A service area business on Google is one that goes to its customers instead of having customers come to it: plumbers, cleaners, electricians, mobile mechanics and most home-service trades. If that’s you, Google says you should hide your address and show the areas you serve instead. It’s especially important if you run the business from home. Setting up a service area business Google profile correctly protects your privacy and keeps you inside Google’s guidelines, which matters if you ever need to verify again or appeal a suspension.
Here’s how to tell which type of business you are, how to hide your address, and the limits Google puts on service areas.
Which type of business are you?
Google uses three types:
| Type | What it means | Show your address? |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Customers come to you at a location with permanent signage | Yes |
| Service-area business | You visit or deliver to customers, and don’t serve them at your address | No, hide it |
| Hybrid | You serve customers at your address and also visit or deliver to them | Yes, plus a service area |
Two rules worth knowing:
- No permanent signage, no storefront. Google says a business without permanent on-site signage isn’t eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business.
- Age-restricted products need a storefront. Google says businesses selling things like alcohol, cannabis or weapons must have one.
Google’s own example in its guidelines is a plumber running the business from home: clear the address from the profile.
How to hide your address on Google
- Go to your Business Profile and select Edit profile, then Location.
- Next to “Business location”, select Edit.
- Turn off Show business address to customers.
- Select Save.
Your profile will now show your service area instead of a street address. If you don’t enter a service area, Google picks a local area for you, so set it yourself.
How to set your service area
Add the cities, postcodes or areas you serve. Google’s limits:
- Up to 20 service areas.
- About two hours’ driving time from where your business is based, at most.
Pick the places you actually work and want more jobs in. A sprawling area doesn’t help you rank in places far from your base, because distance is one of Google’s three local ranking factors.
One profile for the whole area
Google says a service-area business can only have one profile for the whole area it serves. Don’t create extra profiles for each town you cover, and don’t use a virtual office or a friend’s address to appear in another city. Both break Google’s guidelines and can get a profile suspended.
To show up in other towns, build a page for each main area on your website and earn reviews from customers there. My guide on how to rank higher on Google Maps explains why that works better.
Verifying a service-area business
You’ll still verify your business, and video verification is common. For a service-area business, Google asks you to film where you operate, your tools, equipment or branded vehicle, and proof you manage the business, such as unlocking a branded van or showing a business document. If you work from home, you can film the signs and landmarks in your immediate neighbourhood. My verification guide has a full shot list.
Keep it consistent elsewhere
Hide your address on directories too. If your Google profile hides your home address but Yelp and Facebook show it, you’re publishing it anyway. My guide to local citations explains how to keep listings consistent.
If you’d like your profile set up properly as a service-area business, that’s part of my local SEO service.
