How to set your service areas
- Enter your business ZIP or address above and set the radius you really work in.
- Open the GBP tab and tap Copy all 20.
- In your Google Business Profile, open Edit profile > Location and areas > Service area.
- Type each place and pick Google’s match from the dropdown. Google needs you to choose from its suggestions, so paste one name at a time.
- Save. Changes can take a few days to show.
Choosing the 20
With only 20 entries, the order matters. This tool starts with the incorporated cities and towns inside your radius, largest population first, because that is where most searches come from. It then adds the counties your radius reaches, which pick up the rural areas and small communities between cities, and finally unincorporated communities if there is room.
Leave out places you will not really travel to. Listing an area you turn down calls from wastes your leads and theirs.
Back it up on your website
Customers and Google both look for a page that says where you work. Copy the Areas we serve block from the tool into your website: it lists your cities and ZIP codes as text and can show the map image you downloaded. A short paragraph about the work you do in your two or three main towns helps more than a long list of names.
Wondering whether your profile shows up across that area? That is what the Moxisync local audit checks.
Questions people ask
How many service areas can a Google Business Profile have?
Up to 20. Google suggests keeping the overall area within about two hours’ driving time of your business, although it allows larger areas for some businesses.
Should I list cities, ZIP codes or counties?
Google accepts cities, ZIP codes, counties and regions. Cities and counties cover more ground per entry, which matters with only 20 slots, and they match how customers search (“plumber in Round Rock”). The GBP tab here fills the 20 slots with the biggest cities inside your radius first, then counties.
Do service areas change where I rank?
Not much on their own. Google ranks service-area businesses mainly by relevance, prominence and distance from the business address, so listing a city does not guarantee you appear there. They do tell customers where you work, and a website page about each area helps.
Should I hide my address?
If customers do not visit your premises, Google’s guidelines say to clear the address and show service areas instead. If you have a shop or office customers visit during opening hours, keep the address and add service areas as well.
Can I add a map to my Google profile?
Google draws its own map from your service areas. You can still add the PNG from this tool as a photo, and use it on your website’s service area page.