For years, many experts have discussed whether “service areas” inside Google Business Profile actually help a business rank better. Now, the latest Google API leak has added more clarity to this debate.
Claudia Tomina spotted something interesting in the leaked document and shared it on LinkedIn:
She highlighted a specific line from the API that explains how Google stores service area information. The document says this data is used to show the areas a business serves, but there is a clear warning that it is not meant to be used directly.
Claudia simplified this by saying the service area information is mainly for display purposes and internal geo consistency, not for ranking. In her words, “If service areas were part of ranking logic, Google would not warn engineers against using them directly.”
This strongly supports what many SEO experts already believed. Service areas help customers understand where you operate, but they do not push your Google Business Profile higher in search results.
Still, the local SEO world is always evolving, so discussions will continue as Google updates its systems.
You can check the full conversation on LinkedIn.
