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Yes, food trucks can have a Google Business Profile by setting up a Service Area Business listing using their home address (hidden from the public), but if a visible location is more important, they can instead add their business to Google Maps without a GBP.
Google’s search-based local packs and local finders are full of food trucks:
And so is Google Maps:
But as of writing this, there isn’t a single line in the current version of Google’s guidelines directly addressing this very common business model. In the absence of this, here’s the sum of what I know about food truck eligibility:
If you want to have a Google Business Profile, you can create a Service Area Business-style listing by using your home address and then hiding it. The address should be the same address that is on any of your business documentation to help you prove ownership when you go to verify the listing. The benefit of this option is that it is a way to list a food truck that has no permanent location or that can’t receive mail at its location.
The downside of this choice is that the location of your food truck will be hidden from the public on your GBP and you won’t have a pin on the Map. This may make it hard for potential customers to find you, so you should be sure to link to your website for a full description of wherever your truck is located. You can also use Google Updates (Posts) and social media to publish timely content about the location of your concession.
If you have a permanent location for your food truck but can’t receive mail there, and you decide that its address being visible to potential customers is more important that having a GBP and the ability to write posts, then you can add your business to Google Maps via this process instead of having a Google Business Profile. While this option means you won’t be able to manage your profile via the GBP system, your location will at least show up on Google Maps, in which case, you can make basic edits to it via the “suggest and edit” link..
Neither solution seems ideal, of course, but these are your options at this time. I want to cite some sources for this one, including:
In writing today’s column, I wanted to be sure that these suggested best practices were all still up-to-date, given that some of the sources now date back as much as 5 years, so I caught up with PE, Amy Toman, and she confirmed that the advice is still relevant and that, as far as she’s seen, Google has still not created specific documentation for this business model. Thanks, Amy!
Miriam Ellis is a local SEO columnist and consultant. She has been cited as one of the top five most prolific women writers in the SEO industry. Miriam is also an award-winning fine artist and her work can be seen at MiriamEllis.com.
