburbs over. A website with pages for each suburb you service helps here.
8. The listing is suspended or duplicated
Check for a suspension notice in your profile, and search your business name on Maps to see if there are two listings. Duplicates split your reviews and confuse Google.
If you want it checked for you
We look at all of this in the free review that comes with an Ironside website preview, and Google Maps listing management is one of our services.