Google Business Profile for Contractors Who Work at the Customer's Home

Google calls you a service-area business if you go to customers instead of serving them at your business address. Its own examples include plumbers. If you also have a shop or showroom that customers visit and that is staffed during your hours, Google calls you a hybrid business: you can show that address and list service areas too.

This guide is for contractors who work from a truck, a home office or a yard customers never visit. Every rule below comes from Google's help pages, checked on October 31, 2026. Google edits those pages without notice, so check the linked page before you change anything important.

Address, service areas and how many profiles

Hide your address if customers don't come to you

Google's guideline is direct: "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers." Google's example is a business run from home.

When you create the profile, Google asks you to "Choose whether you have a location customers can visit." Answer No unless you have a place staffed during business hours where customers come in.

If your profile already shows an address:

1. Sign in to the Google Account that manages the profile and search Google for "my business".
2. Select Edit profile, then Location. In the Google Maps app the path is Edit profile, then Business information, then Location.
3. Select the edit icon next to "Business location" and turn off Show business address to customers.

Addresses Google does not accept

A rented box at a shipping store is a mailbox, not an office, and a mailbox away from where you work falls under the first row.

Service areas: up to 20, no radius

Google's current limit, from its service-area help page: "You can set up to 20 service areas based on the cities, postal codes, or other areas you serve."

• No radius. "You can't set your service area as a radius distance around your business." If you set a radius years ago, you can't edit it. You have to re-enter your area by city, ZIP code or another area type.
• About 2 hours. "The boundaries of your overall area shouldn't be more than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based."
• "Other areas" is not defined with examples on Google's page. Type the county or region you serve into the box and use it only if Google suggests it.
• Timing. Approved edits "may take up to 48 hours" to show.

To add or change them: Edit profile, then Location, then Edit next to "Service area". Pick a suggestion or type a place, then Save. List the places you really go. Twenty slots is a limit, not a target.

One profile per business

• "There should only be one profile per business."
• "Service-area businesses can only have one profile for the whole area that they serve."
• "Create only one Business Profile for the metropolitan area you serve." Google warns: "Your Google account may be suspended if we find multiple profiles for the same business in the same metropolitan area."

The exception for real branches. "If you have different locations for your service business, with separate service areas and separate staff at each location, you're allowed one profile for each location." A second office with its own crew and its own area is what this exception is for. A second phone number in the next town is not.

Several trades, one company. A plumbing and HVAC company gets one profile with both trades as categories, not one profile per trade. Google's duplicates page says to list multiple services on one profile instead of creating separate profiles.

Practitioners. Google's practitioner rules cover "Doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial planners, and insurance or real estate agents," not technicians on your crew.

Duplicates and ownership. Profiles Google treats as duplicates don't show on Search or Maps, so remove one you made by mistake. If someone else (an ex-employee, an old agency) owns your profile, request access. The owner has 3 days to answer. A service-area business without a shop is told to contact Google instead. See Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues and Request ownership of a Business Profile.

The business name: your real name, nothing added

Google's guideline says your name "should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery" and as customers know it. Then: "Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile."

The guideline has a table headed "Your name must not include". These are the rows that catch contractors:

What if your real name already contains a city or a trade? If "Austin Pro Plumbing" is on your state registration, your truck, your invoices and your website, that is your real-world name and you can use it. The rule targets words added only for Google. Changing your name after verification can also send you back through verification.

Categories: one primary, up to nine more

Google's rules

• One primary category, and "You can select up to 9 more categories."
• Google says to "select a specific category from the list that shows up." If the specific one isn't there, pick a general one. You can't create your own.
• "Use as few categories as possible to describe your overall core business" from Google's list.
• "Do not use categories solely as keywords or to describe attributes of your business."
• "Do not select a category for every product or service."
• "Do not use categories that match other nearby or related businesses." In practice, pick for your own work, not by copying a competitor.
• "Choose a category that describes what your business is, not what it has."
• "If you add or edit an existing category, you might be asked to verify your business again."

