What is a service-area business?

A service-area business (SAB) is one that travels to its customers rather than serving them at a premises — nearly every trade. Google lets you hide your address and list the areas you cover instead.

Will hiding my address hurt my rankings?

No. Hiding the address is what Google asks service-area businesses to do. What does hurt is showing a home address you cannot receive customers at, which risks suspension.

How many areas should I list?

Only the areas you genuinely travel to, up to Google's limit of twenty. Listing half the country is a common mistake and dilutes your relevance everywhere.

A work van travelling a Devon country lane between service areas

Our Speciality

If you travel to customers, your Google profile works differently

Most local SEO advice is written for shops. Trades working out of a van need a service-area setup — and getting it wrong is the most common cause of suspensions.

Home address hidden, exactly as Google requires
Coverage areas chosen to keep you relevant, not spread thin
Built to survive Google's checks

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Who this is for

Roofers, plumbers, electricians, builders, landscapers and any trade without a shopfront customers visit.

What you get

Exactly what is included

SAB configuration

Address hidden and coverage set the way Google's guidelines require.

Area strategy

The towns worth listing, based on where your work actually comes from.

Suspension-risk check

We spot the details that get trade profiles pulled down.

Category alignment

Trade categories that match how customers search in your patch.

Landing page match

Your website pages lined up with the areas on your profile.

Ongoing monitoring

We watch for unwanted edits and address leaks.

A homeowner searching for a local tradesperson on a map on their phone — Set your service area up right and you appear for the towns you actually cover.

Do I need a business address to appear on Google Maps?

No. Service-area businesses appear on Google Maps without a public address, as long as the profile is registered as a service-area business and verified properly.

Official Google guidance

Google states that businesses without a location customers can visit must hide their address and list service areas instead.

Questions people ask

Your Google Business Profile is your second business website. If you're not optimising it to attract, reassure and convert local customers, you could be missing out on calls, leads and quote requests.

Send us your details and we'll check your Google Business Profile by hand, then tell you plainly what's holding it back and what to fix first.

Get my GBP audit See packages and prices Call 07842 084168