You search for your business on Google and… nothing. Or maybe you show up on page 3, buried beneath competitors. Either way, it’s frustrating. You know you offer great services, so why isn’t Google showing that to potential customers?

Let’s walk through the most common reasons Knoxville businesses don’t show up in local search—and what you can do about each one.

You Don’t Have a Google Business Profile (Or It’s Not Optimized)

This is the #1 reason local businesses don’t appear in Google’s local results. Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is essential for showing up in the map pack—those three local results that appear at the top of location-based searches. For a deep dive, check out our complete Google Business Profile guide.

How to fix it:

If you don’t have a profile, create one and verify your business
Fill out every single field—business hours, services, description, categories
Add photos of your business, team, and work
Post updates regularly (yes, Google Business has posts)
Respond to every review, positive or negative

Your Website Doesn’t Mention Knoxville

Google can’t read your mind. If your website doesn’t mention Knoxville, the surrounding areas you serve, or location-specific information, Google has no reason to show you for local searches.

How to fix it:

Include your city and service areas in your page titles and headings
Create location-specific content (like this blog post about Knoxville)
Add your full address to your website footer
Create separate pages for each major area you serve
Write content that references local landmarks, neighborhoods, and communities

Your NAP Information Is Inconsistent

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Google cross-references your business information across the web. If your address is “123 Main Street” on your website but “123 Main St” on Yelp and “123 Main St.” on Yellow Pages, that inconsistency confuses Google.

How to fix it:

Pick one exact format for your business name, address, and phone number
Update every online directory and listing to match exactly
Check major sites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook, and industry-specific directories
Use a citation audit tool to find inconsistencies you might have missed

You Have Few (Or No) Reviews

Reviews are a significant ranking factor for local search. Businesses with more positive reviews tend to rank higher. Beyond rankings, reviews also influence whether searchers click on your listing versus a competitor’s.

How to fix it:

Ask happy customers for reviews (it’s not pushy if you’ve done good work)
Make it easy—send a direct link to your Google review page
Respond to every review to show you’re engaged
Never buy fake reviews or offer incentives for reviews (Google will penalize you)
Focus on Google reviews first, then expand to other platforms

Your Website Is Slow or Not Mobile-Friendly

Google prioritizes user experience. If your website takes forever to load or looks terrible on phones, Google won’t want to send searchers your way.

How to fix it:

Test your site speed at PageSpeed Insights
Test mobile-friendliness at Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
Compress images and remove unnecessary plugins
Consider a website redesign if your site is more than 5 years old
Make sure buttons and text are easily readable on mobile devices

Your Competitors Are Just Doing More

Sometimes the issue isn’t that you’re doing something wrong—it’s that competitors are doing more. They’ve been building their online presence longer, have more reviews, more content, and more backlinks.

How to fix it:

This takes time—there’s no overnight solution
Consistently create helpful content
Steadily build reviews
Get involved in the local community (which naturally creates backlinks)
Be patient and persistent

You’re Targeting the Wrong Keywords

You might be optimizing for terms that nobody actually searches for, or terms that are so competitive you’ll never rank for them.

How to fix it:

Research what people actually search for using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner
Focus on specific, local terms (“Knoxville emergency plumber”) rather than broad terms (“plumber”)
Look at what competitors are ranking for
Create content that answers specific questions your customers ask

What to Do Next

If you’re not showing up on Google, don’t panic—and don’t give up. Local SEO is fixable. Start with your Google Business Profile, since that typically has the fastest impact. Then work through the other items on this list. Our SEO basics guide covers the fundamentals in more detail.

Need help figuring out what’s holding your business back? Let’s talk. We’ll take a look at your current situation and give you honest feedback on what to prioritize.