Your category can also unlock features, such as suggested services. To edit (see Manage your business category): Edit profile, then Edit next to "Business category". Type in the Primary category box and select from the list. Use Add another category for extra ones, then Save.

Finding the right names for your trade

Google doesn't publish its full category list on any public help page we could find. The category box only accepts names it suggests as you type, so that is the list to trust. Here is what to type and how to choose.

A company that does plumbing and HVAC should make the primary category the trade that brings in most of the work and add the other as an additional category.

Verification today

You must verify before your edits, photos and posts show. Google picks the methods: "Google determines the verification methods automatically, and you can't change them." They depend on your business type, public information, region and hours, and you may need more than one. See Verify your business on Google.

What to show in the video

For service-area businesses, Google's video verification page asks for three things.

1. Where you are. "Record street signs, nearby landmarks, or other identifiers at your business address." If you work from home, Google says you "can record landmarks and signs in your immediate neighborhood."
2. That the business exists. "Show the professional tools, equipment, or products you use for work." This can include machinery, your workspace, business cards or branded clothing.
3. That you run it. Perform a service or open something only the business can, "such as unlocking a van that has your business branding." Google adds that you can show "a business permit, invoice, or utility bill" that matches your profile name.

Google's recording rules: it must be live ("pre-recorded videos aren't allowed"), "An unedited, unique, and complete recording with no breaks," and "At least 30 seconds long." Don't show bank, tax or ID numbers, or other people's faces.

A simple order that covers all three, in one take: start at the nearest street sign, walk to your truck, show the lettering, unlock it with your keys, open the toolbox or show your equipment, then hold up an invoice or permit with your business name. This is our suggestion, not a Google script.

Why verification fails

Google lists these examples when a video is rejected: "Business name not visible on storefront," "No nearby area shown," and "Missing proof of authorization to operate the business." Google's pages point to other ways it goes wrong: a postcard code cancelled by an edit or a new request, a code sent to a phone menu, and documents whose name doesn't match the profile name. If a video is rejected, tap Review issues in your profile. Record a new video that includes everything from the first one plus what was missing.

Profile fields that matter

Google's Edit your Business Profile page covers every field below.

Hours

Google wants your "regular customer-facing hours of operation." Go to Edit profile, then Hours. Choose Open with main hours and set each day. If you work only by appointment, the guidelines say businesses "that operate only by appointment" shouldn't provide hours. In that case choose Open with no main hours. Show "24 hours" only if someone really answers and dispatches around the clock. Use special hours for holidays. For a seasonal business such as pools, "During off-season, you can mark your business as temporarily closed."

Phone and chat

You get one primary number plus "up to 2 more." Use a local number where possible. It must be "under the direct control of the business." No premium numbers, and no numbers or links that redirect or "refer" people to landing pages. Where available, you can add WhatsApp or text messaging.

Website

Enter the full address with https://, and don't block Googlebot. The guidelines ask for "a website that represents your individual business location", so use your own site, not a directory page.

Services

Go to Edit services. Service businesses often get suggested services. Google's plumbing examples are "Install faucet" and "Repair toilet". Use Add more services, then Add custom service for anything missing. Custom service names can't contain personal information, prices or phone numbers, or they are rejected automatically. Put a price in the service's price field, not in its name.

Business description: 750 characters

Google's two hard rules: "Do not exceed 750 characters in the description field" and "Do not include URLs or HTML code." Focus on the business, not on promotions, prices or sales. A model to adapt (about 390 characters, made-up company):

Attributes

Go to Edit profile, then More. Select Edit next to a group, answer Yes or No, then Save. Which attributes you see depends on your category and country. The identity options Google lists are Asian-owned, Black-owned, Latino-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, Disabled-owned, Indigenous-owned, Veteran-owned, Women-owned and Small business. For Google, "A small business makes less than $10 million a year," and franchises don't count.

