Test like a homeowner, not like the owner
Searching your own business name from the yard proves little. Search the service plus town from a phone on mobile data in several parts of your coverage area. Note whether you appear in the map pack, in organic results, or not at all.
If you appear for your name but never for the project or trade terms, you have a ranking problem, not a "missing listing" problem. Different fixes apply.
Profile and service-area mistakes
Most builders travel to sites. Google expects many of those businesses to hide the address and declare service areas. Showing a residential address you should not, using a PO box, or stuffing towns into the business name can suppress or suspend the listing.
Primary category should match what you mainly sell. Inconsistent name, address and phone across directories and the website quietly caps visibility even when nothing looks broken in the dashboard.
Thin project proof
Homeowners shortlist on evidence. If the profile and site lack before-and-after photos, and reviews never mention the type of work, you lose to firms that look safer for a long, expensive project.
"We do everything" pages help nobody. Missing extension and loft pages mean you are not seriously competing for those searches, however good the joinery on site is.
Citations and proximity
Directories that still show old numbers or trading names reduce Google's confidence. Align the main UK listings with the profile exactly.
Proximity still limits how far a listing travels. If visibility fades smoothly as you move away from your base, that may be distance, not a fault. Prominence work (reviews, photos, area clarity, citations) is the lever, not endless category tweaks.
What to fix first
Confirm the profile is verified and correctly set up, align NAP everywhere, add real project photos, install a handover review routine, then build proper project pages for the work you want. Measure rankings across your patch, not from one search at your desk.
If you want that diagnosis without guessing, Azizi Technologies offers a free ranking audit that maps where you appear today and which of these causes is actually blocking you.