Wondering Why Your Nigerian Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google? Here’s the Fix
You Google your business name and find yourself on page 3. Or worse, you search for what you actually sell, and a competitor in Lekki shows up instead, even though you’re right in Victoria Island.
If you’re wondering why your Nigerian business isn’t showing up on Google, you’re not alone. Here’s the reality: having a website isn’t enough. Your website needs to speak Google’s language. The good news? Most Nigerian businesses make the same basic mistakes, which means fixing even a few of these issues puts you ahead of 80% of your competition.
I. Google Doesn’t Know You Exist
The problem: You never set up Google Search Console or created a Google Business Profile.
A Port Harcourt restaurant owner told us they’d had a website for two years but never verified it with Google. Beautiful site, great food, active Instagram. Not a single visitor from a Google search.
The fix:
- Set up Google Search Console
- Verify your website
- Submit your sitemap
- Create your Google Business Profile
- Fill out every single field completely
Why it matters: This is like opening a shop on Allen Avenue but never putting up a sign.
Example: A Lagos fashion boutique added their Google Business Profile and started appearing in “fashion stores near me” searches within 3 days. They now receive 15 to 20 walk-ins per week from Google Maps alone.
II. Your Site Is Blocked from Search Engines
The problem: Your developer accidentally left settings that block Google from crawling your site.
Check yoursite.com/robots.txt and look for “Disallow: /” or noindex tags in your page code. These tell Google “don’t list this site.”
The fix: Contact your developer to remove these blocks. This fix takes about 10 minutes.
Learn more in Google’s official robots.txt guide.
Example: An Abuja law firm wasn’t showing up despite great content. Their developer had left a “noindex” tag on the entire site. Once removed, they started ranking within weeks and now get 5 consultation requests per week from Google.
III. You Have Almost No Content
The problem: Your site has 3 pages: Home, About, and Contact. That’s not enough for Google to understand what you do.
The fix: Create at least 10-15 pages:
- Separate pages for each service (“Network Setup Lagos”, not just “IT Services”)
- Location pages if you serve multiple areas
- FAQ page answering real customer questions
- Blog posts about topics your customers care about
- Case studies showing real work
For more on creating content that ranks even as AI changes search, check out our guide on SEO in Nigeria: How to Rank on Google and Stay Visible in the AI Answer Era. You can also learn more about effective content design in our WordPress Website for Nigerian Business guide.
Example: A Lagos logistics company created pages for “Same-Day Delivery Lagos,” “Interstate Shipping Nigeria,” and “E-commerce Fulfillment.” Their organic traffic tripled in 4 months.
IV. You’re Using Words Nobody Searches For
The problem: You say “Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions.” Your customers search for “business management software Lagos.”
The fix:
- Use Google autocomplete to see what people actually type
- Check “People also ask” sections
- Replace fancy language with plain terms
Real examples that work:
- “Best Restaurant in Ikeja”, not “Culinary Excellence”
- “Accounting Firm Lagos”, not “Financial Advisory Services”
- “Wedding Planner Lagos” not “Premium Event Curation”
See how clear communication can improve SEO results in our WordPress Website Customization article.
Example: An event company changed their homepage from “Premium Event Curation” to “Wedding Planner Lagos | Corporate Events Nigeria.” Traffic increased 200% in 3 months.
V. Your Google Business Profile Is a Mess
The problem: Wrong address, no photos, no business hours, duplicate listings.
The fix:
- Complete every field (business name, address with landmarks, phone, hours, description)
- Choose the right categories (primary + 3-5 secondary)
- Add at least 10 quality photos
- Get and respond to reviews
- Make sure your Name, Address, Phone match EXACTLY across Google, your website, Facebook, Vconnect
Nigerian tip: Add landmarks to your address. “Located behind Shoprite, Ikeja City Mall” helps both Google and customers.
Example: A salon in Ajah had the wrong address on Google Maps. After fixing it and adding photos, their monthly bookings from Google increased by 60%.
VI. Your Website Loads Too Slowly
The problem: If your site takes 15 seconds to load on 3G, you’ve already lost the customer.
The fix:
- Test at Google PageSpeed Insights
- Compress all images using tools like TinyJPG
- Install a caching plugin
- Upgrade to better hosting
- Remove unnecessary plugins
- Target: Under 3 seconds on 3G
Regular maintenance keeps your site fast and secure. Learn more in our guide on Website Maintenance for Nigerian Businesses: Why Regular Updates Matter, or explore full redesign tips in our Website Redesign Guide.
Example: A Lagos e-commerce store had a 12-second load time. After image compression and better hosting, they reduced the loading time to 2.5 seconds. Bounce rate dropped from 78% to 35%.
