DBA (doing business as)
Definition
A DBA ("doing business as") is a trade name that lets a business operate under a name different from its owner's personal name or formal entity name; it is a business-name term, not an eligibility or verification status.1,2,3
- Topic
- Google Business Profile
- Updated
- Written by
- By Sergey Sulimko, Founder
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) also calls a DBA a fictitious or assumed name. Registration requirements and legal effects vary by state, county, municipality, and business structure, and registering a DBA does not provide legal protection by itself. This page is educational, not legal advice.1
DBA is not a Google Business Profile field. Google applies a separate real-world-name rule: the profile name should match the business name used consistently on the storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers.4 For the name-choice question when legal and trading names differ, see Which name should I use on my Google Business Profile?.
A DBA does not establish Google Business Profile eligibility.2 Eligibility and verification are separate Google processes, and the verification evidence depends on the method Google makes available for the business.3 The guide to entering and verifying a business address covers the address-specific process, while the Google Business Profile owner glossary entry covers profile access.
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