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Google Business Profile - Service area & hybrid businesses

For Offices and Shop Fronts click here

ATTACHMENT DETAILS GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE

When you list your service area, it lets customers know the geographic area where you can provide your products and services.

Important: If you don’t serve customers at your business address, do not enter an address under the ‘Info’ tab in your Google Business Proifle. Leave the ‘business location’ field blank.

To use a service area, your business must be one of the following business types:

  • Service area business: A business that visits or delivers to customers directly, but doesn’t serve customers at their business address.
    • For example, businesses like cleaning services or plumbers,  builders, electricians, pest control companies, window cleaners etc. 
    • Service area businesses can only create one profile for the area that they serve.
  • Hybrid business: A business that serves customers at their business address, but also directly visits or delivers to customers. If your business doesn’t have permanent on-site signage, it’s not eligible as a shopfront and should be listed as a service area business.
    • For example, a dine-in restaurant that also delivers food. 
    • Hybrid businesses can show their shopfront address, set their hours for when they’re staffed at that address and designate a service area.

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Two ways to edit your Google Business Profile

1 Edit your Business Profile on the web

On your computer, sign in to your Business Profile. If you have multiple businesses, open the one that you want to update. 

2 Edit your Business Profile on Google Search

To edit your profile directly on Google Search:

  1. Sign in to the Google Account that you used to sign up for Google Business Profile.
  2. To find your Business Profile, search on Google for your exact business name. You can also search for ‘my business’.
  3. To open your Business Profile, select Edit profile and then Business information.
  4. After each change you make, select Save.

How it works

You can’t set your service area as a distance around your business. If you previously set up your service area in this way, you can’t edit it. Instead, you must specify your service -area by city, postal code or another type of area.

Bear in mind:

  • You can have up to 20 service areas.
  • The boundaries of your overall area should not extend farther than about two hours of driving time from where your business is based.

If you change your business type from a shopfront to a service area business or hybrid business, keep in mind:

  • If you do serve customers at your business address and also have a service area: Enter both your address and service area.
  • If you don’t serve customers at your business address: Clear the address field and only enter your service area.

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Create and verify a service-area business

  1. Search for your business on Google and then click on edit profile.
    • Make sure that you’re signed in with the account that you used to sign up for Google  Business Profile.
  2. Choose the location that you want to verify, or, at the bottom of your locations list, tap Add a new business.
    1. If the location already exists in your account, at the top, find the ‘Verification needed’ card and tap Verify now.
    2. Enter your address, then tap Next.
    3. Tap a verification option to finish the verification process.
  3. If you want to add a new business, at the bottom of your locations list, tap Add a new business.
    1. Enter your business name.
    2. If you don’t find your business, enter your business information.
    3. Indicate whether you serve customers at your location:
      • If you have a service area business: Select No.
      • If you have a hybrid business: Select Yes.
    4. Select your service areas or enter your own.
  4. Enter your phone number and website.
  5. Select Finish.
  6. Choose whether to begin the verification process now or later:
    • To start the verification process immediately: Enter your business mailing address. This address doesn’t appear externally to your customers and is only used for verification.
    • To start the verification process later: Select Verify later.
  7. If you select Verify later, you must return to your account to complete your business verification.

How to add a service area to your Google Business Profile

  1. Search for your business on Google and then click on edit profile.
    • Make sure that you’re signed in with the account that you used to sign up for Google Business Profile.
  2. If you have multiple locations, open the location that you want to manage.
  3. At the top, tap Info and then Add service area.
  4. Enter your service area information. You can set up to 20 service areas based on the cities, postal codes or other areas that you serve.
  5. Tap Apply.

How to edit a service area on you Google Business Profile

  1. Search for your business on Google and then click on edit profile. Make sure that you’re signed in with the account that you used to sign up for your Google Business Profile.
  2. Choose the location that you’d like to manage.
  3. Tap the existing service area that you have. Enter your service area information. You can set your service area based on the cities, postcodes or other areas that you serve (up to 20 areas).
    • We recommend that a service area be no larger than two hours driving time from where the business is based.
  4. Tap Apply.

How to remove a service area on your Google Business Profile

  1. Search for your business on Google and then click on edit profile.
    • Make sure that you’re signed in with the account that you used to sign up for your Google  Business Profile.
  2. Choose the location that you want to manage.
  3. At the top of the screen, tap Info.
  4. Tap your current service area.
  5. Next to each service area that you want to remove, tap Remove Remove. To remove all service areas at once, tap Clear service areas.
  6. Tap Apply.

 Tip: You can only remove all of your service areas if you’re a shopfront business and have entered your business address.

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