VII. Common Nigerian Mistakes That Kill Rankings
Using free hosting or subdomains
yourcompany.wordpress.com looks unprofessional and Google ranks you lower. Get a proper domain. Costs less than ₦50,000 per year.
No SSL certificate
When visitors see “Not Secure,” 80% leave immediately. Most hosting includes free SSL. Takes 30 minutes to set up.
Inconsistent contact information
Different phone numbers on Google, Facebook, your website? Google won’t trust you. Audit everywhere you’re listed and make everything match exactly.
Ignoring mobile users
85% of Nigerian internet users are on mobile. Test your site on actual phones on 3G, not just your laptop on WiFi.
VIII. You’re Not Showing Up for “Near Me” Searches: Local SEO for Nigerian Businesses
The problem: Someone searches “web designer near me,” and you don’t appear, even though you’re 15 minutes away.
Why it matters: 78% of local mobile searches result in an offline purchase within 24 hours.
The fix:
- Add location keywords to page titles: “Best Hair Salon in Lekki | [Your Business]”
- Mention service areas naturally: “We serve Victoria Island, Lekki, and Ikoyi.”
- Create separate pages for each city you serve
- Embed Google Maps on your contact page
- Get reviews that mention your location
Example: A car wash in Ajah optimized for local search and started showing up in the map pack. They now attract over 40 new customers per week from Google Maps searches.
IX. You Have No Backlinks
The problem: No other websites link to you. Google sees this as “nobody thinks you’re worth mentioning.”
The fix:
- List on Vconnect, business directories, and chambers of commerce
- Get listed by industry associations (LCCI, NACCIMA)
- Ask partners and suppliers to link to you
- Guest post on Nigerian business blogs (TechCabal, Nairametrics)
- Create content that other sites want to link to. Learn how in our WordPress Website Best Practices guide.
Read more about quality backlinks from Moz’s beginner guide or Google’s own link spam policies.
Don’t: Buy links or spam comments.
Example: A Lagos tech startup got featured on TechCabal and Nairametrics. These 8 quality backlinks helped them rank on page 1 for “fintech solutions Nigeria” in 5 months.
How Long Before You See Results?
Be realistic:
- Google Business Profile: 3-7 days
- Technical fixes: 2-4 weeks
- New content: 4-8 weeks for easy keywords, 3-6 months for competitive ones
- Competitive industries: 6-12 months
Most competitors aren’t doing this. Fix half these issues and you’re already ahead of 80% of businesses in your area.
Start Here: Quick Wins This Week
Not sure where to start? Begin with these quick wins you can complete this week to immediately improve your Google visibility.
- Set up your Google Business Profile (1 hour)
- Connect to Google Search Console (30 minutes)
- Check if Google can crawl your site (15 minutes)
- Add location to your page titles (1 hour)
- Get SSL if you don’t have it (30 minutes)
Then tackle the bigger stuff one by one. Each improvement compounds.
Quick Reference: SEO Fixes for Nigerian Businesses
| Issue | Fix | Time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not indexed by Google | Add to Search Console | 30 mins | Easy |
| Blocked from crawling | Remove noindex tags | 10 mins | Easy |
| Thin content | Create 10-15 quality pages | Ongoing | Moderate |
| Wrong keywords | Research what people search for | 1-2 hours | Easy |
| Incomplete Google Business Profile | Fill out all fields completely | 1 hour | Easy |
| Slow loading speed | Compress images, add caching | 2-4 hours | Moderate |
| No SSL certificate | Install SSL | 30 mins | Easy |
| Not showing locally | Add location keywords | 2-3 hours | Easy |
| No backlinks | List in directories | Ongoing | Moderate |
When to Get Professional Help
You probably need help if:
- You have technical issues you can’t diagnose
- You’ve tried everything for 6 months with zero improvement
- Your competitors are doing professional SEO
- You don’t have time to do it yourself
- You’re in a competitive industry (legal, real estate, finance)
What good SEO help looks like:
- They audit your site first
- They explain things in plain language
- They give realistic timelines (run from anyone promising page 1 in 30 days)
- They understand the Nigerian market
- No long-term contracts
Ready to Stop Being Invisible?
If you’d rather have professionals handle your SEO, PlanetWeb Solutions offers SEO audits and local optimization designed for Nigerian businesses. We understand what works here and report in plain English.
What we do:
- Complete SEO audits
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Technical SEO fixes (speed, indexing, mobile)
- Content strategy based on what Nigerians actually search for
- Ongoing support
Free consultation: 30 minutes
Full SEO audit: ₦50,000
Contact Us or schedule a Free Consultation
Let’s make sure your business is visible where it matters — on Google. We’re ready when you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many Nigerian business owners ask similar questions when trying to understand why their website isn’t showing up on Google. Here are answers to some of the most common ones.
