Do you go to your customers? How to set your service area on Google
Plumbers, technicians, cleaners, photographers: if you go to the customer, Google has special rules for your profile. Here’s the summary.
Google distinguishes between storefront businesses, service-area businesses (they visit or deliver to customers but don’t serve them at their address) and hybrid businesses (they have a storefront and also go to customers).
If you don’t serve customers at your address
Google asks you to remove the address from your profile and use only a service area. That way your home isn’t shown on the map, and you still appear in searches in your area.
How to set the area
- You can choose up to 20 areas: cities, postal codes or other areas.
- You can’t use a radius around your base.
- Google recommends that the overall area not extend beyond about 2 hours of driving from where your business is based.
- Be specific: list the areas where you really work.
A service-area business can only have one profile for the whole area it serves. Creating extra profiles for each town goes against the guidelines.
On your website, add a “Where we work” section listing your areas. It helps customers know whether you cover them before they call.