TL;DR: If customers don’t visit your location, you’re a Service-Area Business (SAB). Hide the address, list cities/ZIPs you routinely serve, keep a tight evidence kit (photos, invoices, vehicle branding), and log changes quarterly. Avoid co-working addresses and state-wide service areas. This guide shows the exact setup, edge cases, and reinstatement prep.

Quick Answer

Set your Google Business Profile as SAB if work happens at the customer’s location. That means:

Hide your street address.
Add service areas (cities/ZIPs) reflecting a reasonable drive window your crews actually cover.
Build a small evidence pack (registration + job proof + vehicle/photos) to survive audits or reinstatement.
Mirror those service areas on your website structure (city hubs + service-city pages) and keep a quarterly change log.

What Is an SAB (and What It’s Not)

SAB: You travel to customers (pest control, water damage restoration, handyman, locksmith, garage door, HVAC, etc.).
Storefront: Customers visit you at a staffed, signed location during posted hours (e.g., retail showroom, repair drop-off counter).
Hybrid: You both see customers at a physical location and dispatch crews (e.g., door showroom + installers). You may keep the address visible if walk-ins are supported with signage and staff; otherwise choose SAB.

Golden rule: If walk-ins aren’t truly supported, don’t show an address.

The SAB Setup Checklist (Do This in Order)

Hide the address in GBP.
Add service areas as specific cities/ZIPs (10–20 realistic entries to start; expand cautiously).
Primary category matches your bread-and-butter service; secondaries used sparingly.
Attributes reflect reality (e.g., “Emergency service” only if staffed).
Website features /service-areas/ overview + child city hubs and Service + City pages.
Keep an evidence kit: legal docs, utility/bank mail, job photos, vehicle branding, invoices.
Create a quarterly change log for categories, service areas, attributes.
Audit NAP consistency on major citations (hide address where possible; use city/phone).
Remove duplicates (old addresses, tech homes, coworking).

Address Rules (No Gray Areas)

Hide it: For SABs, the street address must be hidden on GBP.
No coworking, P.O. boxes, virtual offices: These are red flags for SABs.
Technician homes: Don’t list tech apartments/houses as additional locations.
One profile per legitimate service area office: Only if it’s staffed, signed, and supports customers at posted hours.

Service Areas: Cities vs. Radius (and How Big Is “Too Big”?)

Prefer cities/ZIPs over a single radius. Cities make intent clearer and align with Service + City pages.
Reasonable driving coverage: Most trades should reflect the actual dispatch pattern (often ~45–90 minutes).
Two-hour myth check: Treat “~2 hours” as an upper bound for extreme cases (e.g., rural markets), not a default.
Expand in rings: Start with primary city + immediate neighbors; earn prominence; then add the next ring quarterly.

Starter Service-Area Build (Example)

Primary: Encinitas
Neighbors: Leucadia, Cardiff, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Solana Beach
Ring 2 (after 90 days): Oceanside, Vista, Del Mar (if crews already work there weekly)

Web Architecture That Matches SAB Reality

A compliant SAB setup lives on the site, not just the profile.

Required pages:

/service-areas/ (overview, map image, coverage notes, dispatch hours)
/service-areas//(city hub with neighborhoods and 2–3 job blurbs)
/-/pages for top money services per city (internal links up to service hubs and across to city hubs)

Content rules:

Open with an answer block (timing, tools, outcome).
Show proof (before/after, meter logs, review snippet).
Include a CTA stack (call, text, estimate).
Keep anchor text literal (“water damage restoration in Encinitas”).

Decision Table — Are You SAB, Storefront, or Hybrid?

Scenario	Do customers visit you?	Staff present at posted hours?	Signage?	Correct configuration
Mobile pest control	No	—	—	SAB; hide address; add cities
Water damage firm in an industrial unit (no walk-ins)	Rarely/No	No	Maybe	SAB; hide address
Door showroom with counter and installs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Storefront (visible address) + installs
Garage door company using coworking mailbox	No	No	No	SAB; do not list coworking address
Handyman with a private office (no customers)	No	No	No	SAB; hide address

Evidence Kit (Keep This Ready)

Prepare once; reuse for verification, edits, or reinstatement.

Evidence	What to include	Why it helps
Business registration	State/municipal docs showing legal name	Confirms legitimacy
Utility/bank mail	Recent mail to your base office (not coworking)	Ties business to a real address (kept hidden on GBP if SAB)
Vehicle branding	Photos of wrapped trucks/vans	Verifies field-service model + brand consistency
Job proof	Before/after photos, invoices (redact PII), work orders	Confirms you serve the listed cities
Signage (if storefront/hybrid)	Exterior sign + interior counter during hours	Proves walk-in eligibility
Insurance/licensing	Certificates relevant to trade	Professional compliance
Scheduling logs	Screens showing dispatch to listed cities	Matches service-area claims

Store the kit in a single folder; annotate filenames (e.g., 2025-07-utility.pdf, encinitas-job-before.jpg).

