Our Editorial Mission
The local SEO industry runs on rumors. We run on receipts. Why Am I Not Ranking in Maps exists to cut through the noise of Google Business Profile optimization. We give business owners and agency partners the exact mechanisms to move from invisible to the map pack. We document the friction of local search visibility and provide the operational reality required to fix it.
No fluff. No theory. Just what works.
We built this site because the gap between Google’s official documentation and actual ranking factors is massive. Our mission is to illuminate those blind spots. We operate with strict editorial independence. We publish what our field data proves, even when it contradicts popular SEO advice.
How We Choose Topics
We do not write generic summaries of basic marketing concepts. We focus exclusively on the specific friction points that keep businesses out of the local map pack. We pull our editorial calendar from three distinct sources.
- Agency Audits: The recurring failures we see when we audit client GBP listings.
- Algorithm Volatility: Shifts in proximity weights, spam filter updates, and local pack layout changes.
- Reader Roadblocks: Direct questions from business owners stuck on page two of Maps.
If a topic does not solve a specific ranking roadblock, we skip it. You will not find broad articles about general web design here. You will find granular breakdowns of NAP consistency failures, review velocity drops, and citation indexation problems.
Research and Fact-Checking Standards
Google’s documentation tells half the story. We test the rest. Before we publish a tactic, we verify it across live GBP listings in multiple geographic markets and industry verticals. We track rank positions, monitor citation indexation, measure review impact.
We rely on hard data from real tools. We use BrightLocal, Whitespark, and Places Scout to measure local visibility. We do not guess. We measure. If an SEO claim contradicts our field data, we call it out. We actively reject unproven theories about keyword-stuffed business names or fake engagement signals.
Every claim anchors to a real-world consequence. When we say a specific citation network matters, we back it up with indexation timelines and ranking movement.
Corrections Policy
Local SEO changes fast. Sometimes Google changes the rules overnight. When a published tactic stops working, we fix it.
If you notice an error or an outdated strategy, email [email protected]. We review all correction requests within 48 hours. If we verify the inaccuracy against our own testing, we update the page immediately. We then add a dated correction note at the bottom of the article explaining what changed and why.
We do not hide our mistakes. We document them so you can learn from the shifts in the algorithm.
Affiliate and Commercial Relationships
We run a local SEO agency. We sell services. We also recommend software.
Sometimes we use affiliate links for tools we actually use in our agency stack. If you click a link for a citation builder or rank tracker and buy a subscription, we earn a commission. This never dictates our recommendations. We rejected 14 different review management platforms before settling on the two we actually endorse. If a tool breaks down or degrades in quality, we pull the recommendation and remove the links.
Our commercial interests fund our research. They do not buy our opinions.
Editorial Independence
Nobody buys their way onto this site.
We do not accept sponsored guest posts. We do not sell link placements. We do not let software vendors dictate our reviews. If a local SEO tool has a clunky interface or terrible customer support, we print that exact experience. Our editorial team operates entirely separate from any agency partnerships.
The data decides what gets published.
Content Updates and Freshness
A local SEO guide from three years ago is a liability. Google updates the local algorithm constantly. Proximity weights shift. Q&A features change. Spam filters tighten.
We audit our core guides quarterly. We check every step, test every link, verify every screenshot. We confirm that the tactics still align with current map pack realities. If a strategy dies, we rewrite the page to reflect the new environment.
Look for the Last Updated date at the top of our articles. That date means a human practitioner manually verified the contents against live search results. We refuse to let our archives become a graveyard of outdated advice.