Setting Service Areas

Overview 

Service Areas define the geographic regions a business serves and help improve relevance for location-based queries such as “plumber near me.” Adding service areas ensures better visibility in Google search results, particularly for service-based businesses that operate beyond a single physical location.

Background 

Google My Business (GMB) allows businesses to list up to 20 service areas. These can be added via region names or Place IDs. Service areas enhance a listing's performance in local searches and communicate service coverage to potential customers.

Who is this feature for? 

This feature is designed for agencies managing service-based businesses such as plumbers, electricians, or delivery services. It helps efficiently scale location coverage updates across multiple business listings.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Enabling Service Area Functionality:

Navigate to My Profiles > Click on a Profile

Scroll to Profile Information under ‘Main Business Information & Contact’ and enable the Service Area checkbox.

Once enabled, the ‘Service Area Details’ drop-down will be displayed. 

2. Configuring Service Area Details:

Expand the Service Area Details dropdown.

Choose one of the following options:

• Customer Location Only: Services are offered at the customer’s location.
• Customer and Business Location: Services are provided both at the customer’s and the business’ physical locations.

3. Adding Service Areas:

Enter the name of a city, region, or postal code in the Service Area Name field.

Click Find to search Google’s location API.

Choose the most accurate result from the list of options.

Click the + button to add the service area.

You can repeat this process to add up to 20 service areas.

4. Saving and Syncing:

Once all desired service areas are selected, click Save.

The added service areas will sync with the corresponding GMB profile.

Glossary

• Service Areas: Geographic regions where services are provided but not necessarily where a physical location exists.
• Place ID: A unique identifier for a place in Google’s database.
• GMB Profile: The business listing shown in Google Search and Maps.

Tips for Agencies:

• Add specific service areas to improve precision in local search visibility.
• Use Place IDs for complex or overlapping geographies.
• Keep service area information aligned with business operations to avoid misleading listings.
• Adding accurate service areas enhances local SEO impact, supports better search visibility, and ensures customers clearly understand your client’s service reach.