If you visit customers rather than having them come to you, you can still have a Google Business Profile. You verify it with your real address, then hide that address and list the cities or areas you serve instead. Get the name, category and contact details right from the start, ask real customers for reviews, and avoid the handful of shortcuts that commonly lead to suspensions.
Follow the setup stepsLocal SEO in VancouverGoogle treats a business as a service-area business when it goes to its customers instead of welcoming them at a shopfront. In the Lower Mainland that covers a lot of owner-run work: cleaners, mobile dog groomers, plumbers and electricians, painters, landscapers, mobile mechanics, in-home care and tutors.
Many of these businesses run from a home in Burnaby, a basement suite in East Vancouver or a shop space shared with a vehicle. You can still get a Google Business Profile. The difference is that your street address is used for verification and then kept private, while your listing shows the areas you serve.
If customers do come to you, even part of the time, and you have staffed hours at that address, you may be a hybrid business that shows both an address and service areas. Choose the option that honestly describes how you work.
The primary category tells Google what kind of business you are and has a large effect on which searches you can appear for. Pick the most specific category that matches what most of your revenue comes from. A company that mostly does residential cleaning should usually choose a house cleaning category over a broad one like "cleaning service" if a closer match exists.
Secondary categories are for real, regular services. Adding loosely related categories to catch more searches tends to confuse rather than help, and it does not reflect your business honestly. If your business changes focus, update the category, but avoid changing it repeatedly.
The description field is capped at 750 characters, so make each sentence count. Say what you do, who you do it for, where you work and what makes your approach different. Avoid links, prices that change often, all-caps and lists of keywords.
A plain example: "Two-person residential cleaning team serving Burnaby, New Westminster and East Vancouver. We bring our own supplies, work to a written checklist and offer regular or one-time cleans. Book by phone or through our website."
In the services section, list each service separately with a short explanation. These should match the services on your website, ideally with one website page for each main service.
Reviews matter both to customers and to how Google judges your business. The ethical approach is also the safe one: ask every customer, the same way, every time.
Your business name, phone number and email should be identical on your Google Business Profile, your website and directories like Yelp or industry listings. A different phone number on your site, or an old trading name on your invoices, creates doubt for customers and for Google.
Your website should also say the same thing as your profile about where you work. If your profile lists Richmond and Delta, your site should mention them in plain sentences. Our guide to local SEO in Vancouver explains how the two work together, and our small business websites are built with one page per service so they line up with your profile's services list.
No website yet? A profile can work on its own, but a simple site gives customers somewhere to check your services and areas before they call. AIVIQ's Basic Website Build is CAD $150 for up to five simple pages from your own copy and photos, and the Vancouver web design page covers larger options.
Google does not always explain suspensions, but these patterns are commonly behind them:
If you are unsure about a change, make it carefully and keep evidence of your business, such as your business licence and registration, in case Google asks.
Yes. A home-based business that serves customers at their locations can have a profile. You verify with your home address and then hide it, so the public listing shows your service areas instead of your street address.
Hiding the address is what Google expects from a service-area business, so following the rules is the safer choice. Where you appear in map results still depends on factors like relevance, distance from the searcher and how well known your business is, and nobody can guarantee a position.
No. Google does not accept virtual offices, mail drops or PO boxes as a business location. Using one is a common reason profiles get suspended. Use the real address you work from and hide it.
Only the areas you genuinely serve. Google limits how many areas you can add and how far they can reach from where you are based, so listing all of BC will not help. A focused list of cities or regions is more accurate for customers.
Yes, asking is fine and encouraged. What is not allowed is offering anything in exchange, writing reviews for yourself, or only asking customers you think will be positive. Ask everyone the same way.
Read Google's guidelines, fix anything that does not follow them, such as a keyword-stuffed name or an ineligible address, and then submit a reinstatement request with evidence like a business licence, utility bill or photos. Do not create a new profile to replace it.
Send us your profile link and website. We'll reply in writing with what should match and a fixed-price scope for any website work. No compulsory call.
Start a written brief