If you run a business from home or travel to your customers, showing your home address on your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a major privacy concern.
Thankfully, Google allows you to create or convert your profile into a Service Area Business (SAB). This lets you display your service areas on Google Maps instead of your private address. Your address will be hidden from the public, maintaining your privacy while still showing customers the locations you serve.
Step-by-Step Guide to Hide Your Address
1. Sign In and Access Your Profile
Go to the Google Business Profile Manager and sign in to the account connected to your business.
2. Edit Your Business Location
Navigate to your business profile and click “Edit profile.”
Select the "Location” tab.
If your profile currently displays your home address, click the pencil icon to edit it.
Find the toggle or checkbox that says “Show address to customers” and turn it OFF.
Click "Save".
Note: You must still provide a physical address to Google for verification. This address will not be shown to the public after you hide it.
3. Specify Your Service Areas
After you turn off your physical address, Google will prompt you to enter your service areas.
You can enter cities, postal codes, or entire regions.
You can list up to 20 service areas.
Best Practice: Keep your total service area within a ~2-hour drive from your actual location. Be specific and accurate. This will appear as a shaded area on Google Maps for customers.
4. Verify Your Business
Even as a service area business, Google requires address verification to prove your business is real. You will likely need to verify using a postcard sent to the private address you provided, or through another method like video verification.
After verification is complete, only your service areas will display on your public profile.
Important Notes & Best Practices
Hybrid Option: Do you have a storefront but also offer services (like delivery or in-home consultations)? You can set your profile as a "Hybrid" business. In this case, you would keep your address visible and add service areas.
Visibility Caveat: Service area businesses often have different visibility on Google Maps than those with a public address. Your ranking is primarily determined by the physical verification address you gave Google, not by the service areas you list.
NAP Consistency: Even without a public address, ensure your Name and Phone number are consistent across other local listings (like Yelp, Bing, etc.) to build credibility and improve local SEO.
Quick Troubleshooting
Issue | Solution |
My address still shows after I updated it. | Go back to "Edit profile" > "Location" and double-check that the “Show address to customers” toggle is definitively OFF. |
Google won't let me verify without an address. | This is correct. Google requires a real address for verification, but it will let you hide it from the public after you are verified. |
I'm not ranking in all my service areas. | This is normal. Map rankings prioritize proximity to your hidden verification address, not the service areas you list. |
Summary
By setting your profile as a Service Area Business, you can keep it active and professional while maintaining crucial privacy for your home-based or mobile business.
Log in to GBP and go to "Edit profile" > "Location."
Turn OFF “Show address to customers.”
Add your service areas by city or postal code.
Complete the verification process.
Once verified, your home address will be hidden, and only your designated service area(s) will be visible to the public.
