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Did you know? Your home address may not belong on your public Google profile

You run the business from home, but customers do not visit. You leave for jobs in the morning and do the invoices at the kitchen table at night. Then Google asks for an address, and it feels as though you must choose between being visible and keeping your home private.

For a business that visits customers and does not serve them at its premises, Google says to remove the public address and provide a service area. Google’s explanation A cleaning business working in customers' homes is a straightforward example. Hiding the public address does not mean inventing premises or avoiding Google's verification requirements.

Start with where you meet customers

Imagine someone looks up your business and decides to drop in to discuss a job. If they find a house with no reception and you are out working, the listing has not helped them. An address can be correct for correspondence without being an appropriate invitation to visit.

Before changing settings, ask a simple question: where do customers meet the business? At your premises, at theirs, or both? A practice receiving patients and an electrician travelling to jobs need different presentations. Do not choose an option just because it looks better on a map.

For the service area, I would start with the places where you can realistically accept work. Think about journey times, appointments and what happens when two people call on the same morning. An ambitious list is not helpful if you spend half the conversation explaining why you cannot get there.

Check your website too. If you do not accept visits, explain how appointments work and how to contact you. People should not have to guess whether they can knock on the door. A useful profile saves them a wasted journey and leaves your home available for life after work.