If customers can’t walk into your location during stated hours, Google’s rule is simple: remove your address and run your profile as a service-area business (SAB). If you have a real customer-facing location (staff, signage, customers can visit), keep the address visible and optionally add service areas (hybrid). This article helps pick the safest setup that also supports rankings without risking policy issues, edits, or visibility loss.This decision is part of our multi-location local SEO operations playbook.
The 30-second rule (operator version)
- “Customers come to us” → show the business address (storefront).
- “We go to customers” → hide the business address + set service areas (SAB).
- “Both are true” → show address + set service areas (hybrid).
“Edit profile → Location → toggle ‘Show business address to customers’ (OFF for SAB)” (this exact toggle is described in Google’s address instructions).
What Google actually means by SAB vs hybrid
Google defines a service-area business as one that visits or delivers to customers directly but doesn’t serve customers at its business address. Google also states that service-area businesses can only have one profile for the whole area they serve.
Google defines a hybrid business as one that serves customers at its business address but also visits or delivers to them, and it notes that if there isn’t permanent on-site signage, the business isn’t eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business.
How service areas work (and where people mess it up)
Google states that setting a service area helps people find your Business Profile and shows customers where you can provide your products and services. Google also says you can’t set service areas as a radius; instead you specify areas such as cities or postal codes.
Operational limits matter: Google notes you can add up to 20 service areas, and the overall boundaries “shouldn’t be more than about 2 hours of driving time” from where your business is based.
When showing an address usually “wins” (and when it backfires)
Showing an address is designed to help customers find you on Maps and Search, and it’s appropriate when you genuinely serve customers at that address. When you hide your address, Google says your profile will only show your service area (or a default local area if you don’t enter one).
The ranking takeaway: if your business model is truly storefront/hybrid, keeping an address visible typically gives Google a clearer location signal; but if you’re not eligible, forcing an address is a long-term risk (edits/reports/suspensions) that will cost more than any short-term lift.
The decision checklist (choose correctly in 10 minutes)
Answer these in order:
- Can customers visit the location during your stated hours?
- Yes → storefront or hybrid (address visible).
- No → SAB (address hidden) + service areas.
- Do you have permanent on-site signage and a real customer-facing presence?
- Yes → hybrid can fit (address + service areas).
- No → treat it as SAB to stay aligned with Google’s eligibility note.
- Are you trying to expand into multiple cities without real locations?
- If yes, do not create multiple “SAB profiles per city” because Google explicitly says SABs can only have one profile for the whole area served.
- Instead, scale visibility through legit market expansion methods (location pages, local partnerships, reviews, citations) while keeping the profile policy-compliant.
Setup steps (safe configuration)
If you’re a storefront/hybrid
- Add a complete, verifiable business address and keep it accurate (suite/floor/unit included).
- If you also serve customers off-site, add service areas in addition to the address (hybrid).
If you’re an SAB
- Turn off “Show business address to customers” (hide address).
- Add service areas by city/postal code/other areas (not radius), and keep them specific.
- Stay within the “about 2 hours driving time” guidance to avoid unrealistic targeting.
If the profile type is wrong, fix that first then move to optimization (categories, services, reviews, citations). Next up is the operational challenge: scaling these rules across multiple locations without creating duplicates or internal competition.Learn how to manage multiple Google Business Profiles effectively.