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Describe the real business
Collect the name used in real life, contact details, hours, services and places where visitors can be received. Distinguish a visitor-facing address, a business that travels to customers and remote support. Do not invent an address, office or local team to fill a page.
If a business profile is appropriate, check its eligibility before creating or editing it. Google Business Profile guidelines call for an accurate description of the business and service area.
Fictional case: a business offers online exchanges only and publishes pages for several towns, without receiving or meeting customers in person. These pages do not make it eligible for Google Business Profile: the policy excludes online-only businesses. By contrast, a business genuinely visiting customers follows the service-area model; if it does not receive customers at its address, Google’s rules require that address to be hidden on the profile. Coverage must match actual visits.
A rented mailing address with no operations there, known as a virtual office, is insufficient for an eligible establishment. For a coworking office, Google requires, among other things, clear signage, customer reception and the business’s own staff during stated hours. A hybrid business may receive visitors and travel to customers when both arrangements are real. Document reception arrangements before choosing the displayed address and area. These points do not replace product-specific conditions and guarantee neither profile verification nor ranking.
- Verifiable identity and contact details.
- Travel or appointment arrangements.
- Area actually served.
Scroll the table horizontally to read every column. With a keyboard, focus the table area and use the arrow keys.
| Fictional situation | Point to check | Profile implication |
|---|---|---|
| Online-only business | No in-person customer contact | Not eligible on that operating model alone |
| Visits to customers | Actual travel and genuine coverage | Service-area model; hide address when not receiving customers |
| On-site reception and customer visits | Team and reception during stated hours | Hybrid model if both arrangements exist |
| Mailing address or coworking | Actual operations, signage, own staff and customer reception | Renting an address alone is insufficient |
Answer a specific local request
A regional page can explain broad coverage and guide people to departments; a departmental page can clarify how support works and identify important towns. Each level should help someone decide, rather than substitute a place name in the same text.
Include available services, useful constraints, contact options and links to relevant service pages. Do not attach a project, review or photograph to a town it does not concern. An illustrative scenario must be clearly described as hypothetical.
Connect facts instead of multiplying URLs
Link real service areas from the main site to relevant services and contact details. A page with no distinct information may be consolidated into a useful territory page. Keep navigation understandable and the sitemap limited to published canonical pages.
Check links from directories and profiles that the business controls. When an old local page is retired, redirect it to a relevant page if one exists instead of sending every old address to the home page. The migration guide offers a mapping method.
Keep local facts current
Assign an owner to hours, numbers, service areas, lead times and arrangements that change. After a change, check the site, official profiles and external listings controlled by the business. Reviews and references must remain genuine and authorized.
Read actual enquiries: repeated questions about an area or travel may justify a clarification. If an area is no longer served, correct the page and related structured data. A coherent local presence depends on accurate facts, not page count.
- Facts checked on a known date.
- Profiles and website agree.
- Pages retired or updated when the business changes.
Coverage does not establish travel time
A town name, postcode or straight-line distance is insufficient to promise a visit. Explain how the service is delivered and confirm address-dependent charges or constraints. For remote work, describe exchanges and deliverables instead of implying a physical presence.
Reference documents
- Google Business Profile guidelines · Source consulted
- Google : Business Profile policies and eligibility · Source consulted
Content updated on
Documented reference points for this topic
| Reference | Value or syntax | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| W3C · JSON-LD 1.1 | application/ld+json · @context | JSON-LD describes linked data; valid syntax and factual accuracy remain separate checks. |
| Google Search Central · Multilingual sites | URL · hreflang · links | Provide separate URLs per language and links for choosing an edition. Redirecting on an assumed language can prevent access to a version. Translating only navigation and footer does not translate the main content. |
Dates indicate when references were consulted. These facts are neither a site audit nor an overall compliance statement.