Ask the SEO Wizard
Esteemed Wizard of the Search Box,
Do I need a Google Business Profile if I work from home?
— an owner of a finance consulting practice in Lake Oswego, adapted from a question on r/smallbusiness
Asked
Almost all my client work happens over video calls and email. I don't have an office, though I'm happy to meet clients for coffee. Is a profile worth setting up, and what do I do about the address?
The Wizard answers
Maybe not. And that surprises people.
Google Business Profiles are for businesses that make in-person contact with customers, either at your location or at theirs. A consultant who works almost entirely over video is a gray area at best. Profiles like that get suspended, and once you’re suspended, getting back is a pain.
So here’s my call:
- If you really do meet clients in person, at their offices or regular coffee meetings, you can set one up as a service-area business. Hide your home address, list the areas you travel to, and you’re inside the rules.
- If in-person is rare, skip it. You won’t get much from the map pack anyway, because people searching for a financial consultant are mostly searching from their office, and Google ranks map results by distance.
Your energy is better spent elsewhere. A clear website that says who you help and how. A LinkedIn profile that matches it. Reviews or testimonials on the platforms your clients actually use. And for finance specifically, listings in the professional directories where people look for advisors.
Google enforces this inconsistently, so you’ll see competitors with home-office profiles doing fine. That doesn’t mean yours will be.