Quarterly Change Log (Template)

Keep a plain doc or spreadsheet. Only change service areas or categories quarterly unless there’s a major business shift.

Date	Change	Reason	Evidence/URL	Owner
2025-07-01	Added Cardiff service area	3+ weekly jobs there	/service-areas/cardiff/	Ops
2025-10-01	Swapped secondary category to rodent control service	Seasonal demand spike	/services/rodent-control/	Marketing

Pitfalls & Field Fixes

Showing a coworking address: Remove it, switch to SAB (address hidden), rely on service areas + site proof.
State-wide service area with no jobs there: Shrink to real coverage; add proof; expand later in rings.
Duplicate profiles: Consolidate; keep the one tied to your current brand/phone/site.
Frequent category edits: Adopt the quarterly cadence; log changes.
No web proof of cities served: Publish /service-areas/ hubs + city pages with job blurbs and captions.
Tech home addresses listed as locations: Remove; keep one SAB profile per legal entity unless you run staffed branches.

SAB SOPs by Role (Who Does What, Weekly)

Dispatcher/CSR

Confirms city/ZIP on each booking; tags CRM with the city for proof.
Flags new recurring cities to marketing for possible expansion next quarter.

Technicians

Capture one before/after per job (with consent).
Note neighborhood and time to result (e.g., “48h dry”).

Marketing

Maintains /service-areas/ pages; posts neighborhood jobs as GBP posts.
Runs a simple city coverage report monthly (where did crews work?).

Owner/GM

Approves quarterly changes to service areas and categories.
Ensures evidence kit is updated (registration renewals, insurance).

Service-Area Content Blocks (Copy/Paste)

City hub opener (first 60–80 words)

We serve [City] with [service] including [sub-services]. Most homes see [outcome metric] within [timeframe] when we use [method/tool]. Same-week scheduling; emergency slots for [scenarios].

Job blurb (under Recent Jobs)

[Neighborhood] — [Service]: [before metric] → [after metric] in [timeframe] using [tool]. Homeowner noted [result].

Dispatch note (for CSR)

“Confirm city/ZIP and note HOA or access limitations; we log this to support service-area coverage.”

SAB vs. Storefront Compliance Checklist (Print This)

Customers do not visit our location → SAB; address hidden.
Customers do visit; we have signage and staffed hours → Storefront; address shown.
No coworking/virtual addresses.
Service areas listed as cities/ZIPs we routinely serve.
Website has /service-areas/ + city hubs; Service + City pages for top services.
Evidence kit up to date (docs, jobs, vehicles, logs).
Quarterly change log maintained; no weekly flapping of categories/areas.
Duplicates removed; one profile per legit office.

Edge Cases (What to Do)

Hybrid businesses (showroom + field service)

If customers can truly visit: keep address visible, maintain photos of the counter/signage, and ensure hours are staffed.
Keep service areas for dispatch cities; avoid a statewide blanket.

Moving your base office

Update legal docs and site first; switch GBP after.
Expect temporary review; have the evidence kit ready.

Seasonal territories

Use a core set year-round; in peak season, add a few temporary cities if crews reliably cover them. Remove when season ends.

Franchise/co-op territories

Respect territorial boundaries to avoid profile conflicts.
Maintain separate evidence kits per location.

Reinstatement Playbook (If You’re Suspended)

Identify the trigger (address visibility, duplicate, category abuse, virtual office).
Fix configuration (hide address, remove duplicate, correct category).
Assemble evidence (registration, vehicle/photos, job proof, dispatch logs).
Submit reinstatement with a concise explanation and 3–6 high-quality exhibits.
Stand down on edits until reinstatement resolves; keep notes in the change log.

Metrics That Prove SAB Health

Metric	Target	Why it matters	Owner
% jobs in listed cities	≥ 80%	Aligns service areas with reality	Ops
City pages with ≥2 proof assets	100% of top 10	Validates coverage to users and reviewers	Marketing
New cities added per quarter	0–3	Controlled expansion prevents flags	Owner
Duplicate profiles	0	Reduces filtering/suspension risk	Marketing
Evidence kit freshness	Updated quarterly	Audit-ready posture	Owner

FAQs

Can I keep my address visible if I sometimes see customers?
Only if you consistently support walk-ins with signage and staffed hours. If not, choose SAB and hide the address.

How many service areas should I list?
Start with 10–20 cities/ZIPs where crews go weekly. Expand in rings as prominence grows.

Do service areas alone help ranking farther away?
Not by themselves. You still need prominence (reviews/links), relevance (pages that match), and proof.

Can I create a profile for each technician’s home?
No. One profile per legitimate office; do not list tech homes.

We used a coworking address last year—what now?
Switch to SAB with the address hidden, remove the coworking location, and fortify your evidence and city pages.

What if we move warehouses?
Update legal docs and site; then change GBP. Expect manual review; attach evidence.

SAB Rules in 2025: Service Areas Without Suspensions (Field Guide for Local Pros)