Photos and videos: real jobs only

• Photos: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 x 720 pixels recommended, 250 x 250 minimum.
• Videos: up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB, 720p or higher.
• "The photo should be in focus, well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters or AI."
• Google's tips: "Capture photos of your team providing different types of service to customers," and add at least three photos that represent your services.
• Google's content policies apply to your photos and rule out "Content that is not based on a real experience or does not accurately represent the location or product in question." Stock photos, manufacturer images and other companies' jobs don't belong here.

Photos appear only after you verify, and "It can take up to 24–48 hours" for them to show. Our advice: ask the homeowner before you photograph their house, and leave out house numbers and faces.

Posts

Posts are short updates on your profile, shown on Search and Maps. Google says they let you "share announcements, offers, updates, and event details." There are three types, Updates, Offers and Events. Go to Posts, then Add post. What Google says about them:

• "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set."
• A phone number typed in the post text may get the post rejected. Add a Call now button instead, which uses your verified number.
• A post shows as Pending while processing or while the profile is unverified, and as Not approved if it breaks a policy.

Suspensions and appeals

Common causes, in Google's words

How to appeal

1. Open the Business Profile appeals tool and sign in with the account linked to the profile. Select Confirm.
2. Select the profile, then Continue. Select the decision, then Continue. The tool shows the date, the reason and a link to the policy.
3. Select Choose file to upload evidence and explain in the text box why the profile should be reinstated. Answer the exact reason shown.
4. Tick the confirmation box and select Submit appeal.

You can submit an appeal only once, so attach everything the first time. Google's pages: Fix suspended or disabled profiles and Appeal Business Profile content & profile restrictions. Google says decisions can take up to 5 business days, and it emails you the result. Status in the tool reads Submitted, Approved, Not Approved, Can't be appealed or Eligible for appeal. "Do not create a new Business Profile for the same business."

What to prepare. Google's list of helpful evidence is official business registration, a business license, tax certificates and utility bills (electricity, phone, water, internet). The name and address on each one must match your profile. For a contractor, your state or local license is the obvious business license to include.

If it's denied. Google has a form to request additional review of a denied appeal. It asks for the suspension date, the email that manages the profile, your Business Profile ID, a registration or license, and a utility bill showing the same name and address as the profile.

How the profile, your website and Local Services Ads fit together

The profile and your website. Google says "Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity." Its prominence factor includes "how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have." Also: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." Your website is where the full detail lives: services, areas, licenses, real job photos. The profile points people to it. See Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.

Local Services Ads are a separate, paid product. You pay per lead, meaning a call or message from the ad. The link to your profile is tight:

• "Local Services advertisers must have a public and verified Google Business profile." (screening requirements)
• Your name, address and location type come from your profile and can only be changed there. Edits made in the ads account don't flow back to the profile. (details)
• "Your reviews include reviews from your Google Business Profile." (overview)
• Google is moving to a single "Google Verified" badge for all advertisers and discontinuing the Money Back Guarantee. Reimbursement requests only cover services booked before December 7, 2025. (badge)
• Plumbing, HVAC and electrician advertisers get extra screening, including background checks on the service professionals.

The Local Services category names below are the ones Google lists for the US. They are ad categories, not Business Profile categories.

Ten-minute checklist

1. Address hidden, or shown only if customers really visit a staffed location.
2. No P.O. box, rented mailbox, virtual office or unstaffed coworking address.
3. Service areas that you really serve, up to 20, within about 2 hours.
4. Only one profile for the business in your metro area.
5. Name matches your truck, invoices and website, with nothing added.
6. A specific primary category and a few honest additional ones.
7. Hours you really answer, or no main hours if you work by appointment.
8. Services filled in, with a description under 750 characters and no links.
9. Real job photos only.
10. Registration, license and a utility bill on file in your business name, in case you ever have to verify or appeal.