Why You Should Hide Your Address On Google My Business

In a Nutshell…

You don’t need to display a physical address on Google My Business, and for home-based or service-area businesses, it can compromise privacy and look unprofessional. A virtual or registered office offers the best of both worlds, giving you a prestigious, compliant business address that protects your personal details while projecting credibility online. Grosvenor House provides secure, flexible services to help your business appear professional and trustworthy.

Setting up a Google My Business profile is one of the first steps new businesses take to streamline their online presence, ensuring that their profile is visible and all the information accurately reflects what the business does.

Yet a common misconception is that you shouldn’t hide your address on Google My Business (GMB). In reality, Google doesn’t require an address to be displayed, but doing so can give your profile an added sense of legitimacy. The problem arises when a home-based business lists its residential address, which can create a security risk and could potentially expose private details to the public.

This is where virtual office services come in; they allow you to display a prestigious business address that reassures potential clients, while still protecting your personal privacy. Given that 64% of people use Google My Business to find local contact information, it’s essential to balance professionalism with security. If you’re debating whether to add your address to your GMB account, here’s what to consider.

Privacy and Security: Balancing Legitimacy with Safety

There are several benefits to listing a physical address on GMB, from improving local SEO to appearing directly on Google search and maps. However, using your home as a business address comes with risks, including unwanted visitors, security concerns, and a public record of your private address.

Hiding your address online protects your personal privacy and strengthens your business security. Beyond avoiding unwanted visitors, keeping your home address private helps protect against identity theft, harassment, and even potential break-ins. For home-based and service-area businesses, separating personal and business locations is a key step in safeguarding both your professional reputation and your household.

Professionalism and Credibility: Protecting Your Personal Address

Not only does using a residential address as your business address leave you open to a whole host of security risks, it can also appear unprofessional to potential clients, as a business address makes for a more ‘established’ presence online; even if yours is the best service, a residential address could still put people off. 

This matters because 97% of people look for local businesses on the internet, meaning first impressions on platforms like Google My Business can make or break customer trust. For businesses that rely on client confidence, projecting credibility through a professional address without exposing your home is essential.

Compliance and Legality: Meeting UK Business Requirements

Not every business needs to publicise its physical address. For Service-Area Businesses (SABs) in the UK – those who visit or deliver to customers but don’t serve them at their location (e.g., plumbers, delivery services) – it’s often recommended to hide your address.

This practice is largely due to privacy concerns, as the business address is often the owner’s private home. Publicly listing it raises significant risks to the personal safety, privacy, and security of owners and employees.

Platforms like Google Business Profile (GBP) support this by allowing SABs to define a service area and hide the physical street address from public view.

Crucially, while you can hide your address from customers, UK law still requires a registered office address for official correspondence with Companies House and HMRC. Many SAB owners use a professional registered office service to maintain their home’s privacy while meeting this legal obligation.

Steps to Hide Your Address on Google My Business

However, if you do want to present a business address on Google My Business, a registered office address is the ideal solution. It allows you to list a legitimate business address while remaining compliant with UK law.

For businesses that choose to hide their Google My Business address, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Google My Business using the account linked to your business.
   
2. Select your business profile from the dashboard.
   
3. Go to the “Info” tab and click on the address field.
   
4. Choose the option “I deliver goods and services to my customers” (service-area business).
   
5. Clear your physical address and instead define the geographical area you serve.

Following these steps ensures potential clients can still find and contact you, while your home address remains private.

For those looking to enhance business credibility and maintain a professional presence, we recommend using a registered office address. Grosvenor House offers a range of solutions, from virtual offices to registered office services, to provide a prestigious address, mail handling, and meeting room access, helping your business appear established and trustworthy online.

The Solution: Grosvenor House’s Services

At Grosvenor House, we provide more than just an address. We provide peace of mind. Our registered office and virtual office services are designed to give you a secure, legitimate address in the heart of the prestigious Jewellery Quarter that gives you a professional image while looking after your personal privacy.

With Grosvenor House, you benefit from:

• Mail Handling – Part of your virtual office package, with secure storage and forwarding.
• Meeting Room Access – Available alongside our registered office and virtual office services.
• A Prestigious Business Address – A central Birmingham location that enhances your professional image.
• Compliance Support – Services designed to meet UK registered office requirements, including handling official correspondence.
• Flexibility for Growth – Options to scale up your services as your business grows without needing a costly physical office space.
• Professional Presence – Maintain legitimacy and credibility on platforms like Google My Business while keeping your home address private.

This means you can confidently hide your address on Google My Business, knowing that your business still appears professional, trustworthy, and compliant

Protect Your Privacy and Project Professionalism

While displaying an address on Google My Business may benefit some companies, it’s not always the right choice, particularly for home-based or service-area businesses. When you hide your address on Google My Business, you safeguard your privacy, reduce security risks, and still maintain visibility online.

For those who want to conceal their businesses’ location for credibility and privacy, a virtual or registered office service from Grosvenor House is the ideal choice. It’s the smart way to meet compliance requirements, protect your personal space, and present your business in the most professional light.

Take the next step today, explore Grosvenor House’s virtual and registered office packages and give your business the professional presence it deserves.