To hide your address on Google Business Profile, open Edit profile, then Location, select Edit next to Business location, turn off “Show business address to customers,” and save. Google says to do this only if you do not serve customers at your address, like a plumber who works from home. Your profile then shows only your service area.
By the numbers
- Up to 20 service areas per profile, set by city, postal code or similar area. Google does not let you set a radius. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
- About 2 hours of driving is the most your whole service area should stretch from where you are based. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
- About 10 minutes, sometimes up to 30 days for an address change to show on your profile. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
- 30 seconds minimum, up to 5 business days to review for a verification video, which service-area businesses must also pass. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
Who should hide their address?
Google splits businesses into three types, and the type decides what you show. A storefront business serves customers in person at an address with permanent signage. A service-area business visits or delivers to customers and does not serve them at its own address. A hybrid business does both.
| Type | Example | Address on profile | Service area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storefront | A dental clinic, a showroom | Show it | Not needed |
| Service-area | A plumber or cleaner working from home | Hide it | Required in practice |
| Hybrid | A garage that also sends a roadside truck | Show it, if staffed and open to customers | Add one |
Google’s own guidelines use the residential example directly: if you are a plumber who runs the business from your home address, clear the address from your profile. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED Google also says to choose “do not show your address” only if you are a service-area business, and that a hybrid business without permanent on-site signage should be listed as a service-area business, not a storefront. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
How do I hide my address, step by step?
These are the steps Google lists. The wording of the menus can change, so read the labels on your screen.
- Sign in and open your Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile, then Location.
- Next to Business location, select Edit.
- Turn off Show business address to customers.
- Select Save.
On the Google Maps app the path is the same menu: Business, Edit profile, Location. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED If you hide the address and do not add a service area, Google picks a local area for you. You can change it later. So set your own in the next step.
How do I set my service area?
- Go to Edit profile, then Location.
- Next to Service area, select Edit.
- Pick a suggested area or type one in. Add up to 20 cities, postal codes or other areas you really serve.
- Select Save. If approved, a service-area change can take up to 48 hours to show.
Be specific and accurate. Google says the whole area should stay within about two hours of driving from where you are based, and a service-area business can only have one profile for the whole area. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED A longer list is not a ranking trick. Our guide on setting a service area covers why it does not create a ranking radius.
What can I not use as my address?
Google says a P.O. box or a mailbox at a remote location is not acceptable. A rented mailing address you do not work from, often called a virtual office, is not eligible for a profile. A co-working space only works if that office has clear signage, receives customers during business hours and is staffed by your own team. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
That is why hiding the address is the safe choice for most home-based trades. Hiding the address stops customers seeing it. If an address is later wrong, see how to change it without a suspension.
Do I still have to verify if my address is hidden?
Yes. Google’s video verification works for service-area businesses too. The video must be recorded live in the Business Profile on a mobile device, unedited, in one complete take of at least 30 seconds. You cannot upload a pre-recorded file. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED For a service-area business, Google asks you to show three things:
- Where you operate. Street signs, landmarks or other identifiers at your base. If you work from home, record signs and landmarks in your immediate neighbourhood.
- Proof the business exists. Your tools, equipment, products, branded clothing or business cards.
- Proof you manage it. Doing a job, unlocking a branded van, or showing a permit, invoice or utility bill that matches your profile name.
Do not film sensitive numbers, private information or other people’s faces. Review can take up to 5 business days, and a failed video can be re-recorded. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED Our video verification guide has a shot list.
Why is my address still showing after I hid it?
Check these in order.
- Give it time. Google says profile changes usually show in about 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
- Check the setting saved. Reopen Location and confirm “Show business address to customers” is off.
- Look at other sources. Google says it decides how to display your address from your profile and from other sources. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED An old address on your website, directories or social profiles can keep it alive. Our citation guide covers the cleanup.
- Ask Google. If nothing changes after several days, use the Contact us option in Google’s Business Profile Help. Volunteer experts in Google’s help community suggest waiting about 72 hours first. DHM INTERPRETATION
What if Google says my category requires a location customers can visit?
Some categories are treated as needing a visitable location, so the hide-address switch is refused. In one Google help community thread from October 2025, a volunteer Product Expert said Google views that category as requiring a location and suggested more accurate alternatives such as photography service or wedding service. That is a volunteer’s advice, not a Google rule, and community content may not be current. UNKNOWN Only change a category if the new one truly describes your business. Never pick a category just to get past the error. Google says to use as few categories as possible and not to use them as keywords. GOOGLE DOCUMENTED
Does hiding my address hurt my Map Pack ranking?
Google does not publish a ranking effect for it, so nobody outside Google can say for certain. Here is what the evidence shows. In Whitespark’s 2026 survey of local SEO experts, “Address is showing on GBP (not SAB)” ranks 7th among Local Pack factors (score 176), and “physical address in city of search” ranks 4th (213). INDEPENDENT RESEARCH Experts think a visible address helps.
That is a reason to be a real storefront if you are one. It is not a reason to show a home address you do not serve customers at. Google’s rules come first, and a suspension costs far more than a small factor. For a home-based trade the answer is to hide the address, then win on the factors you control: your primary category, your services, your reviews and the other signals in the 2026 survey. We cannot promise a ranking, and nobody honest can.
The Digital Handshake address checklist
- Do customers come to your address? If yes, you are a storefront or hybrid. If no, you are a service-area business.
- Service-area business: turn off “Show business address to customers.”
- Add up to 20 real service areas inside about two hours of driving.
- Make sure the address on file is a real place you work from, not a P.O. box or virtual office.
- Match your business name, phone and website everywhere else. Remove old addresses from directories.
- Have your verification video planned: location, equipment, proof you run the business.
- Check it again in two weeks and after any move.
For reference, our own profile does not show a street address. DHM DATA (Read from our live profile on 2026-10-06.)
Frequently asked questions
Should I hide my home address on Google Business Profile?
Yes, if customers do not come to your home. Google’s guidelines say a service-area business should hide its address, and they use a plumber working from a residential address as the example.
Will hiding my address remove my business from Google Maps?
No. Your profile stays live. It shows your service area instead of a street address, and customers can still find you, call you and read your reviews.
How many service areas can I add?
Up to 20, set by city, postal code or another type of area. Google does not allow a radius, and the whole area should stay within about two hours of driving from where you are based.
Can I use a P.O. box or virtual office as my address?
No. Google says P.O. boxes and mailboxes at remote locations are not acceptable, and a virtual office you do not work from is not eligible for a Business Profile.
Do service-area businesses need video verification?
Yes. Google’s video verification covers service-area businesses. You record one live, unedited video of at least 30 seconds showing where you operate, proof the business exists and proof you manage it.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your business address: the address is public; service-area businesses can hide it; the steps; change timing of about 10 minutes up to 30 days.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses: definitions, up to 20 areas, no radius, about 2 hours of driving, up to 48 hours.
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google: hide the address if you are a service-area business; P.O. box, mailbox and virtual office rules; categories.
- Google Business Profile Help, Verify your business with a video recording: requirements for service-area businesses.
- Whitespark, Local Search Ranking Factors 2026: Local Pack factor ranks for a visible address and address in city of search.
- Google Business Profile Community, “Your business category requires a location customers can visit” (volunteer Product Expert answer, 2025-10-28). Community content may not be verified or up to date.
Google’s help pages were read on 2026-10-08 and can change. Figures are quoted from the sources above and are directional.