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More clinics than ever—especially mobile physiotherapists, nurses, massage therapists, foot care providers, and IV therapy teams—are offering in-home visits or on-site services.
But when your business doesn’t rely on a fixed office—or offers both clinic-based and mobile services—setting up your Google Business Profile properly becomes a bit tricky.
If you get it wrong:
- You may violate Google’s policies (and risk suspension)
- You might not appear in key local searches
- Clients may get confused about where you operate
This post explains how to correctly set up GBP for clinics offering mobile, home-based, or on-location services—so you maximize visibility while staying compliant.
🧠 Understanding Google’s Service Area Business (SAB) Rules
A Service Area Business (SAB) is one that:
- Visits clients at their location (home, office, etc.)
- Does not receive clients at a public-facing location
Google treats these differently than brick-and-mortar businesses.
🔍 3 Scenarios for Home-Visit or Mobile Clinics
Scenario 1: Mobile-Only Clinic (No Public Office)
You operate entirely through home visits (e.g., mobile foot nurse, mobile physio).
✅ Set up as a Service Area Business
- Hide your address
- Define your service area (by city, postal code, or region)
- Use phrases like “We come to you” in your description and services
- Your GBP will still rank—but for searches in your listed service area
Scenario 2: Hybrid Clinic (Office + Mobile Services)
You have a physical location and offer home visits (e.g., a physio clinic that also visits seniors at home).
✅ Set up as a brick-and-mortar clinic with:
- Visible address
- Service area added
Google allows this if your business serves customers at your business address AND travels to serve them elsewhere.
Best practices:
- Include both services in your description: “Our Mississauga clinic offers in-person and mobile physiotherapy for seniors, post-op patients, and those with limited mobility.”
- Clarify service zones: “We travel to clients across Etobicoke, Oakville, and Brampton.”
Scenario 3: You Use a Shared or Virtual Office (But See No Clients There)
You use a mailing address or coworking space but don’t meet patients there.
❌ Do NOT list the address publicly.
✅ You must register as a Service Area Business and hide your address.
🛠 How to Configure GBP Service Area Settings
- Sign in to GBP → Business Info
- Clear your address field (if you don’t serve clients there)
- Add your service areas
- Up to 20 locations
- Can list cities, postal codes, or regions
- Avoid overextending (only include areas you truly serve)
✅ Example:
- Service areas: North York, Scarborough, Markham, Richmond Hill
💡 Tips for Ranking Locally with SAB Listings
- Use localized keywords in your description: “Providing mobile foot care in downtown Ottawa and surrounding areas.”
- Add city names to photo file names and posts
- Post client-focused updates:
- “Now accepting new in-home physiotherapy clients in Vaughan”
- “3 benefits of mobile diabetic foot care in Brampton”
✅ Keep your content hyper-local to earn visibility in those areas.
❓ What to Do If You Offer Limited In-Home Services
Let’s say you:
- Only offer home visits for certain services
- Only serve select patients (e.g., seniors, post-op)
✅ That’s fine! Just be clear in your content and Q&A section:
“We offer mobile visits for seniors and post-surgical care patients in Toronto and East York. Contact us to confirm availability.”
🚫 Mistakes to Avoid
- ❌ Listing a residential address unless it’s zoned and permitted as a clinic
- ❌ Using a UPS Store or PO Box as your business address
- ❌ Listing 10+ service areas that you don’t regularly visit
- ❌ Having both a service area business and a second listing for the same provider
These are against Google’s guidelines and can lead to profile suspension.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Mobile clinics are growing—and Google now offers the flexibility to support home-based, hybrid, and service-area-focused practices.
But if your GBP isn’t set up properly, you could:
- Miss critical visibility in your city
- Confuse potential clients
- Risk losing your listing entirely
Get your settings, content, and visibility zones right—and your profile can become your top source of local leads.
📞 Need Help Setting Up a Service Area Business on Google Maps?
At GBP Support, we specialize in helping Canadian mobile clinics and hybrid providers:
- Configure their Google listings correctly
- Rank in target cities or neighbourhoods
- Convert profile views into bookings—compliantly and effectively
👉 [Book a Free 15-Min Discovery Call]
We’ll review your GBP setup and make sure you’re ranking where it matters—without risking suspension.