Story Based Question
Imagine you run a popular plumbing company called “QuickFix Plumbing” that services several neighborhoods in your city. You have a strong customer base in a few key areas but want to expand your reach. However, because you don’t want to list every single neighborhood in your Google My Business (GMB) profile, you wonder how you can let potential customers know where exactly you provide services. What’s the best way to set this up so that your business shows up in local searches for all the areas you serve?
Exact Answer
An “Area of Service” refers to the geographic locations where your business provides services, but it doesn’t involve listing a physical address. In GMB, it can be set up by selecting “Service Area” under the business details, which allows you to define the areas or cities you serve, helping your business appear in local search results relevant to those regions.
Explanation
Setting up an “Area of Service” on Google My Business (GMB) is crucial for businesses that offer services to multiple locations but don’t have a physical storefront. It allows you to let search engines and potential customers know which areas you cover, ensuring that your business appears in local searches for these regions. Here’s why it matters and how to set it up:
- What is an Area of Service?
An Area of Service is essentially a way to tell Google the neighborhoods, cities, or regions where you deliver your services. For example, if you’re a plumbing company in New York City, you can list boroughs like Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens as areas of service. This way, when someone in one of those areas searches for plumbing services, your business has a chance to show up in local search results, even if you don’t have a physical office in that specific area. - Why It Matters
Google wants to connect users with businesses that are most relevant to their location. By setting up a clear service area on your GMB profile, you make it easier for Google to understand where your business operates. This boosts your visibility in local searches, helping potential customers find you when they search for services in your covered areas. - How to Set It Up on GMB
Here’s how to set up your service area on Google My Business:- Step 1: Log in to your GMB account.
- Step 2: Go to your business profile and click on “Info.”
- Step 3: Under the “Address” section, you’ll find the option for “Service area.” Select “Yes” when asked if you deliver goods and services to customers at their location.
- Step 4: Once you select “Yes,” you can enter specific areas you serve (either by postal codes, cities, or neighborhoods).
- Step 5: Save your changes, and your service area will be visible to potential customers.
- Key Considerations
- Be sure to list all the areas you serve but avoid overloading your profile with too many locations. Focus on the key areas where you get the most demand.
- Your physical address will remain hidden, but Google will still use your service area to display your business in local searches.
- Keep your service area updated. If you expand your reach to new areas, remember to update your GMB profile accordingly.
Example
Let’s say you own “QuickFix Plumbing” and you service the neighborhoods of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Here’s how you’d benefit from setting up an area of service:
- Service Areas: You go into your GMB profile and add these three neighborhoods (Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens) to your service area.
- Local Search: A customer in Brooklyn types “plumbing services near me” into Google. Since you’ve set up Brooklyn as an area of service, your business appears in the search results even though you don’t have a physical office in Brooklyn.
- Visibility: Someone in Queens searches for “emergency plumbing near me,” and your business appears in their local results because you’ve set Queens as part of your service area.
- Growth: As you expand your business to other areas, such as the Bronx, you update your GMB profile to include the Bronx as an area of service. This gives you even more chances to show up in local search results across a broader range of locations.
An “Area of Service” on Google My Business allows businesses that provide services in multiple locations to appear in local search results without needing a physical address in each area. Setting this up ensures that your business shows up when customers search for services you offer in specific locations, boosting your local visibility and helping you attract more leads.