By Tihan van der Walt | 13 November 2026
Google's own help centre, at the time I checked it, was saying that "businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results", and that if your business info isn't accurate, "your Business Profile might not show up for relevant searches in your area." The guidelines say the same kind of thing in more detail: hide the address if you're a service-area business, use a name that reflects "your business's real-world name", and don't use categories "solely as keywords".
That's the gist. The detail follows, section by section, for electricians, plumbers, pest control, pool services and anyone else who drives to the job.
Google's help page on service areas, last time I read it, put it like this: a service-area business is one that "visits or delivers to customers directly but doesn't serve customers at their business address". Its guidelines then say that if you're one, "you should hide your business address from customers". Plumbers, cleaners and the gate-motor guy all fall under that.
The storefront rules were the part that caught my eye. Google is explicit that a business without "permanent on-site signage" is "not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business". So the home office in Northcliff is out, branded bakkie or not.
Hybrids, meaning businesses that serve people at the premises and also go out to them, may show both. A tyre fitment centre with a call-out van was the example that came to mind.
Sign in with a Google account the business owns, search for your business name and create the profile. Google's page says "you need a Google Account to sign up for a Business Profile" and that you can "create a new Google Account with a Gmail address or your preferred email address." Say no to a customer-facing location if you're a trade, then add service areas, phone and website.
Then the details that matter later. On categories, Google's guidelines say: "Select categories that complete the statement: 'This business IS a' rather than 'this business HAS a.' The goal is to describe your business holistically rather than a list of all the services it offers." On ownership: "If you assume ownership of a Business Profile, you first need to have the previous owner add you as an owner and transfer ownership to you." Get yourself listed as owner on day one, use the name on the bakkie, and put a number on the profile that someone actually answers.
Setup asks whether there's a location customers can visit, and the answer to give is no; on a profile that already exists it's Edit profile, then Location, where the address can be cleared so that only the service area remains. Google's guidelines give the example directly: "if you're a plumber and run your business from your residential address, clear the address from your Business Profile." Google may still use the address to verify you.
Plenty of sole traders in Gauteng would rather not have strangers ringing the gate buzzer at 9pm, so this suits most people anyway.
What I wouldn't do is rent a virtual office to look bigger. The guidelines say that "if your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn't operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn't eligible for a Business Profile." P.O. boxes, in Google's words, "aren't acceptable" either.
The limit is 20. Google's page on it says "you can have up to 20 service areas", that the boundaries "shouldn't be more than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based", and that you should "be as specific and accurate as possible" when you set them.
For a Sandton electrician working north and east of town, something like Sandton, Randburg, Midrand, Fourways, Bryanston, Rivonia, Edenvale, Bedfordview, Kempton Park and Linden is already generous.
A bigger circle doesn't buy reach, either. Google's ranking page said results were "mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity", with distance being "how far each business is from the customer who's searching."
Google decides, not you. From its help page: "Verification methods are automatically determined by Google and can't be changed. To verify your business, try the available options for your Business Profile. The verification options available to you depend on your business type, public info, region, or business hours." And then, usefully: "If your business is eligible for video verification, we recommend that you use this option."
On phone or SMS, the same page warns: "To get your verification code, make sure you can answer your business phone number or receive text messages. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems won't get the code."
The video goes better with a plan. Street sign or landmark, the branded bakkie, the kit inside it, an invoice book with the business name, the banking app on your phone, one take. Then wait. Google's guidelines say "do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts", so a second profile is out.
According to Google's page on local ranking, "Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity." On relevance: "Relevance is how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. To help Google better understand your business and match it to relevant searches, provide complete and detailed business info." Prominence "means how well-known a business is", based on "how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have".
Field by field, then. The name, per the guidelines, should reflect "your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers", so "24/7 Sandton Cheap" has to go. Categories: "Use as few categories as possible to describe your overall core business." The description, says Google, should cover "what you offer", "what makes you special" and "how long you've been in business", and must not "exceed 750 characters". After that: services named the way customers say them, honest hours (special hours too, for public holidays), and photos of your own jobs and vehicles.
Google's review tips, at the time I checked, said "you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code", and recommended that owners "reply to reviews and share your perspective." On incentives the page didn't mince words: offering "free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers to post reviews" is "considered fake & misleading content and is strictly prohibited."
Which leaves asking. Every happy customer, every time, with the link saved as a WhatsApp quick reply.
The reply advice was better than I expected from a help page: "instead of sending the same 'thank you' to everyone, focus on reviews where you can share a helpful update or answer a question." So, "Thanks Thandi, glad the DB board is sorted" rather than a template.
Google's own pitch for posts, from its help page: "You can post updates on your Business Profile to share announcements, offers, updates, and event details directly with your customers on Search and Maps. When customers find your latest business updates on your Business Profile, it helps them decide to visit your business." There are three kinds: updates, offers and events.
Two lines on that page are worth knowing. "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set." And: "Posts that include a phone number in the post description might get rejected if they cannot be verified as being connected to the business on which they are posted."
What to post, then. Google's tips end with "Add complete and relevant details: Include a descriptive title, event start and end times, and offer info." Fine. I'd add one thing of my own, a finished job with a photo, every week or two.
Google's page on how it sources Business Profile information lists, among other things, "users who contribute factual information (such as addresses and phone numbers), and content (such as photos and reviews), including business owners who claim profiles". AI answers in Google draw on that pool. ChatGPT and Gemini, I'd argue, lean on much the same public signals, plus whatever your website says.
Which is why I bang on about consistency (same name, number and areas on the profile, the website, Facebook and the directories). More on that in how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI, and in what SEO looks like in South Africa now that AI answers come first.
Most are in the guidelines already. "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers." "Do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts." Names must reflect "your business's real-world name". And Google "reserves the right to suspend access to Business Profiles" that break the rules.
Missing from Google's list: the ex-employee or old agency who still owns the profile, and calls nobody counts. Performance in the profile shows calls, clicks and direction requests. Our GA4 and Google Tag Manager setup guide covers the website half.
Yes. Creating and managing one costs nothing. You'd only pay if you decided to run Google Ads, which can also show up on Maps.
Yes. "If you're a service-area business, you should hide your business address from customers," say Google's guidelines.
Google's help page: "You can have up to 20 service areas." The guidelines add that the area should go no "farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based."
Google's verify page says "verification reviews take up to 5 business days." Codes by post are slower: "Most codes arrive within 14 days." Don't open a duplicate profile while you wait.
No. Google: "Your name should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers."
Yes. It's called Google Business Profile now; managers and primary ownership both live under People and access.
Some owners enjoy this sort of admin. Most, I'd guess, would rather be on site.
Want your Business Profile done properly?
We're MinuteSteak, one of the big players in South African digital marketing, with about ten years of work for EasiGrass Group, SANParks, Brand South Africa and plenty of smaller local firms. Setup, verification, categories and a review routine, done. Linbro Park, Sandton, by appointment only.
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