Using Home Addresses for Google Business Profiles: Rules and Restrictions

Many businesses start from home, but using your residential address for Google Business Profile (GBP) comes with strict rules. Get it wrong, and suspension is almost guaranteed.

When Home Addresses Are Allowed

Google permits home addresses for Service Area Businesses (SABs) that serve customers at the customer's location. This applies to businesses where customers do not visit your location. Examples include:

• Contractors (plumbers, electricians, HVAC)
• Consultants, coaches, tutors who visit clients
• Mobile services (car repair, dog groomers that travel)
• Home-based online businesses where customers don't visit

Crucial Rule: You must hide your address from public view. Register as a SAB, use your home address for verification purposes only, define your service areas, and ensure the physical address never displays on your live profile.

When Home Addresses Are Prohibited

You cannot use a residential address if you operate a physical storefront that customers visit. This includes:

• Home-based retail shops
• Home-based salons, barbershops, or massage therapists where clients come to you
• Home offices where clients have scheduled in-person appointments

For these businesses, you must meet storefront requirements, which include proper, visible signage displaying your business name at your home address. Google verifies this through Street View or direct inspection.

If customers visit your home-based business, and you don't have proper signage, suspension is inevitable. Google prohibits home addresses for storefronts to prevent fake listings and ensure legitimate customer-facing operations.

Proper SAB Configuration for Home-Based Businesses

If you correctly operate as a SAB from home:

1. During setup, select "I deliver goods and services to my customers."
2. Enter your home address for verification.
3. Crucially, hide the address from public view.
4. Define your service areas (cities, ZIP codes, or radius).
5. Verify your business (often by postcard to your home address).

After setup, check your live profile on Google Search/Maps to confirm no physical address displays.

Common Home Address Violations

The most frequent violations include:

• Registering as a physical location with your home address visible, but lacking proper signage. Google's verification system will detect this.
• Using your home address for a business that serves customers at their location (i.e., you travel to clients) and not hiding the address.
• Switching from SAB to physical location without installing signage.

If You Do Accept Customers at Home

If customers legitimately visit your home-based business, and you want to show your address:

1. Install Proper Business Signage: It must be visible from the street, display your business name (matching GBP), be permanently installed, and comply with local zoning.
2. Ensure Compliance: Obtain necessary business licenses for home-based operations and zoning approval for commercial activity at your address.
3. Update GBP: Change your profile to reflect a physical location, show your address, and prepare to provide photos of your signage during verification.

Warning: Many residential zones prohibit customer-facing businesses or require specific permits. Make sure you comply with local laws BEFORE showing your home address publicly.