Quick answer
What is a service area on Google?
It tells customers which towns you cover. It doesn't give you a branch in each town, move your pin on the map, or mean you'll show up all over that area.
The jargon
The words you'll come across, in plain English.
- Google Business Profile: your free business listing on Google Search and Google Maps.
- Service area business: a business that goes out to customers, rather than customers coming to it.
- Service area: the towns, postcodes or areas you list as where you work. Up to 20, and not a radius.
- Storefront: a business with premises customers visit, like a shop or showroom.
- Premises: a real place your business works from.
Which type are you?
Am I a service area business?
Service area business: you go to customers, and they don't come to you. Most trades.
Shop or premises: customers come to you, it's staffed, and it has a sign up.
Both: you do both, like a garage that also does call outs.
Do this
A plumber who works from home hides the address and lists the towns they normally cover.
Not this
The same plumber shows their house as a shop, though nobody can visit.
A rented desk or a postal address doesn't count as premises just because post goes there.
Your home address
Should I hide my home address on Google?
Google needs your real base behind the scenes, but customers don't need to see your house. Hiding it is normal for a trade that works from home.
- Give Google your real base when it asks
- Choose the option that says you go to customers
- Remove the public address if customers don't come to you
- Check the finished profile on someone else's phone
Picking your towns
Which towns should I add?
Think about your normal working day, traffic, and whether a job out there is worth the drive. You might go further for a big planned job than for a call out, but keep the overall picture honest.
Do this
A sparky near Reading lists the towns they normally reach, and explains a smaller call out area on their website.
Not this
The same sparky picks the whole of England hoping to show up everywhere.
Does it help me rank?
Does a bigger service area help me rank?
Google says local results mostly come down to three things: how well you match the search, how far you are from the person searching, and how well known you are. Adding a town 30 miles away doesn't make you any closer to people there.
What helps: a proper page on your website for each service, and honest local information where you've got something real to say. Don't make dozens of copy and paste town pages, and don't put towns in your business name.
More than one base?
Can I have a profile for each town?
A second van, a storage unit, a virtual office or a relative's address isn't a second location. You can only have another profile for a real, separate premises that follows Google's rules.
Keep it right
When should I update my service area?
Look again if you move, change the area you cover, or open premises customers can visit. Change your website at the same time so they match.
- Is your home address hidden?
- Does the area match the jobs you take now?
- Do your hours match when customers can reach you?
- Do your website and profile say the same thing?
- Are old or duplicate listings removed properly?
Sources
Where this guide comes from.
Checked against these official pages on 27/10/2026. Next check due 27/01/2027. Things can change sooner, so check the official page before an important decision.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Does a bigger area help me rank?
No. Google still looks at how far you really are from the person searching.
Should I show my home address?
No, not if customers don't come to you. Hide it and list your towns.
How many towns should I add?
The ones you really cover. Honest beats filling every box.
Can I list the whole UK?
No. Google says your service area shouldn't be more than about two hours' drive from your base, and you can add up to 20 areas. A bigger area won't make a local trade show up nationwide.
Can I make a profile for each town?
No, not unless you have a real, separate premises in each one.
What if I move house?
Update your base, do any new checks Google asks for, and make sure the address is still hidden.
Got a question?
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