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Google bans countries and states from Business Profile service areas

Updated guidance restricts geographic scope as platform enforces stricter location targeting.

Luis Rijo

• 5 min read
Google Business Profile service area policy blocks countries and states, allows only local regions.
Google Business Profile service area policy blocks countries and states, allows only local regions.

Google has updated its Business Profile service area guidelines to explicitly prohibit businesses from adding countries or states as service areas, according to documentation changes implemented on June 24, 2025. The new restriction adds to existing limitations requiring service boundaries to remain within approximately two hours of driving time from a business's base location.

The policy change affects service-area and hybrid businesses that operate across broad geographic regions. According to Google's updated documentation, "Do not add countries or states as a service area," representing the first time the platform has explicitly banned these large geographic designations. Previously, businesses could theoretically list entire countries or states within their service area configurations, though such practices conflicted with the two-hour driving time guideline established earlier.

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Summary

Who: Google updated Business Profile guidelines affecting service-area and hybrid businesses, particularly marketing agencies and large-scale service providers operating across broad geographic regions.

What: New policy explicitly prohibits adding countries or states as service areas in Business Profile listings, requiring businesses to specify service areas by city, postal code, or regional designations within two hours driving time from their base location.

When: The policy change was implemented on June 24, 2025, with documentation updates published on Google's Business Profile support pages.

Where: The restrictions apply globally to all Business Profile listings, affecting both organic local search results and Google Maps business discovery across all markets where Google operates.

Why: Google implemented the restrictions to improve local search result quality, ensure geographic accuracy in business listings, and prevent abuse of overly broad service area designations that mislead users about actual service availability.

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Stefan Somborac, who first reported the changes on social media, highlighted the impact on marketing agencies operating across multiple jurisdictions. "Marketing agencies that set their service area to be the entire country" represent the primary affected business category, with some agencies previously claiming service areas spanning 19 countries.

The updated guidelines maintain the existing framework for service area businesses while introducing stricter geographic limitations. Service-area businesses continue to be defined as operations that "visit or deliver to customers directly but doesn't serve customers at their business address." Examples include cleaning services and plumbers. These businesses remain limited to one profile for their entire service area and cannot display storefront addresses.

Hybrid businesses retain their dual functionality, serving customers both at physical locations and through direct visits or deliveries. According to the documentation, hybrid businesses can "show their storefront address, set their hours for when they're staff is available, and also have a service area." Restaurants offering both dine-in and delivery services exemplify this business model.

The service area configuration system continues to reject radius-based designations. Businesses cannot "set your service area as a radius distance around your business," requiring instead specification by city, postal code, or other defined geographic areas. The 20 service area limit remains unchanged, with boundaries restricted to "about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based."

These technical restrictions complement broader Business Profile management requirements. Businesses without customer service at their registered address must remove their address entirely from their profile listings. Address removal becomes mandatory for pure service-area operations, while hybrid businesses maintain both address and service area information.

The policy enforcement arrives amid broader Google initiatives to improve local search accuracy and business verification. Local search rankings depend on relevance, distance, and prominence factors, with complete and accurate business information improving search result matching. Distance calculations rely on user location data and specified search terms, making accurate geographic boundaries essential for proper search functionality.

Business Profile service areas operate differently from Google Ads location targeting, which allows broader geographic designations. The distinction highlights Google's approach to organic business listings versus paid advertising placement. Service areas affect organic discovery through Google Maps and local search results, while location assets in Google Ads follow separate verification and targeting protocols.

The timing coincides with Google's enhanced focus on local business verification across its platforms. Brand profile management tools for e-commerce retailers introduced earlier this year demonstrate the company's commitment to comprehensive business information control within search results.

Implementation affects businesses currently using country or state-level service areas. The documentation indicates businesses with existing radius-based service areas cannot edit their configurations, requiring complete reconfiguration for compliance. New service area specifications must follow city, postal code, or regional designations that respect the two-hour driving time boundary.

Geographic restrictions apply universally across business categories, with limited exceptions for specific service types. Businesses offering products with age requirements, including alcohol, cannabis, or weapons, must maintain physical storefronts regardless of service area designations. These operations cannot operate as pure service-area businesses under current guidelines.

The policy change reflects Google's broader strategy to improve local search result quality and user experience. Overly broad service areas dilute geographic relevance and potentially mislead users about actual service availability. The two-hour driving time guideline provides practical boundaries for legitimate business operations while preventing abuse of the system.

Service area management tools within Business Profile allow up to 20 distinct geographic designations per business. Each area must be specified using recognized geographic boundaries rather than arbitrary regions or overly broad jurisdictions. The system supports cities, postal codes, and defined administrative areas while rejecting country or state-level designations.

Business owners must review existing service area configurations for compliance with the updated guidelines. Non-compliant listings risk reduced visibility in local search results or potential penalties for guideline violations. The enforcement timeline remains unclear, but businesses should proactively adjust their service areas to meet current requirements.

The restriction primarily impacts large-scale service providers attempting to capture broad geographic markets through single Business Profile listings. Legitimate multi-location businesses operating across state or country boundaries should establish separate profiles for each service area that meets the two-hour driving time requirement.

Marketing agencies and consulting firms represent the most affected business categories, particularly those claiming nationwide or international service capabilities. These businesses must either narrow their service areas to comply with geographic restrictions or establish multiple Business Profile listings for different regional operations.

Google's enforcement approach for existing non-compliant listings remains undisclosed. The company typically provides grace periods for guideline updates, but businesses should assume immediate compliance expectations. Proactive adjustment prevents potential visibility penalties or listing suspensions.

The updated guidelines maintain existing verification requirements for Business Profile management. Address verification, phone number confirmation, and category accuracy remain essential for profile approval and continued visibility. Service area restrictions add another layer to the verification process without changing fundamental business eligibility requirements.

Industry implications extend beyond individual business compliance to affect local search marketing strategies. Marketing professionals advising clients on local SEO must incorporate the new geographic restrictions into their recommendations. Understanding local ranking factors becomes more critical as service area precision affects search visibility.

The change signals Google's commitment to maintaining local search result quality as business listings proliferate across its platforms. Geographic accuracy improves user experience by ensuring search results reflect realistic service availability rather than theoretical coverage areas.

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