google-business-profile
Can I use a coworking office address for my Google Business Profile?
Sometimes. Google’s answer depends on how customers meet the business. A customer-facing coworking office must have clear signage, receive customers during business hours, and be staffed during those hours by your business’s own staff. A business that travels to customers and has no storefront with clear signage may instead use one service-area Business Profile for its central office or location and designated service area; a service-area business cannot list a virtual office unless that office is staffed during business hours. A mailing-only virtual office is not eligible, and Google does not permit a P.O. Box as the business address.
What conditions must a coworking office meet for a Google Business Profile?
Google's Guidelines for representing your business on Google require all three coworking-office conditions together: clear signage, customer reception at the location during business hours, and staffing during those hours by the business's own staff. The profile must also represent the business's actual, real-world location. For broader profile setup, see the Google Business Profile hub.
| Business setup | Google-supported outcome | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Coworking office has clear signage, receives customers during business hours, and has your business's staff there during those hours | The office may qualify as the location for the Business Profile, subject to the rest of Google's rules | Confirm all three conditions at the listed office |
| Rented office is used only to receive mail | The location is not eligible as the business's profile location | Use the place where the business actually operates |
| P.O. Box is used as the business address | The address is not permitted; Google says a profile set to a P.O. Box will be suspended | Replace it with an eligible operating location or service-area setup |
| Mailbox at a remote location is used as the business address | Google says a mailbox located at a remote location is not acceptable | Do not use the remote mailbox as the profile address |
| Business travels to customers and has no storefront with clear signage | Use one service-area Business Profile for the central office or location and designate the service area | Hide the address when customers are not served there; a service-area business cannot list a virtual office unless that office is staffed during business hours |
| Customers visit the coworking office and the business also travels or delivers | A hybrid setup may show the real address and a service area | The location must have clear signage, receive customers, and be staffed by your business during stated hours |
Is a coworking office that only receives mail eligible?
No. Google calls a rented physical mailing address where the business does not operate a virtual office, and says that location is not eligible for a Business Profile. Renting a suite or desk for mail does not turn it into an operating location. If a profile already uses that kind of address, follow the Google Business Profile suspension guide for a virtual office or P.O. Box before appealing or creating another profile.
Can I use a P.O. Box or remote mailbox as the address?
No. Google's Business Profile policy overview says businesses with a P.O. Box address are not permitted and that a profile set to a P.O. Box will be suspended. Google's address guidance also excludes P.O. boxes and mailboxes at remote locations. A suite or mailbox number that identifies an eligible physical location belongs on Address Line 2, with the physical street address on Address Line 1.
What if I travel to customers instead of receiving them at the coworking office?
Use the service-area model when customers do not visit the base. Google says a business that travels to customers and has no storefront with clear signage may use one service-area Business Profile for its central office or location and designate the service area.
Hide the address when customers are not served at the central location. A service-area business cannot list a virtual office unless that office is staffed during business hours.
If customers visit the coworking office and the business also travels or delivers, use the hybrid setup. Show the real address and service area only when the office has clear signage, receives customers during business hours, and is staffed by the business during those hours.
How do I add an eligible coworking office address?
Google's address instructions give this path after the location passes the eligibility test:
- Go to the Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile, then Location.
- Next to Business location, select Edit.
- Enter the complete physical address, including eligible building, suite, or floor information.
- Select Save.
If Google cannot find the address, re-enter the highlighted parts. If necessary, select Adjust to set the map pin.
Enter the complete official physical address, including eligible building, suite, or floor information. Google allows a nearby cross-street or landmark only where the official street address does not accurately pinpoint the business. Google says not to display the address as a corner or nearby-landmark description, and a mailing-only location is not eligible.
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Common questions
- Does hiding a coworking office address make it eligible?
- No. Google describes hiding the address as an option for a business that does not serve customers at its business address, such as a service-area business. Hiding an address does not make a mailing-only virtual office or a P.O. Box an eligible location.
- Can I list a coworking office if another company staffs the front desk?
- Not on that fact alone. Google's coworking rule requires the office to be staffed during business hours by your business's own staff, so a shared receptionist does not satisfy the stated condition by itself.
More on this subject in the answers library, and on the Maps Agent blog.