Guide
Service-area business suspended
If you go to your customers, Google treats you as a service-area business. Most roofers, plumbers, HVAC and electrical contractors, cleaners, movers and mobile services fall here. The rules are different from storefronts, and most suspensions in these trades come from mixing the two.
The core rule
If you do not serve customers at your address, hide the address and set service areas. Google says not to add a business address if you do not serve customers there. A profile that shows a home, a PO box, a mailbox store or a virtual office as if customers walk in is one of the most common triggers.
If you have a real shop where customers come during posted hours, with permanent signage, you can show the address and still list service areas. That is a hybrid business.
Other common triggers for service-area businesses
- Service words or cities in the name. "Smith Plumbing – 24/7 Emergency Plumber Minneapolis" instead of "Smith Plumbing."
- One profile per suburb. Separate profiles for each city you serve, without a real staffed location in each, are treated as duplicates.
- Service areas that are too wide. Listing far more area than you can reasonably drive to.
- Lead-generation setups. Profiles created by a vendor who sells the calls, or profiles where the vendor still has access.
Getting a service-area business reinstated
The profile has to match how the business really works before an appeal has a chance. The proof is also different: Google cannot check a sign on a building, so the evidence has to show a real operation some other way. Video verification for service-area businesses has its own rules too.
Sources
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help
- Verify your business with a video, Google Business Profile Help
Common questions
- What is a service-area business on Google?
- A business that goes to its customers instead of serving them at a location, such as a roofer, plumber, cleaner or mobile mechanic. Google expects these businesses to hide their address and list the areas they serve.
- Can a home-based contractor have a Google Business Profile?
- Yes, as long as the home address is hidden and service areas are set. Showing a home address as if customers visit it is a common reason for suspension.