Should I Show My Address on Google Maps — or Use a Service Area Instead?

If your business should be showing up on Google Maps but isn’t, there’s one issue that causes more damage than almost anything else:

Using the wrong address type in your Google Business Profile.

It sounds minor.
It isn’t.

This single setting quietly determines whether Google trusts your business at all.

The Two Types of Local Businesses (Google Cares a Lot About This)

Google splits local businesses into two broad types:

1. Storefront Businesses

You:

• Have a physical location customers can visit
• Operate during set opening hours
• Expect people to arrive at your address

Examples:

• Cafés
• Retail shops
• Clinics
• Studios

These businesses should show an address on Google Maps.

2. Service Area Businesses

You:

• Travel to your customers
• Don’t serve people at your home or office
• Work across suburbs, towns, or regions

Examples:

• Trades
• Cleaners
• Web designers
• Consultants
• Mobile services

These businesses should not show a public address.

Instead, they define service areas.

Where Most Businesses Go Wrong

The most common mistake looks like this:

A service-based business sets up a Google Business Profile, enters their home address, and leaves it visible.

Why?

• Google asked for an address
• It felt required
• “Everyone else seems to do it”

The problem is, Google also knows:

• You don’t have signage
• Customers don’t visit
• There’s no real storefront

That contradiction matters. It’s crucial to get this right to avoid Google’s penalties. I will get the job done for you without the fuss. Read more about my Local SEO Service.

Why This Quietly Breaks Your Visibility

When Google sees conflicting signals, it doesn’t argue.
It simply loses confidence.

If your profile says:

• “Customers visit this location”

…but your business behaves like:

• “I travel to clients”

Google doesn’t know how to categorise you.

The result?

• Reduced map visibility
• Inconsistent rankings
• Or no appearance at all — even for nearby searches

And Google won’t tell you this is happening.

“But My Competitor Shows Their Home Address…”

Yes. And many of them are:

• Temporarily benefiting
• Unaware they’re at risk
• One verification check away from disappearing

Google has been steadily tightening how it treats address accuracy. What slipped through years ago often doesn’t survive today.

Building visibility on a misconfigured profile is like building on sand.

What Google Actually Wants Instead

If you’re a service-based business, the correct setup is:

• Address hidden
• Service areas clearly defined (towns, regions — not postcodes)
• Website content that supports where you operate
• Categories that match how you actually work

When this aligns, Google becomes far more confident showing you.

Ironically, hiding your address often improves visibility, not the other way around.

A Simple Self-Check You Can Do Today

Ask yourself one question:

“If a stranger turned up at this address, would that be appropriate?”

If the honest answer is no, your address probably shouldn’t be visible.

This single correction resolves more “why don’t I show up on Maps?” cases than most people realise.

The Quiet Pattern I See Repeatedly

Businesses come to me saying:

• “We used to show up”
• “Nothing has changed”
• “Google must have updated something”

And they’re right — Google has updated things.

But the underlying issue is almost always:

• A profile set up years ago
• Using assumptions that no longer hold
• Never revisited as Google’s rules evolved

Local visibility isn’t about tricks.
It’s about alignment.

What’s Next

Once your address type is correct, the next major lever is how clearly Google understands what you actually do.

That comes down to:

• Categories
• Services
• Descriptions
• And how your website reinforces all of it

In the next post, we’ll cover:
How Google decides what your business actually does — and why vague categories quietly hold you back.

If you’d like help fixing your site’s visibility so your Google Business Profile works as it should, I can help via a Website Rescue.