Should Service Area Businesses Show or Hide Their Address for Local SEO?

One of the most frequently asked questions in the local SEO world is:

Does showing or hiding your address on your Google Business Profile (GBP) affect your local rankings?

Let’s get straight to the point — it doesn’t. Whether you show or hide your address has no direct impact on your local search visibility.

But if that’s true, why do some businesses see a ranking drop after hiding their address?

Let’s explore the mechanics behind it.

Understanding Proximity in Local SEO

When your address is visible on Google, your local rankings are generally determined based on proximity — that is, the physical location tied to your listing. Typically, you can expect to rank within a 1 to 5-mile radius from that address.

Now, when you choose to hide your address, Google doesn’t magically start ranking you based on the service areas you’ve listed. In fact, service areas are purely visual on the map — they don’t influence rankings at all.

So what does Google use instead?

It falls back on the address your business was originally verified at — even if that address no longer appears publicly on your profile.

Why Some Businesses Think Hiding an Address Hurts Rankings

Here’s where confusion often sets in. Let’s say you’ve moved to a new location and updated your business address on Google. But you originally verified your GBP at a different address.

If you now hide your new address, Google will revert to using your old (verified) address to determine your ranking radius — not the new one. The result? You might stop appearing in searches around your new location, which looks like a ranking drop.

This is especially frustrating for mobile or service area businesses, where showing the address might not make sense — for example, if customers don’t come to the business location.

Real-World Example: Texas Mobile Pet Spa

Imagine a mobile pet grooming business that recently moved to San Antonio but was originally verified in New Braunfels. They currently show their address, so Google uses that new location to rank them locally.

If they hide their address — because they don’t serve customers at their location — Google will go back to ranking them based on New Braunfels. Suddenly, they lose visibility in San Antonio, and it seems like hiding the address caused the drop.

So, What’s the Fix?

If your business has moved and you need your verification address updated on the back end, you’ll have to contact Google Business Support.

Go to the Google Business Support form and explain that your business has moved and you need the verification address updated.

IMPORTANT: Don’t mention anything about rankings. If you do, you’ll just receive a generic response about improving your SEO. Keep the request strictly focused on updating the backend verification address due to a relocation.

Summary:

Showing or hiding your address doesn’t directly affect rankings.

Rankings are always based on the address your GBP was originally verified at.

Hiding your address can cause a drop only if you’ve moved and your verification address wasn’t updated.

To fix this, request a backend verification update via Google Support — just don’t mention SEO.