Who should hide the address
The rule is short. If customers don’t come to you at the address on your profile, hide it. Plumbers, mobile groomers, cleaners, electricians and most home-based trades fall here. If you have a staffed storefront that receives customers during your stated hours, keep the address public, even if you also travel to jobs. Google calls that second group hybrid businesses.
Many owners discover the problem after setup: they typed their home address because the form asked for one, and now strangers can see where they live. Turning the address off fixes that without touching anything else on the profile.
What changes on the profile
Once the toggle is off, Google shows your service area in place of a street address. People searching nearby can still find you, but there is no pin on your house. Google’s help notes that if you haven’t entered any service area, it fills in a local area for you, which may not match where you work. Set it yourself so you control what customers see. You can list up to 20 areas by city, ZIP code or other region. Google’s service-area help says the area shouldn’t stretch farther than about 2 hours’ drive from where you’re based, so list the towns you actually travel to.
Rules that come with hiding it
Hiding the address moves you into Google’s service-area rules. A few matter right away:
- One profile per metropolitan area. Duplicate profiles for the same business in the same metro area can get the account suspended.
- No virtual offices or mail drops as a base unless your team staffs them during business hours.
- Age-restricted businesses (alcohol, cannabis, weapons) can’t operate as service-area-only.
- Verification still applies. The address you hid is part of what Google checks, so keep it accurate rather than inventing one.
If you later open a shop
Turn the address back on in the same place and make sure the location has permanent signage with your business name. You can keep your service area as well, which is exactly what the hybrid setup allows.
If it doesn't work
- Address still visible after a day: open Location again and confirm the toggle is off and the edit was saved, not left pending.
- Google picked an area you don't serve: that happens when no service area is entered. Edit the service area list.
- You do see customers at the address sometimes: if it is a staffed storefront during your hours, you count as hybrid and may keep the address showing.
- You sell alcohol, cannabis or weapons: Google says those businesses need a storefront and can't be pure service-area businesses.
Questions owners ask
Is hiding my address required or optional?
Google's sign-up help says that if you have no storefront that receives customers, you must hide your business address. It isn't a privacy setting for storefronts. A shop that welcomes customers should keep its address showing.
Does Google still know my address after I hide it?
Yes. The address remains part of your profile and is used for things like verification. Hiding it only removes it from what customers see on Search and Maps.
Can I have one profile per town I work in?
Google says to create only one profile per metropolitan area for a service business. Multiple profiles for the same business in one metro area may lead to suspension. Use the service area list to cover the towns instead.
I work from a shared office. Can I show that address?
Only if it is staffed by your team during business hours. Google's guidelines say service-area businesses can't list a virtual office unless it is staffed during business hours.
Sources
- Edit your business address and map pin (support.google.com)
- Sign up for Business Profile (support.google.com)
- Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses (support.google.com)
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.